Today’s Highlights

• AI: Google’s AI Can Now Take Your Calls (So You Don’t Have To)

• Design: AI-Generated 3D Worlds Are Here

• Science & Tech: AI for Cybersecurity & Nukes: OpenAI Joins Hands With U.S. National Labs

• Founding: $1M ARR Pipeline in 90 Days with Account-Based Marketing

• Product: Tests of the Product Model: Pandemic Lessons & Generative AI Strategies

• Today’s AI image: “Hello. Charbel Speaking…”

• Quote for the day: Why You Shouldn’t Always Listen to Your Head

AI

Google’s AI Can Now Take Your Calls (So You Don’t Have To)

Google has unveiled two fresh Search Labs experiments that let AI handle phone calls on your behalf.

Whether it’s getting quotes from local businesses or dodging the dreaded customer service hold music, these features aim to take the hassle out of making calls.

All You Need To Know

• ‘Ask for Me’ dials up local businesses to fetch details like service pricing and availability—think car repairs, beauty appointments, or any other phone-inquiry nightmare.

• Users simply type in their request, and Google’s AI takes the reins, delivering a neatly summarised response via text or email within half an hour.

• ‘Talk to a Live Representative’ tackles another modern-day nuisance—long customer service queues—by waiting on hold and notifying users when a real human finally picks up.

• Both features lean on Google's Duplex AI, making conversations sound convincingly natural rather than robotic.

Why is this a big deal?

Phone calls are fast becoming an extinct skill, especially among younger generations who would rather text than talk.

Google stepping in to automate calls could make this avoidance even more widespread.

With AI-driven customer service on the rise, we’re heading toward a future where machines will spend a good chunk of their time calling other machines—a dystopian or delightful scenario, depending on your perspective.

So…would you let AI do your talking, or is this a step too far?

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Also in AI

• OpenAI’s Nuclear Side Hustle: Giving 15,000 government scientists access to its advanced AI models

• Riffusion Drops Free AI Music Platform

• OpenAI eyes a $40B funding round, with a staggering $340B valuation

• Google rolls out Gemini 2.0 Flash, bringing faster AI responses and sharper image generation

• AI startup ElevenLabs secures $180M in Series C funding, valuing it at over $3B

• Mistral’s latest open-source AI matches the performance of 70B-parameter models—at 3x the speed

• Sakana AI debuts a tiny Japanese-language AI that runs offline on smartphones

Design

AI-Generated 3D Worlds Are Here

Spline has unveiled Spell, an AI model designed to whip up entire 3D environments from a single image in just minutes.

By leveraging advanced volume rendering techniques like Gaussian Splatting, Spell brings a new level of realism and consistency to AI-generated 3D scenes.

What Spell Can Do

• From Image to 3D World – Feed Spell an image, and it crafts a full-fledged 3D scene that maintains visual coherence with the original input.

• Multi-Angle Consistency – The model generates detailed, realistic views from various perspectives while ensuring camera movements feel natural and immersive.

• Physical Realism – Spell simulates material properties like reflections, refractions, and depth of field, making interactions with surfaces feel more authentic.

• True-to-Reality Interactions – Instead of morphing objects for smooth transitions, Spell respects physical boundaries—if a camera moves inside a wall, it simulates the collision rather than distorting reality.

• Broad Generalisation – The model can generate 3D content across multiple categories, including environments, characters, and objects, sometimes even extrapolating beyond its training data with surprising accuracy.

While Spell is already impressive, Spline acknowledges there's room for improvement in consistency and quality, with ongoing model refinements in the pipeline.

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Also in Design

• Mazda’s New Logo Keeps It Simple & Slick: Ditched the 3D look in favour of a minimalistic, flat logo

• Adobe’s Scott Belsky Joins A24’s Board: With his experience in creative tools and tech, A24’s next chapter might be as innovative as its films

• The Paris Catacombs: A Surprisingly Cute Logo

• Designing for Generative AI Experiences

• Why AI Can’t (Yet) Replace User Control: Probabilistic interfaces predict needs, but adjustable ones give users real control

• 2025 Colour Trends: Think Neo-Mint, Electric Purple, and Metallic Accents

Science & Tech

AI for Cybersecurity & Nukes: OpenAI Joins Hands With U.S. National Labs

OpenAI is stepping up its collaboration with the U.S. government, partnering with National Laboratories to deploy its AI models for scientific discovery and nuclear security.

This partnership, which involves integrating AI into supercomputing and national defense, underscores the increasing role of artificial intelligence in critical government operations.

All You Need To Know

• National Labs are getting OpenAI’s smartest models to tackle physics, cybersecurity, and healthcare. Science, but turbocharged.

• OpenAI and Microsoft are plugging AI into Venado, Los Alamos’ high-powered supercomputer. Nvidia and HPE are along for the ride.

• OpenAI’s clearance-holding researchers are helping safeguard nuclear materials and reduce global risks. No pressure.

• A government-only AI platform for handling sensitive data, drafting policies, and automating paperwork—because bureaucracy needs all the help it can get.

• Over 90,000 government workers have used ChatGPT for 18 million tasks. Less time writing memos, more time getting things done.

Why is this a big deal?

From securing nukes to curing diseases, AI is now woven into national infrastructure. Science fiction? Not anymore.

OpenAI, Microsoft, and the U.S. government are getting cosy, shaping AI’s role in policy and security.

OpenAI’s got government backing, but Chinese rival DeepSeek is shaking things up with cheaper, powerful AI models. Let the showdown begin.

With AI now woven into national security, science, and diplomacy, one thing’s for sure: this isn’t just about smarter chatbots anymore.

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Also in Science & Tech

• FDA Approves First Non-Opioid Painkiller in 20+ Years: Suzetrigine is a new painkiller that blocks pain signals without being addictive

• Boeing Starliner Astronauts Finally Get a Spacewalk: Stuck at the ISS since June, they’ll return to Earth—eventually

• Prehistoric Murder Mystery: A 76-million-year-old pterosaur fossil reveals a fatal croc bite

• 11,000 Years of Sheep Herding: Genetic analysis shows we’ve been wrangling woolly creatures since the dawn of civilisation

Founding

$1M ARR Pipeline in 90 Days with Account-Based Marketing

Targeting with Precision

Leverage tools like LinkedIn Ads for broad targeting and Influ2 for ultra-specific, personalised campaigns.

Influ2 allows contact-targeting ads across all paid networks, focusing solely on matched contacts—no media spend required.

Crafting the Right Assets

Use platforms like Userled to quickly create personalised landing pages for each target account.

Userled’s integration with distribution tools ensures seamless execution without hefty budgets.

Internal design teams should focus on crafting ad assets for LinkedIn and Influ2.

The 16-Step Playbook to $1M+ ARR in 90 Days

• Start by organising target accounts and

• Creating a detailed ABX playbook.

• Build personalised landing pages.

• Distribute LinkedIn campaigns.

• Engage key contacts through platforms like Influ2.

• Sync tools like Influ2 with Salesforce to track account influence and revenue.

• Measure performance.

• Create opportunity reports.

• Fine-tune your GTM funnel for continuous improvement.

By carefully selecting accounts, crafting personalised content, and using smart tools to track and optimise, you can create a scalable, revenue-generating pipeline that’s primed for success—even with limited resources.

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Also in Founding

• SpaceX Takes the Crown – Elon’s rocket empire dethrones ByteDance as the world’s most valuable private company at a cool $350 billion

• Customers Don’t Care About Your AI Hype – Slapping “AI-powered” on a product doesn’t magically boost trust or sales

• SEO Isn’t Dead, It’s Just Morphing – AI won’t kill SEO—it’s pushing it toward high-quality, user-focused content

• The Ultimate Productivity Stack – Ten practical habits for cutting distractions and cranking out high-quality work

Product

Tests of the Product Model: Pandemic Lessons & Generative AI Strategies

The pandemic tested companies' ability to adapt to sudden challenges, and now generative AI is the next big test.

It’s clear which companies are ready to leverage new technologies and which are still relying on superficial features and marketing fluff.

Embracing the Product Model

• If your company hasn’t started transitioning to the product model, now’s the time.

• The product model isn’t just for startups or tech companies; it’s for anyone who wants to stay competitive in the long term.

• Even individual contributors can make a difference in championing this shift.

Old Giants and Newcomers

• While startups like OpenAI and Perplexity rise with new technologies, long-established companies like Google and Apple are also innovating, showing that the product model works across the board, regardless of company age or size.

• Disruptive innovations are constant, and only companies equipped with the right skills and mindset will thrive.

The product model is essential to navigating these changes, so whether you’re a CEO or an individual contributor, it’s time to embrace this transformative approach and get ahead of the curve.

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Today’s AI Image

“Hello. Charbel Speaking…”

Quote of the Day

Why You Shouldn’t Always Listen to Your Head

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."

Mark Twain

What we’re working on

🧞Your wish is my command