- **Future of Higher Education and AI**: Princeton Professor D. Graham Burnett discusses AI's potential to revitalize the humanities by encouraging deeper engagement with existential questions, highlighting how AI can be integrated into teaching to enrich students' learning experiences.

- **Influencer Marketing Evolution**: By 2025, influencer marketing focuses on ROI and long-term partnerships, with a shift towards micro and mid-tier influencers. Despite a decrease in creator participation, the industry prioritizes content quality and AI for efficiency.

- **AI Geopolitics**: The UAE announces the open-sourcing of its AI technology, K2 Think, aiming to democratize access to AI and position itself as a leader in the global AI landscape. This move reflects the shifting geopolitics of AI technology and challenges dominant players in the field.

- **Robotics Expansion in the US**: RobCo expands its operations into the US, opening new facilities and acquiring assets to meet the growing demand for automation in manufacturing. This strategic move aims to address labor

Stan Berteloot is a French journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture.

As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics.

Start your VoiceStream free trial today!

📚 Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/podcasts/hardfork-education-alpha-school.html?showTranscript=1
• https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/influencer-marketing-in-2025-new-data-reveals-what-works-what-costs-and-whats-next-302490369.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/technology/uae-emirates-ai-open-source.html
• https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/09/09/robco-launches-in-the-us-with-new-san-francisco-hq-to-meet-automation-demand/
• https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aechelon-and-partners-niantic-spatial-iceye-blacksky-and-distance-debut-project-orbion-the-first-ai-enabled-digital-twin-of-the-earth-302549839.html
• https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-hijack-npm-packages-with-2-billion-weekly-downloads-in-supply-chain-attack/
• https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/22/meta-partners-with-midjourney-on-ai-image-and-video-models/

In this episode, we delve into the realm of advertising and AI, starting with how brands like Whisker, Calm, and Angel Soft are adopting low-key advertising strategies to provide a breather from the usual ad clamor. We then transition to the tech scene with ElevenLabs, an AI voice startup, nearing a $6 billion valuation and setting the pace in the generative AI industry with its lifelike synthetic voices. The discussion shifts gears to legislation with California's SB 53, a bill pushing for AI safety through transparency, amidst a backdrop of industry pushback. In the realm of personal computing, the spotlight turns to the potential of AI to redefine our interaction with technology, hinting at a future dominated by AI assistants and smart wearables. We also touch on the shutdown of Dot, an AI companion app aimed at providing emotional support, amidst concerns over AI-induced "psychosis" and the broader challenges facing AI chatbots. Lastly, we cover OpenAI's strategic move

Stan Berteloot is a French journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture.

As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics.

Start your VoiceStream free trial today!

📚 Sources:

• https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2025/08/24/break-from-advertising-ads-whisker-calm-angel-soft
• https://techfundingnews.com/elevenlabs-6-billion-valuation-employee-secondary-sale
• https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/08/anthropic-endorses-californias-ai-safety-bill-sb-53/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/technology/personaltech/ai-iphones-android-smartphones.html
• https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/05/personalized-ai-companion-app-dot-is-shutting-down/
• https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/05/openai-reorganizes-research-team-behind-chatgpts-personality/

Artificial intelligence influencers like Lil’ Miquela and Mia Zelu are captivating millions online and generating significant income, blurring the lines between reality and digital fabrication. Lil’ Miquela, introduced in 2016, has amassed 2.4 million followers and collaborated with high-profile brands. These virtual personas have detailed backstories and an engaging social media presence, with some A.I. influencers earning upwards of $34,320 per post.

China has tested the world's first AI-powered radar system on a military aircraft, showing unparalleled target tracking capabilities and maintaining near-perfect accuracy against jamming techniques. This development could greatly enhance the Chinese military's aerial defense capabilities.

The online news industry is facing challenges as AI reshapes access to information, with Google's AI Overviews and an AI Mode chatbot leading to a sharp decrease in traffic for news websites. Publishers are concerned about declining advertising revenues and the accuracy and bias of AI-generated content.

In a historic U.S. copyright case, Anth

Stan Berteloot is a French journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture.

As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics.

Start your VoiceStream free trial today!

📚 Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/style/ai-influencers-lil-miquela-mia-zelu.html
• https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3324437/ai-powered-radar-cannot-be-jammed-chinas-landmark-test-flight-result-suggests
• https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/sep/06/existential-crisis-google-use-ai-search-upended-web-publishers-models
• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/technology/anthropic-settlement-copyright-ai.html
• https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2025/openai-forecasts-spending-will-jump-to-115-billion-through-2029/
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-asml-becomes-mistral-ai-155415701.html
• https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/04/bret-taylor-sierra-ai-startup-salesforce-openai.html

In the New York Fed's district, AI adoption in businesses has surged, with 40% of services firms and 26% of manufacturers now using AI, up from last year. Despite the increase, layoffs have been minimal, with most workers undergoing retraining. However, the Fed warns of potential future job cuts as AI integration deepens.

OpenAI is launching an AI-powered hiring platform by mid-2026, aiming to compete with LinkedIn. This platform promises to improve how businesses and employees connect, part of OpenAI's broader expansion, including certification programs through OpenAI Academy in collaboration with companies like Walmart to enhance AI skills among the workforce.

Researchers at Pusan National University have developed a new method to create safer, more durable high-nickel cathodes for lithium-ion batteries, promising improvements in battery performance and safety, crucial for electric vehicles and renewable energy sources.

Congressman Jake Auchincloss has voiced concerns over the societal impacts of 'digital dopamine,' driven by social media and online gambling

Stan Berteloot is a French journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture.

As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics.

Start your VoiceStream free trial today!

📚 Sources:

• https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-far-had-limited-impact-143808319.html
• https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/04/openai-announces-ai-powered-hiring-platform-to-take-on-linkedin/
• https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-game-method-safer-lithium-ion.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/opinion/digital-dopamine-irl.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/world/asia/china-hack-salt-typhoon.html
• https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-your-login-pages-may-be-hurting-your-seo-performance/555292/

Apple plans to overhaul Siri in collaboration with Google's Gemini for a 2026 release, aiming to enhance AI-powered web search capabilities. Mistral AI introduces a beta version of Memories for Le Chat, focusing on privacy and user-specific responses amidst growing concerns. Big tech companies push for relaxed environmental regulations for data center construction, clashing with environmental standards. A US court rules in favor of Google, allowing it to retain Chrome and Android, amidst antitrust challenges. The U.S. reactivates a contract with spyware company Paragon Solutions for ICE surveillance tools. CoreWeave acquires OpenPipe to advance AI agent training. Salesforce cuts 4,000 jobs due to AI-driven automation in customer support. Russian hackers develop NotDoor malware targeting Microsoft Outlook for espionage. Humanoid robots face a "100,000-year data gap" challenge, lagging behind AI advancements in acquiring real-world skills.

Stan Berteloot is a French journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture.

As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics.

Start your VoiceStream free trial today!

📚 Sources:

• https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/03/apples-siri-upgrade-could-reportedly-be-powered-by-google-gemini/
• https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/02/mistral_ais_le_chat_can/
• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-environmental-consequences-of-big-techs-push-to-ease-regulations-for-ai-development
• https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-editorial/ai-pushed-google-search-not-destroyed/articleshow/123684254.cms
• https://jackpoulson.substack.com/p/exclusive-ice-has-reactivated-its
• https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=600-202509031600BIZWIRE_USPRX____20250903_BW667712-1
• https://www.uctoday.com/ai/ai-agents-slash-4000-salesforce-jobs-months-after-ceo-downplays-ais-risks-on-jobs/
• https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint-security/apt28-outlook-notdoor-backdoor
• https://www.therobotreport.com/why-humanoid-robots-arent-advancing-as-fast-as-ai-chatbots/

The looming AI revolution might foster unexpected cooperation between the US and China, requiring them to overcome tensions and collaborate on an ethical framework for AI's global integration. Ezra Klein discusses his positive experience with GPT-5, highlighting its practical utility and marking a significant step in AI's integration into daily life. A dispute between Anthropic's CEO and Nvidia's CEO underscores the debate over AI's economic impacts and the necessity for responsible development. Tesla's shutdown of its AI supercomputer, Dojo, reflects challenges in fulfilling AI ambitions, while a Washington judge's ruling against Google could reshape competition in online search. Lastly, Chili's achieves remarkable growth, with its strategic use of social media driving sales and demonstrating the impact of engaging content in marketing.

Stan Berteloot is a French journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture.

As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics.

Start your VoiceStream free trial today!

Stan Berteloot is a French journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture. As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics. Start your VoiceStream free trial today!

📚 Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/opinion/ai-us-china.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/opinion/chat-gpt5-open-ai-future.html
• https://www.ainvest.com/news/anthropic-ceo-denies-controlling-ai-urges-transparency-industry-debate-2508/
• https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/02/tesla-dojo-the-rise-and-fall-of-elon-musks-ai-supercomputer/
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-judge-orders-google-share-202024694.html
• https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2025/08/22/chili-s-social-media-strategy?

A shocking homicide at Burning Man turns the festival into a crime scene, overshadowing its evolution from a countercultural event to a tech networking hotspot. Amidst this, a term from a 2005 Star Wars game, "clanker," gains traction as an insult towards AI, reflecting societal discomfort with robotics and AI potentially replacing human jobs. Meta faces backlash for creating flirtatious celebrity chatbots without consent, violating privacy and ethical standards. In China, new regulations demand AI-generated content to be clearly labeled to combat misinformation, with major platforms like Douyin and WeChat implementing these rules. Attio secures $52 million in Series B funding, aiming to revolutionize CRM with its AI-native system, indicating a growing trend towards AI integration in business solutions. Lastly, Jim O'Leary, CEO of Weber Shandwick, transforms his office into an AI innovation hub, showcasing a proactive approach in adopting AI to enhance business operations and leadership strategies.

**Today's Tech Tides: Navigating the Highs and Lows of AI Innovation**

In this episode, we delve into the contrasting fortunes within the AI landscape, from spectacular failures to groundbreaking advancements. First, we discuss the dramatic collapse of Builder.ai, a company that plummeted from a valuation of $1.5 billion to bankruptcy in mere months due to overstatements in sales figures and the resignation of its CEO. This story serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with the AI hype in Silicon Valley.

Switching gears, we highlight a remarkable innovation in healthcare: an AI-powered stethoscope developed by researchers at Imperial College London. This device promises to revolutionize heart condition diagnoses, demonstrating significantly higher detection rates for heart failure and other conditions in a UK study involving 12,000 patients.

In the retail sector, we explore Walmart's strategic integration of AI to enhance customer shopping experiences and operational efficiency. The retail giant is deploying AI "super agents" and utilizing digital twins to

Stan Berteloot is a French journalist, marketing strategist, and AI expert based in Princeton, New Jersey. A University of Maryland journalism graduate, he navigates the intersection of storytelling, technology, and culture.

As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics.

As Head of Strategy and CTO at Nytro Marketing, he pioneered AI-driven content creation, launching the AI in Marketing podcast. He also hosts Back in America, a podcast exploring American identity through in-depth conversations on race, misinformation, and AI ethics.

📚 Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/technology/builder-ai-collapse.html
• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/30/doctors-ai-stethoscope-heart-disease-london
• https://www.pymnts.com/walmart/2025/walmart-embraces-ai-agents-to-optimize-consumer-experience/
• https://www.theverge.com/news/768508/chatbots-are-susceptible-to-flattery-and-peer-pressure