AI round-up: Week of May 5, 2025
Welcome to the AI Round-up. For anyone who’s new…I apologize up front. It gets heavy here at times. BUT, if you’re receiving this you already know and expect this.
Don’t worry, we do have some fun too. For example, the new pope was elected yesterday and all I could think of was how long until we see AI put him in a white puffer jacket? (How about that headline…oh how innocent you looked 2023.)
Until then…let’s get to it.
The Heavy Stuff
Story 1: OpenAI is going to stay a non-profit.
What were you all worried about? As soon as Sam realized people were concerned, his heart grew three sizes, and he said we didn’t realize people would be so upset. All good. He probably also realized he wouldn’t get the funding he needed and faced the potential of significant legal issues. (Reuters)
Story 2: OpenAI also thinks government approval prior to any AI software release is bad. (Washington Post)
Sam, pick a lane bud. But I can’t help but think…when _____ companies don’t want government regulation or approvals for their ________ products, it’s not a good thing. (Fill in the blank with any industry and category you want…)
Story 3: Search’s demise is greatly…underexaggerated. (Casey Newton)
We’ve been talking about what generative AI could do to the web—and now it’s starting to play out. Apple just dropped an explosive nugget in Google’s antitrust trial: for the first time in 22 years, Google searches in Safari declined.
That’s a big deal, and the fallout was immediate—Google’s market cap took a $150B hit before recovering slightly. Cue the PR spin response. Google insists overall searches are still up, but what they’re not saying is this: even if search volume is holding, click-throughs aren’t.
AI overviews are stealing the spotlight, and traffic to publishers is plummeting—70 to 80% down in some cases. Meanwhile, layoffs are hitting media hard, and a new generation is growing up asking ChatGPT for homework help instead of Googling anything. What happens when they start using AI for everything else? Google knows the shift is happening. The real question is—does anyone have a plan for it?
Story 4: Speaking of homework…
Ethan Mollick called it. And while he’s not a ‘told ya so’ guy (he should be) he’s pointing out that this is still an issue.
Story 5: ChatGPT is hallucinating. A lot. (PC Gamer)
Sigh…guess we actually have to check what it creates for us…
Maybe no one ever told AI that with great power comes great responsibility.
The not-so-heavy stuff
Story 1: AI may soon speak dog and cat. (DigitalTrends)
But do you really want to know how your cat feels about you?
Story 2: But is it a Ziggy? (Ethan Mollick)
Remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine draws a New Yorker cartoon but eventually it’s discovered it was already done by Ziggy?
Story 4: AI can tell you your biological age and predict other health issues. (Financial Times)
Story 3: IBM laid off HR employees and replaced them with AI. (Entrepreneur)
BUT…overall employment is up as they shifted resources to hiring more employees in other areas.
I’m not sure if this is a heavy stuff story or not but it’s getting harder and harder to fill this section so it’s going here.
A few that don’t fit in either category
Story 1: AI brought a murder victim ‘back to life’ to make an impact statement (NPR)
No opinion on this one because I really don’t know what it would be like to be in the family’s shoes. HOWEVER, I would like to say…it may be time to rethink our last will and testament docs to either approve, deny or do it yourself when it comes to your likeness after you’ve passed.
Story 2: So, is AI taxing our water system or not?
You decide. But looking at this article in Bloomberg…I’d say ‘uh, yes…it is.’ (Although, is it ‘AI’ or…us? Don’t answer that.)
Story 3: Tired of everyone saying you need an AI workshop? But not knowing what’s actually in an AI workshop?
Christopher Penn has you covered.
Final note
Ever have a moment when you read or see something and think ‘ooooohhhhh man…that’s me!!’
Yep, that happened to me a few days ago. I read this post from Conor Grennan where he talks about the move some CEOs are making to announce they’re an AI-forward company.
His issue with it? The lack of awareness that not everyone likes or is as good at using AI as them. “Hey, it’s there – just use it and see how good you’ll get!”
Bleh. I’ve said these things more than a few times.
His point? Access isn’t the problem. Making it relevant is. We’ve adopted this shift in our organization, moving from ‘look at this!’ to ‘seriously, look at this…let me show you how’. We’ve introduced Snackable AI sessions, and we’ve slowly started rolling out AI tools and use cases. It’s a process, and it’s slow, as change often is.
I really appreciate Conor’s reminder. Technology might be moving fast. We shouldn’t assume people will want to or are able to move just as fast.
An in-person AI event. No Orb required.
If you like talking about this. Wait. Let me rephrase that – if you feel like you have to talk about this – please consider joining the next Akhia Roundtable. It’s an in-person event, in Hudson, Ohio at Lager & Vine, on May 22.
The topics are smart. The attendees are awesome people. And the menu is amazing.
I hope you can join – RSVP here.
Happy Friday!
-Ben
As a reminder, this is a round-up of the biggest stories, often hitting multiple newsletters I receive/review. The sources are many … which I’m happy to read on your behalf. Let me know if there’s one you’d like me to track or have questions about a topic you’re not seeing here.