The Comunicano Sunday Edition for July 6th 2025
Sunny Sunday
Good morning from the frontlines of the AI revolution—where technology, politics, and society are colliding faster than ever.
This week, the UK’s Alan Turing Institute, long a beacon for ethical AI, is being re-engineered into a national defense lab. “Turing 2.0,” they’re calling it. The mission: military-grade AI. Forget governance. Think geo-strategy. And the timing? No accident. Prime Minister Starmer’s push to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP signals a full-on AI arms race. The UK just placed its bet: AI won't just power the future—it will protect it.
Meanwhile, across the pond, American brands like Clorox are embedding generative AI into every operational crevice—from marketing to R&D—without shedding a single job. Let that sink in. This isn’t about replacement. It’s about reinforcement. Human-guided AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a partner in progress. Which brings us to Mark Cuban, who this week declared we’re merely in the “preseason” of AI. His message? The world’s first trillionaire could be coding in a basement right now, armed with nothing but a GPU and grit.
But not all stories are coded in optimism. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, chose Independence Day to announce he’s “politically homeless.” Disillusioned with progressive rhetoric that demonizes innovation, Altman is drawing a new line: one where capitalism and social equity don’t cancel each other out—they compound.
And then, there’s ChatGPT—yes, this very technology—steering spacecraft in simulations. Not a sci-fi script. A test flight. And it performed better than you might expect. From outer space to inner emotions, AI is even ghostwriting academic papers now—subtly, sometimes too subtly. Journals are catching on, and the ethics of authorship are under the microscope.
So here’s the throughline: AI is no longer confined to the labs or locked behind paywalls. It’s rewriting defense policy, reinventing business, reshaping politics, and—maybe—redefining what it means to be human.
The question isn’t whether AI will change our world. It already is. The question is—are we shaping it, or letting it shape us?
This has been your Comunicano Sunday Edition. Stay alert. Stay ahead. And keep reading The Comunicano!!!
Andy Abramson
AI Watch
UK to Reorient Alan Turing Institute Toward AI Defense Tech (BBC)—UK Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has ordered the Alan Turing Institute to pivot toward national defense and security, making this its central mission. In a letter to the institute’s leadership, Kyle called for a leadership overhaul to reflect the new "Turing 2.0" vision. The move aligns with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's pledge to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and focus more on military AI. The institute has recently focused on ethics and responsible AI, but future funding will now hinge on prioritizing sovereign defense capabilities—a marked shift amid a broader AI arms race. Read more here
Clorox Uses Generative AI Across Operations (WSJ Tech)—Clorox—owner of Hidden Valley Ranch—is integrating generative AI across marketing, R&D, product development, and consumer insights as part of a $580 million digital overhaul begun in 2021. The company's teams create AI-generated ad visuals and refine them via "prompt improvers," emphasizing human direction to avoid misfires like under-sauced chicken wings. AI also scans thousands of product reviews to extract trends, driving new product ideas. Despite these shifts, Clorox reports no layoffs tied to AI and views the tech as an augmentation tool guided by employee innovation. Read more here
AI Could Crown the World's First Trillionaire (CNBC)—Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban believes we’re in the "preseason" of AI—and what’s coming could be wild. In a recent episode of CNBC’s High Performance podcast, he said AI has the potential to produce the world’s first trillionaire—maybe even "one dude in a basement." Cuban draws parallels with the early days of the personal computer and the internet: initially underestimated, then integral to daily life. He urged innovators to build essential AI tools, highlighting his own reliance on ChatGPT for work, video creation, and personal organization. While he doubts AI will replace all jobs, he’s convinced it’ll revolutionize lives and wealth. Read more here
Tech & Politics – OpenAI's Sam Altman Declares Himself "Politically Homeless" (CNBC)—On July 4, 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on X that he's "extremely proud to be American" but now feels "politically homeless," disillusioned with the Democratic Party's turn against what he calls "techno-capitalism." He emphasized a belief in an innovation-led wealth creation model with broad distribution—"share the compounding magic of capitalism." Though he didn't mention Zohran Mamdani by name, his remarks likely respond to the NYC mayoral candidate's anti-billionaire stance. Altman's shift highlights a growing rift between tech leaders and progressive politics. Read more here
ChatGPT Could Pilot a Spacecraft (BGR)—Engineers recently put ChatGPT (and Google's Gemini) to the test as autonomous spacecraft pilots in simulation—and ChatGPT performed surprisingly well, even taking 2nd place in a spaceflight contest. In scenarios like controlling a "pursuit spacecraft," it demonstrated reliable navigation and decision-making. While researchers stress these were early-stage tests and not real missions, the results highlight AI's growing potential for long-duration space exploration, where human oversight is limited. We're still far from fully autonomous AI pilots, but this is a major proof-of-concept step. Read more here
AI in Scientific Papers (Futurism)—A new Futurism analysis reveals that scientists are now detecting AI-written papers by looking for patterns like the overuse of specific words. These "tortured phrases" or telltale stylistic markers act as clues to AI authorship. As researchers increasingly rely on AI tools for writing, publishers are developing detection methods to flag ghost-written work. It underscores a growing tension: AI offers writing efficiency and clarity, but its subtle markers expose itself—and raise ethical questions. Read more here
Agentic AI – The TACO Framework Explained (MarkTechPost AI Agent)—Autonomous AI agents are stepping beyond simple tools into full-fledged digital colleagues, and KPMG calls this leap the "agentic AI era." Nearly two-thirds of firms are already piloting these agents, which could drive a $3 trillion boost in global corporate productivity, according to a June 2025 KPMG report. The TACO framework—Taskers, Automators, Collaborators, Orchestrators—helps businesses select the right agent type for each goal. But unlocking this power means building solid enterprise strategies, AI agent roadmaps, and strong governance. With humans kept "on the loop," companies can responsibly harness this emerging digital workforce.
Read more here
Future Watch
The Tech That Will Rewrite Humanity (Box of Amazing)—In a breathtaking deep dive into what the next decade holds, Rahim Hirji outlines ten transformative technologies reshaping not just industries, but the human experience itself. From dream harvesting and emotional programming to digital resurrections and programmable love, this post-human manifesto reads like science fiction, yet every breakthrough is backed by current trials and patents. Invisibility cloaks, brain-typing, lab-grown meat, species resurrection, and real-time animal communication are all becoming reality. The kicker? All of this is converging by 2035, not in theory, but in labs today. Humanity isn’t evolving—it’s being edited. Read m
Search Watch
The Companies Betting They Can Profit From Google Search’s Demise (WSJ)—Startups like Athena and Profound are building tools to help brands optimize content for AI-driven search (e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity) instead of traditional Google. Athena analyzes how AI models retrieve brand information and advises on changes; Profound raised over 20M and works with brands like Chime. These firms anticipate a shift toward a "zero-click" internet dominated by bots instead of human visitors. While Google is adding AI features to search, marketers are already reallocating budgets to stay visible in AI chat results. Read more here
Satellite Watch
Colombia Seizes Unmanned Narco-Sub with Starlink (France24)—Colombian navy intercepted its first fully unmanned narco-submarine off the Caribbean coast on July 2, 2025. The vessel—a semi-submersible built by the Gulf Clan cartel—was empty but equipped with a Starlink satellite antenna, two surveillance cameras, and could reportedly carry up to 1.5 tons of cocaine over 800 miles. Officials believe this was a trial run for more sophisticated remote drug trafficking. Removing crews from these "floating coffins" reduces risk of detection and interrogation, marking a chilling evolution in criminal logistics. Read more here
Major Satellite Suddenly Disappears (Futurism)—MethaneSAT—an $88 million satellite financed partly by Jeff Bezos and operated by the Environmental Defense Fund—has unexpectedly gone dark. Launched in March 2024 to monitor global methane emissions, contact was lost around June 20, 2025, and recovery appears unlikely. The mission was meant to run for five years, offering vital data to curb one of the most potent greenhouse gases. Though short-lived, MethaneSAT had become a leader in emissions-tracking satellite tech, highlighting both the promise and fragility of climate-focused space assets. Read more here
Drone Watch
China's Fly-Sized Spy Drone (Jerusalem Post)—China has unveiled a miniature spy drone barely 2 cm in wingspan and weighing a mere 0.3 grams—about the size of a common housefly. Designed for reconnaissance missions in tight spaces or disaster zones, the drone exemplifies cutting-edge micro-robotics. However, its impressive stealth and maneuverability come at a cost: flight time is extremely limited. Still, this development signals a new frontier in surveillance tech, where agents smaller than insects could gather critical data in covert operations or search-and-rescue scenarios.
Read more here
Music Watch
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath Go "Back to the Beginning" (Rolling Stone)—Ozzy Osbourne and original Black Sabbath reunited on July 5 for a monumental farewell concert—Back to the Beginning—at Villa Park in Birmingham. The marathon 11-hour show featured the original lineup joined by heavyweights like Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira and more. Ozzy, seated due to Parkinson's, performed classics including "Crazy Train" and "Mama I'm Coming Home," before Sabbath closed with hits like "Paranoid." With 40,000 fans in person and millions online, the charity event celebrated their legacy in epic fashion. Read more here
Sports Watch
Generative AI in Sports Marketing: Hyper-Personalized Fan Experiences (AI Journal)—Sports platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings use AI to personalize betting suggestions in real time. DraftKings saw a 29 percent boost during the Super Bowl. Stadiums are using 5G to push offers to fans during games, boosting in-seat purchases by 21 percent. Fantasy sports are also seeing a 47 percent lift in engagement with AI-generated content. Read more here
