Jason Michael Perry

Latest Thoughts

📰 Issue #68: 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
📰 Issue #67: 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
📰 Issue #66: Sneak Peek of The AI Evolution

Howdy👋🏾. I’m on vacation in Spain this week, diving into tapas, all the jamón, and as much Manchego as possible! So, for this week, I’m sharing the introduction to my book, The AI Evolution, but first, I want to remind you of a few upcoming events. On November 7th, I’ll be moderating a panel with […]
📰 Issue #65: OpenAI DevDay Brings New AI Tools

Howdy👋🏾. Did you miss OpenAI’s annual DevDay on October 1st? This invite-only event took place in San Francisco, London, and Singapore. Unlike last year, the event was not live-streamed, and so far, no videos have been released, but OpenAI did update its website with its most recent updates. This year’s event was more low-key than […]
🧠 Could AI Be Your Next Wingman?

Bumble’s CEO recently suggested that AI could help you understand what you’re looking for in relationships better than you might on your own. Historically, many relationships began through introductions by friends or family who saw potential connections you couldn’t. Now, with AI, we might have a digital “wingman” that could offer similar insights.

Grindr is also exploring this concept, aiming to create the dating world’s first AI-powered wingman—one that could scout potential matches and come back with thoughts you might not have considered.

How long before the shortcut “Hey Siri, find me a date!” works?

wsj.com
📰 Issue #64: How Tesla’s Promises Compare To Reality

Howdy👋🏾. Last Thursday was Tesla’s highly anticipated “We, Robot” event. Elon Musk envisioned fully autonomous cars, robot taxis, and household robots straight out of The Jetsons—everything from watching our kids to cleaning our homes. I found the event needed more clarity, with Musk repeating the same promises and pushing timelines further into the future. While […]
🧠 Tesla’s Optimus Robots Are Fake

If you missed it, Tesla’s Optimus robots, which Elon Musk claims could one day be the biggest-selling product of all time, aren’t quite what they seem. Instead of functioning autonomously, these robots were controlled by humans behind the scenes, performing basic tasks.

In a world where Boston Dynamics routinely releases videos of robots doing somersaults, jumping, and working autonomously, this demonstration felt underwhelming. It raises the question: where does Tesla’s robotics tech stand compared to its competitors? Right now, it’s anyone’s guess.

Elon Musk’s Beer-Pouring Optimus Robots Are Not Autonomous
The robots were interacting with guests at Tesla’s big Cybercab event Thursday in L.A.
🧠 Backdoors Don’t Work

One of the biggest, least discussed stories globally is the compromised security of U.S. communication systems. By government mandate, backdoors were added to allow access to all communications in the U.S., and now it seems China—and possibly others—have exploited this vulnerability.

The lesson is clear: backdoors don’t work. When you open a system, you open it to everyone, not just the intended party. We need to rethink our approach and seriously consider what a truly secure, closed-door solution looks like. The choices we’ve made to implement backdoors are now leading us to face serious consequences.

Reports: China hacked Verizon and AT&T, may have accessed US wiretap systems
Chinese hackers were in networks of major ISPs “for months,” WSJ reports.
🧠 Who’s Really Driving?

The reality is that many people are getting what they think is a “robotaxi” ride—except it’s actually driven by humans. It’s a strange gray area where the lines between human-driven cars and semi-autonomous vehicles blur, leading us to ask: who’s really driving, and does it even matter?

This growing trend of Uber and Lyft drivers using Tesla’s Autopilot as makeshift robotaxis has sparked concerns about safety and the ethics of allowing this tech to stand in for a driver.

Uber and Lyft drivers use Teslas as makeshift robotaxis, raising safety concerns
A self-driving Tesla carrying a passenger for Uber rammed into an SUV at an intersection in Las Vegas in April, an accident that sparked new concerns that a growing stable of self-styled “robotaxis” is exploiting a regulatory gray area in U.S. cities.