Jason Michael Perry

Latest Thoughts

📺 🔍 Robots.txt: The Web’s Silent Gatekeeper

Ever wonder how websites control what’s searchable? Enter the robots.txt file—a simple tool now at the center of big changes in the AI world. Curious about its growing impact? Check out this video to learn more about how this impacts the future of the internet.
📰 CES 2025 is everything I love about the future

Howdy👋🏾. I got into Vegas for CES 2025 on Tuesday, sadly missing some great keynotes from execs like Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang and Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian. But I still managed to have three wonderful days at the Expo with friends. There’s something about starting my year off with CES—as I have for the last […]
🧠 Mastodon and the Future of Open Source Ownership

Mastodon just took a bold step by transitioning to a nonprofit structure to ensure its independence and protect against future risks, like being “ruined by a billionaire CEO.” In doing so, it highlights a critical issue for open-source projects: ownership of domains, intellectual property, and the vision of the platform.

This move feels like a direct response to the ongoing drama in the open-source world, where Automattic’s CEO Matt Mullenweg has aggressively gone after WP Engine while asserting control over WordPress.org. The saga is a reminder that even in open source, centralized ownership of key assets can have massive consequences. Mastodon’s shift serves as a model for other projects looking to prioritize community trust and eliminate the risks of single-leader ownership. It’s a lesson that could shape the future of open-source governance.

Mastodon’s founder cedes control, refuses to become next Musk or Zuckerberg
Mastodon shifts to nonprofit ownership, calls for $5M in donations to expand.
🧠 If I Only (Robots) Had a Brain

Seeing all those robots at CES—especially the tired but trusty Unitree bots—I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. These one-task machines, while impressive in their own right, lack the intelligence to truly transform how we live and work. It’s like watching the Tin Man on his journey to Oz—all the potential, but no brain to tie it all together.

That’s where OpenAI could come in. Rumors of OpenAI reopening its robotics division have sparked speculation about the possibilities of pairing generative AI with hardware. Imagine a world where robots aren’t just performing tasks but adapting, learning, and problem-solving in real time. If OpenAI can bring their expertise in language models to robotics, we might finally see machines that aren’t just tools, but partners in our daily lives.

New OpenAI job listings reveal the company’s robotics plans | TechCrunch
New job listings reveal that OpenAI plans to develop sensors and other hardware for its upcoming robotics products.
🧠 Sonos and the Cost of “Courage” in Tech Missteps

decisions. The core issue? A rushed new app launched in May 2024 that stripped away much of the old app’s functionality, leaving users with a clunky, incomplete experience. The CEO called it “courage” to release such an app, but the fallout included missed product targets, layoffs, and what has felt like years of usability issues that the company never fully addressed. Even with a new interim CEO who comes from Quibi—a name that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence—Sonos users are left waiting for a real turnaround.

As for me, I’m sticking to my AirPlay-enabled speakers and holding off on that Sonos soundbar for my basement entertainment setup. After all, trust is a hard thing to rebuild.

Sonos CEO behind disastrous app exits with $1.9 million severance
Frustrated users think Spence’s removal is “well deserved.”…
🧠 My Proud Papa Moment in Mobile App Development

It’s not often I get to link to an article about something I helped build, but Daring Fireball recently mentioned the PECO mobile app—a project I had the privilege of overseeing as CTO of Mindgrub for Exelon. This app, along with others we developed for Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) and ComEd, serves a huge user base across cities like Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, and DC.

These apps were a labor of love, taking over a year to design and integrate with a patchwork of backend systems—many of them legacy platforms—across utility companies operating under different regulatory environments. From day one, our focus was on reliability and speed, ensuring these tools could handle the pressure during storms, outages, and other critical moments when customers need them most.

Hearing it recognized in an article like this is a proud moment, but it’s also a testament to the incredible teams at Mindgrub and Exelon that made it all happen. These apps are more than just utilities (pun intended); they’re lifelines during tough times, and I’m thrilled to see their impact acknowledged.

One Bit of Anecdata That the Web Is Languishing Vis-à-Vis Native Mobile Apps
The notion that mobile web apps are closing the gap with native apps is laughable. The gulf between them is widening, not narrowing.
📰 The Limits of AI Growth and What Comes Next

Howdy👋🏾. OpenAI co-founder and former Chief Science Officer Ilya Sutskever spoke at NeurIPS recently, and one of his quotes stuck with me: data is the “fossil fuel” of AI. It’s strange to think of human thought, creativity, and internet content as finite, but here we are. For years, companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI have […]
📰 2024’s Tech Predictions Revisited

Howdy 👋🏾. This time last year, the anticipation for Apple’s mixed reality headset was through the roof. As 2024 winds down, the Apple Vision Pro feels more like a speed bump than the revolutionary device we imagined. As the year comes to a close, I thought it’d be fun to revisit my predictions from Issue […]
🧠 WP Engine Wins Preliminary Injunction Against Automattic

WP Engine secured a significant preliminary injunction, restoring its customers’ access to WordPress.org and granting WP Engine control over the ACF plugin. This decision is a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal battle between WP Engine and Automattic, the company behind WordPress.

I have friends with strong opinions on both sides, but this ruling feels like the right decision. WordPress and Automattic’s approach to weaponizing open-source services against WP Engine seemed not only unfair but potentially catastrophic for the company. However, this is just a preliminary ruling, and with the case still pending, this story is far from over.

WordPress parent company must stop blocking WP Engine, judge rules
A win for WP Engine.
🧠 OpenAI’s 12 Days of Ship-mas Brings New AI Tools

OpenAI is in full holiday mode, unveiling new products daily as part of its “12 Days of Ship-mas.” Among the highlights so far is a new $200 reasoning model designed for pros, alongside Soros, an advanced video AI tool, and expanded features for Canvas, its collaborative AI workspace.

I haven’t yet had the chance to test these updates, and I’m still waiting for access to Soros, but the rapid pace of these releases is exciting. With a few days left in the campaign, I’m curious to see what else OpenAI has up its sleeve. Stay tuned—this might be the most eventful holiday season in AI yet!

12-days
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🧠 GM Cruise Hits the Brakes on Robotaxis

Cruise paused its robotaxi service in 2023 after a tragic accident where a woman was dragged by a self-driving car. That incident led to massive layoffs and the departure of top executives, sparking speculation that Cruise would soon fold into GM entirely.

So, it was a surprise when the company restarted service in April, albeit with safety drivers. My guess? The cost per ride with safety drivers made profitability tough to envision, and GM likely didn’t want to risk another high-profile incident damaging its brand.

Running a self-driving taxi service isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. Vehicles with human supervision don’t need to be nearly as perfect as fully autonomous cars ferrying people through unexpected circumstances.

With Cruise now officially out, the robotaxi market narrows to Waymo—continuing to expand its footprint—and Tesla, promising its fleet as early as 2025.

Cruise’s robotaxi service will likely shut down as GM pulls its funding
Cruise is out.
📺 Technology Evolution (in 90 secs)

I’m excited to take the stage at The AI Summit New York next week!

✨ Dec 11: Securing the Future: Balancing Innovation with Protection
💡Dec 12: The AI Talent Crunch: Solutions for Skill Gaps and Training Needs

Let’s explore how to drive AI innovation while safeguarding the future and bridging the talent gap in this rapidly evolving space. See you there! 🙌

🎟️ Join me and save 20% with promo code: SPKRJasonMP20OFF https://lnkd.in/emPpPanX
📰 Building Voice-Powered AI Agents

Howdy 👋🏾. Can you believe it’s December already? I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Over the break, I finally got to play with ElevenLabs’ latest offering—a platform that makes building conversational AI agents remarkably simple. As a reader, you may remember that I built an AI replica of myself and interviewed it, but I was […]
🧠 AWS re:Invent Kicks Off

AWS re:Invent is in full swing in Las Vegas, bringing a flood of product announcements as usual. On the AI front, the standout is Nova, a new family of Amazon-developed AI models that significantly outshine the previous Titan models, alongside enhancements to the Q suite of developer tools.

If you have time, check out the keynote—it’s packed with updates. I’ll keep an eye out for more exciting developments to share next week.

Top announcements of AWS re:Invent 2024 | Amazon Web Services
Don’t miss our biggest announcements! Visit this post throughout the week to stay up-to-date with quick recaps and links, organized by category, for all the most important AWS product news.
🧠 OpenAI’s 12 Days of Shipmas

Buckle up! OpenAI just kicked off “12 Days of Shipmas,” promising new product releases every day. This announcement follows Sam Altman’s intriguing email suggesting we might be closer to building AGI than many believe.

Sora, OpenAI’s video AI tool, and updates to its reasoning model seem like obvious contenders, but what other surprises are in store? It’s shaping up to be an exciting end to the year for AI enthusiasts.

OpenAI’s 12 days of ‘shipmas’ include Sora and new reasoning model
OpenAI has 12 days of Christmas planned.
🧠 EV Plug and Charge Moves Forward

One of the things I love most about my Tesla is the seamless experience of the Supercharger network. Just plug in and charge—no apps, no QR codes, no hassle. It simply charges the card linked to my car.

By contrast, my experiences with other charging networks have been riddled with issues: downloading apps, creating accounts, verifying emails, and struggling with bad cell signals—all just to start charging.

Thankfully, EV charging companies and manufacturers are moving toward a universal “plug-and-charge” system. Starting in 2025, chargers will be able to detect the car and handle payments automatically, making charging as simple as plugging in. It’s a big step toward reducing EV anxiety and fixing the clunky user experience we’ve all endured.

No more EV app folders: Universal plug-and-charge is due to launch in 2025
Most of the major EV makers and charging networks are on board.
Jonathan Turkey

Looking to chat with Jonathan Turkey a conversational AI agent? You should see a widget floating to the bottom right of this web page with a button that says “Gobble Gobble”, click that and enjoy!
📺 Levels of AI (Part 2)

How far can AI go?
In Part 2, I explore Levels 4 and 5 of AI—moving from creating art and music to tackling complex organizational challenges. Imagine AI managing your home—or even running your business. The future is closer than you think.
🎥 Watch now to see how AI evolves and what’s next.
📺 Levels of AI (Part 1)

AI has come a long way—from chatbots (Level 1) to early reasoning models (Level 2) and the rise of autonomous agents (Level 3). We’re still in the early stages, but progress is accelerating fast!

In part 2, I’ll uncover Levels 4 and 5, where the real game-changers await. Don’t miss it!

What excites you most about the future of AI? Let’s discuss!
📺 Foundation Models

I’m exploring the world of foundation models! From ChatGPT to Claude, LLaMA, Titan, and Gemini, see how each one powers up possibilities in AI. Curious about which model fits your business best?
Watch to learn more!

#foundationmodels #ai