In partnership with
Welcome Automaters 👋
Okay wild timing alert! The race to put AI on your body just went from zero to a hundred real quick. Two of the biggest players on the planet—OpenAI and Apple—just threw their hats in the ring on the exact same day.
Here’s the deal:
At Davos, OpenAI’s Chris Lehane confirmed they’re targeting the second half of 2026 for their first-ever hardware device.
The twist? Leaks say it’s not a phone or a glasses frame, it’s in fact a pair of earbuds. Codenamed "Sweet Pea," these bad boys will sit behind your ears and run AI tasks locally using a custom 2-nanometer processor. OpenAI is reportedly planning to ship 40 to 50 million units in year one. That’s literally AirPods-level ambition for a first-gen product. Imagine ChatGPT living in your ears 24/7. Actually, don't imagine it—it's happening.
But wait, because literally hours after the OpenAI news broke, The Information leaked Apple’s counter-move: an AI wearable pin about the size of an AirTag.
It’s packed with two cameras, three microphones, a physical button, a speaker and wireless charging. It could launch as early as 2027 with a target of 20 million units. It feels like Apple saw OpenAI’s homework and decided they needed to turn in their own version before the bell rang.
Here's what makes this fascinating:
OpenAI is betting you want AI in your ears; Apple is betting you want it on your shirt. Both are trying to crack the code that the Humane AI Pin couldn't (RIP to that $700 disaster that got sold to HP).
But real talk: Do we actually want always-on AI companions, or is this just Big Tech trying to make "AI hardware" a thing when our phones already do the job? Also, neither company has mentioned how these will play nice with your phone’s OS—which feels… kind of important?
The Bottom Line: There’s zero guarantee any of these wearables will actually make it out of the lab. And even if they do, if they can’t kill the instinct to grab your phone every five seconds, they’re basically just fancy jewelry… with a monthly bill. But hey, we’ll stay optimistic. Maybe one of them will actually stick. Or, y’know, we’ll just have two more very expensive paperweights.
Here's what we have for you today
🤑 The $85 Billion Shift: How AI Rewired the App Economy
History just happened, y'all, and you might've missed it while chatting with ChatGPT.
For the first time ever, people worldwide spent more cash on regular apps than mobile games. We’re talking a massive $85 billion on apps in 2025 (up 21% from last year). And FYI: That is nearly triple what we were spending just five years ago.
So what changed? Simple: AI apps absolutely exploded.
Here’s the tea:
AI apps alone pulled in over $5 billion last year, which is literally triple what they made in 2024.
ChatGPT is basically the king of the hill now, raking in a mind-blowing $3.4 billion in revenue. That makes it one of the top-grossing apps globally, challenging top dogs like Google One and TikTok.
Also: People downloaded AI tools 3.8 billion times and spent 48 billion hours using them. That is a 3.6x jump in time spent in just one year.
But here’s the part that’s actually wild: over half of America’s 200 million AI users are now mobile-only.
Just a year ago, only 13 million people were "mobile-only." Now? 110 million of us are doing everything on our phones. The shift is real, folks. We have officially moved from "let me check this on my laptop" to "I need my AI assistant in my pocket.
And it's not just the “Sam Altman show” anymore. Everyone is getting a piece of the pie:
Google’s Gemini and DeepSeek are right on ChatGPT’s heels.
Suno (music) and ByteDance’s Jimeng AI (video) are turning prompts into profits.
AI companion apps like Character.ai and PolyBuzz are proving that people will literally pay for a digital friend.
Meanwhile, social media is still king for time spent; people logged nearly 2.5 trillion hours scrolling in 2025, up 5% from last year.
The Takeaway: AI didn’t just arrive on your phone—it moved in, took over, and completely rewired the entire app economy. Mobile games are still huge ($81 billion is nothing to sneeze at), but for the first time ever, they’re no longer the biggest money-maker.
We’re officially living in the era of the AI-first smartphone. Now if only we could teach these apps to actually get stuff done… without the hallucinations.😌
You a details person? The full report’s waiting for you here.
Together With ZeroSlide
Most companies are stuck in "Strategy Hell"—we’re talking endless Zoom calls, 50-page slide decks, and exactly zero code actually doing anything. It’s all "AI transformation" talk and no "AI doing the work" action.
Tak partnered with ZeroSlide because we’re allergic to the fluff. We don’t do "theoretical frameworks." We find the one thing in your business that AI can actually fix, and we build it at startup speed. If you’re tired of the "Wait and See" approach and you’re ready to actually ship something that works... let’s get to work.
Also: Here’s the code to get a 15% discount
🧱 Around The AI Block
📜 Anthropic tweaks Claude’s constitution… and low-key hints at AI consciousness.
😳YouTube is letting creators clone themselves for shorts.
😬 Even NeurIPS isn’t immune to AI hallucinations.
📚 Small businesses got an AI education boost from Congress.
🎧 Adobe Acrobat goes full AI with prompt-based editing & instant podcast summaries.
🦾 Microsoft Built a 20B Parameter Model that turns plain English into Solver Ready Optimization Models.
Investor-ready updates, by voice
High-stakes communications need precision. Wispr Flow turns speech into polished, publishable writing you can paste into investor updates, earnings notes, board recaps, and executive summaries. Speak constraints, numbers, and context and Flow will remove filler, fix punctuation, format lists, and preserve tone so your messages are clear and confident. Use saved templates for recurring financial formats and create consistent reports with less editing. Works across Mac, Windows, and iPhone. Try Wispr Flow for finance.
🛠️ Trending Tools
For the Browser Power-Users: Gyde is a Chrome extension that turns any web workflow into a step-by-step video and screenshot tutorial automatically. Just do the task once, and the AI handles the documentation.
For the High-Stakes Communicators: Mailtrap provides a "safety net" with high-inbox delivery rates and separate streams for bulk vs. personal AI-generated sends, ensuring your automated outreach actually gets seen.
For the Visual Architects: Migma AI builds a 3-section promotional newsletter, generates on-brand images, and runs a compatibility check to make sure it looks perfect in every inbox from Outlook to Apple Mail.
For the "Voice-to-Task" Fans: Wispr Flow is a next-gen dictation tool that doesn't just transcribe your words; it understands the intent. It can turn a rambling voice memo into a structured email or a formatted Slack message in your exact tone, anywhere on your computer.
For the Strategic Deciders: Supaboard AI is positioning itself as a one-stop hub for teams drowning in data. It gathers information from across your tools, auto-creates reports, and streamlines decision-making all inside one unified interface.
Hope these tools help you reclaim some of your time today!
🤖 AI Workout Of The Day: Your 4-Step Guide to Creating The Perfect Book Cover
Let’s be honest: your book deserves better than a generic stock photo of a sunset. It’s 2026, and the "I can’t draw" excuse has officially retired. With Midjourney v7 and Canva Magic Studio, you’re no longer just a writer; you’re the Creative Director of your own publishing universe.
Whether you’re writing a full-blown space opera or a flyer for your neighborhood bake sale, AI has turned the design game into a literal "point and click" adventure. We’re talking crisp typography, cinematic lighting, and visuals so polished they could make a Hollywood poster blush.
And yes, whether you’re 10 or 100, the real secret to a scroll-stopping cover isn’t talent. It’s the workflow.
So here it is: a verified, step-by-step system for building a professional-grade cover without nuking your budget or your sanity.
Step 1: Do Your Research: Don't just guess. Go to Amazon or a bookstore and look at your genre's "visual language."
The How: Search for "Best Selling [Your Genre] 2026." Note the colors. Thrillers love high-contrast black/red/white; Romance loves soft pastels and scripts.
Fact Check: Adobe Express now has an AI "Trend Analyzer" that suggests color palettes based on your genre.
Step 2: Generate the Art (Midjourney v7): Midjourney is the king of cinematic art. The goal here is a clean, "portrait" base.
The Pro Move: Use the --ar 2:3 parameter for the perfect book ratio.
The Edge: If you want a consistent character for a series, use the Omni Reference tag!
Step 3: The "Magic" Layout (Canva): Upload your art to Canva. As of now, their "Magic Media" can actually "Grab Text" and "Magic Expand" your background if it’s too small.
Action: Use the Magic Design tool. Type: "Thriller book cover template for [Your Title]." It will suggest fonts that actually fit your image.
Step 4: The Thumbnail Test: Most people will see your book on a tiny phone screen.
Action: Zoom out to 10% in your editor. If you can’t read the title, your font is too small or has too little contrast.
Here’s a Prompt you can try:
Design a professional, bookstore-ready book cover for a book titled “[BOOK TITLE]”.
The Goal: Create a scroll-stopping cover that looks modern, intentional, and commercially viable.
Guidelines:
- Genre: [insert genre]
- Mood: [emotional tone]
- Visual style: cinematic, high-end, modern publishing
- Composition: clear focal point, strong negative space for title and author name
- Lighting: dramatic but clean, no harsh shadows
- Color palette: cohesive and intentional (not random)
- Complexity: simple enough to read at thumbnail size
- Avoid clichés, stock-photo vibes, and over-busy elements
Technical:
- Vertical orientation (book cover ratio)
- No text, no logos, no watermarks
- High resolution, sharp details
Outcome: The image should immediately signal the genre, evoke emotion, and feel like it belongs on a real bookstore shelf.Is this your AI Workout of the Week (WoW)? Cast your vote!
That's all we've got for you today.
Did you like today's content? We'd love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts on our content below👇
What'd you think of today's email?
Your feedback means a lot to us and helps improve the quality of our newsletter.
