In The Loop

OpenAI just dropped GPT-5.2, and it's their most focused release yet. No AGI promises this time—just real improvements for professional work. In this final episode of 2025, I break down what actually matters about this release.

You'll learn about the three model versions (Instant, Thinking, and Pro Extended Thinking), massive context window upgrades, and genuine breakthroughs in spreadsheets and presentations. I also cov...

OpenAI just declared Code Red. But here's the twist: three years ago, it was Google in crisis mode. When ChatGPT launched, Google's founders came back to pull all-nighters, teams were reassigned overnight, and it felt like the beginning of the end for Google's dominance. Now the tables have turned.

In this episode of In The Loop, we explore why OpenAI faces the a code-red crisis—talent drain, user attrition, a $27 billio...

Every week, new AI features and automations appear, but the real question isn't whether you can automate something—it's whether you should. In this episode of In The Loop, I break down a framework—from the Department of Product Substack—to help you decide where to start with AI automation in your product. 

We’ll cover the concept of verifiability, how to score opportunities across safety, volume, and ease of valid...

Google’s just dropped two new AI models that broke the internet—and got Sam Altman worried. Gemini 3 Pro and Nana Banana Pro hit number one on the app store and generated hundreds of millions of images in days.

In this episode of In The Loop, I'm breaking down the capabilities that set these models apart: from perfect multilingual text generation to 24-hour autonomous coding sessions. If you've been waiting for AI assist...

OpenAI just released GPT 5.1—but this time, there are no benchmark charts, no performance graphs, and no technical metrics. Instead, they're selling something much harder to measure: vibes.

In this episode of In The Loop, I break down the five key improvements in GPT 5.1 and what this dramatic shift from technical benchmarks to user experience tells us about where AI is heading. From better instruction following to warmer pe...

Michael Burry—the legendary investor who foresaw the 2008 housing collapse—is at it again. This time, he’s betting against the biggest names in artificial intelligence: Nvidia and Palantir. Burry reportedly wagered over 80% of his portfolio—more than $1.1 billion—on their decline, triggering panic across global markets and wiping out over a trillion dollars in value in a single day.

In this episode of In The Loop, I unpack exact...

Amazon announced 14,000 job cuts, citing AI transformation. Two days later, the CEO tells investors it's "not AI-driven." So which is it?

In this episode of In The Loop, I dive into the growing disparity between record profits and mass layoffs at tech giants.

After spending a weekend analyzing financial statements, competitive positioning, and workforce data, I have four questions to ask that reveal whether companies are experiencing...

OpenAI has just launched its own AI browser, Atlas, sparking headlines about the “return of the browser wars” and speculation that Google might finally have a real challenger. In this episode of In The Loop, I break down what Atlas actually is, how it compares to competitors like Perplexity’s Comet, and why I don’t believe it’s going to dethrone Chrome—or even come close.

But the real question isn’t whether Atlas can beat Google...

For decades, robotics has carried the reputation of being the ultimate “technology that never quite delivered.” But this month—October 2025—something shifted. Over $6 billion has poured into robotics, with major investors declaring that the next big thing is physical AI.

In this episode of In The Loop, I explore why robotics might finally be having its iPhone moment. I break down what’s changed, from embodied AI that gives robot...

There’s a new workplace jargon floating around: AI workslop. Coined by Stanford researchers, it captures a growing frustration with AI-generated content that looks polished at first glance but falls apart upon second look.

In this episode of In The Loop, I unpack what “ AI workslop” really means, its cost to organizations, and most importantly, question whether it's a tooling issue or a human problem.

We’ll explore how t...

OpenAI just made its boldest move yet—and it’s not about a smarter model. It’s about owning the future of how we use AI. At DevDay 2025, OpenAI revealed a massive shift from raw intelligence to practical utility, unveiling the ChatGPT Apps SDK, their new agent builder, and a new context-capture system that could change how every app on the planet works.

In this episode of In The Loop, I break down what these announcements mean, ...

Imagine a world where your glasses can translate conversations in real time, display arrows on the street to guide your way, and let you respond to messages without ever pulling out your phone. That’s the promise behind Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses, announced at Meta Connect. But despite all the futuristic potential, the launch wasn’t without its awkward demo fails. So, are these glasses a glimpse of our inevitable future, or j...

This week, I’m unpacking a landmark move from the Federal Trade Commission: a sweeping investigation into AI companions. Seven of the biggest tech companies—Google, Meta, OpenAI, Snapchat, Character.ai, xAI, and Replika—now have just 45 days to reveal how their AI bots really work, how they protect young users, and how they monetize engagement.

In this episode of In The Loop, I explore why teenagers are so drawn to these AI “fri...

This week on In The Loop, I’m breaking down OpenAI’s staggering financial projections and what they reveal about the true cost of pursuing AGI. With spending expected to soar to $115 billion by 2029, the question is: where is all this money actually going—and can it really deliver the future OpenAI is betting on?

In this episode, I follow the money trail to uncover the massive investments in data centers, chips, and infrastructu...

Has Google just leapfrogged Apple in the AI device race with its brand-new Pixel 10? After months of talking about AI trends and whether we’re in a bubble, I wanted to take a closer look at how this technology is actually showing up in the real world—and there’s no better example than smartphones.

In this episode of In The Loop, I break down the new AI features Google has built into the Pixel 10, why they matter, and how they co...

This week’s topic: Are we in an AI bubble? Sam Altman himself recently said yes—and called today’s startup valuations “insane.” Meanwhile, ChatGPT faced a user rebellion, and massive infrastructure investments are being announced at a scale that rivals entire industries. So what’s really happening? Are we watching history repeat itself with another dot-com-style bubble, or are we in the middle of something much bigger and more dura...

GPT-5 has finally arrived—but is it the AI revolution we were promised, or just a clever business move + marketing hype

After months of speculation, heated debates, and a very memorable launch event, OpenAI has dropped GPT-5 into the wild. The reaction? Let’s just say it’s been… complicated. In this episode of In The Loop, I cut through the noise to give you the real story: what’s genuinely new, what’s actually useful, and what’...

This summer, the world of AI has taken a sharp and fascinating turn. In this episode of In The Loop, I break down four powerful trends that are quietly—and not-so-quietly—reshaping the future of our digital economy. From AI companies being forced to pay for content, to Wall Street trading computing power like it's oil, things are shifting fast. And these aren't just random changes—together, they signal a much bigger story.

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AI is reshaping work while corporate learning stays stuck. Compliance-first courses, born after Enron and locked into SCORM, waste time and budget. Companies spend $340B a year; 70% is forgotten within 24 hours. As automation threatens up to 800M jobs by 2030, workers need real upskilling-personalised, in-the-flow coaching, triage by need, and conversational support- not “click next” modules.

Lori Niles-Hofmann has spent 20+ ye...