☎️ Don’t Hang Up—It’s AI

👋 Welcome! Today’s issue explores two breakthroughs that feel almost unreal: one AI makes phone calls for you, the other drafts safety reports for nuclear plants. It’s no longer about what AI might do—it’s already doing it. Let’s dig into what’s changing—fast.

Google AI dials services for you – Google’s new Search feature lets its AI call businesses to find pricing and availabilities automatically. The AI clearly identifies itself as automated, avoiding past controversies. US users searching, e.g., “pet groomers near me,” can opt for “Have AI check pricing” and answer a few setup questions. AI Pro/Ultra subs get expanded limits.

AI cuts nuclear red‑tape in US – Microsoft and Idaho National Lab will trial AI to draft nuclear power plant permit documents—drawing from past approvals to automate complex engineering and safety write‑ups. If successful, this could accelerate nuclear energy deployment by a considerable margin across the US.

Britain’s super‑compute power rocket – The UK launches a £1 billion initiative to increase public AI computing capacity twentyfold by integrating top supercomputers including Isambard‑AI and Dawn into a national AI Research Resource.

ChatGPT elite agent unleashed – OpenAI introduces its new general-purpose ChatGPT agent, capable of navigating calendars, creating slide decks, running code, and browsing the web—all via natural-language prompts—for Pro, Plus, and Team subscribers.

Australia joblessness raises easing bets – Australia’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.3% in June—the highest since late 2021—as employment barely budged (+2,000 jobs). Economists say this softening supports RBA rate cut predictions in August. The slowdown contrasts sharply with past resilience, emphasizing the shifting global labor dynamics.

Amazon AWS trims tech workforce – Amazon's AWS unit has slashed hundreds of jobs across specialist teams, despite a 17% sales boost last quarter, as AI-driven automation reshapes cloud hiring strategies.

Pound upswing from calmer labor stats – The pound gained against the euro after UK labor-market data showed milder job market cooling than earlier feared. Markets, jittery over job risks, reacted positively to signs of resilience, boosting trade-sensitive UK sectors.

G20 finance chiefs push for clarity – At the G20 in Durban, global finance ministers pressed for unity amid rising U.S. tariffs and geopolitical strains, renewed multilateral coordination on capital costs, climate finance, and economic fragmentation. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and finance ministers from India, France, and Russia did not attend, raising questions about alignment ahead of America’s 2026 G20 presidency.

Turkey preps massive rate cut shift – Turkey plans a 250-bp interest-rate cut to 43.5% on July 24, restarting its monetary easing cycle. With inflation still above 35%, the move signals a shift toward stabilizing the lira and supporting domestic demand despite political risks. Markets expect future cuts into 2026.

Nasdaq hits record on earnings surge – Driven by solid U.S. retail sales and earnings from UNited Airlines and PepsiCo, the Nasdaq hit a new high. Tech and chip stocks like TSMC and Nvidia led gains, while cautious Fed bets kept markets upbeat. Treasury yields dipped slightly as markets priced a September rate cut amid mixed signals on tariffs.

Global equities and dollar rally – MSCI global equities gained while the dollar strengthened, thanks to upbeat U.S. data and earnings updates that lifted investor sentiment.

Creator Hub Substack Banks Big – Newsletter platform Substack raised $100 million in a Series C round led by BOND and The Chernin Group. The funding will enhance its mobile app and expand tools for creators to monetize their content directly from their audience.

AI Vibe Coding Gets Real – Swedish AI startup Lovable has secured a massive $200 million in Series A funding, achieving a $1.8 billion valuation. The company is at the forefront of the emerging "vibe coding" trend, developing AI tools that interpret natural language and emotional cues.

Hummus Brand Scores Fresh Capital – Little Sesame, a Washington, D.C.-based hummus brand known for its creative and fresh take on the popular dip, has closed an $8.5 million Series A funding round. This investment signals a growing appetite for innovative brands in the consumer packaged goods space, even for seemingly traditional products.

The idea of using AI to accelerate multimillion‑page nuclear permit reports is compelling: Microsoft and Idaho National Lab teamed up to train AI on past successful filings, enabling it to draft complex engineering and safety documents. Authorities still review and edit each section, but the process that used to take years could shrink to 18 months—potentially easing a bottleneck in expanding clean energy and supporting booming power needs from data centers.

Some see this as a win‑win. Faster permits mean more nuclear plants—and more clean, around‑the‑clock energy. With data centers gobbling up massive electricity, nuclear seems like the reliable backbone next to solar and wind . And this “human‑ in‑the‑loop” model means experienced engineers still fine‑tune each AI draft, maintaining a safety net.

Still, we must ask: does speeding up complex safety documents risk cutting corners? AI might miss nuances or novel scenarios not in historical data. Plus, regulatory scrutiny may decline if big tech and labs prioritize efficiency over transparency. Skeptics caution that if everyone leans too heavily on AI, the rigor of expert review could gradually weaken.

There’s also the broader question of accountability: when AI drafts are flawed, who’s responsible—the engineer who approved it, the AI developer, or the lab? Similar discussions are happening in nuclear weapon safety and autonomous systems, where experts emphasize accountability frameworks.

Yet by automating articulate, repetitive tasks, AI does free human experts to focus on novel risks and innovative reactor designs. That extra time could pay dividends in public safety and new technology innovation. But if review becomes perfunctory, errors might slip through—something nobody wants in the nuclear sector.

As clean‑energy expansion hinges on regulatory pace, AI‑accelerated processing poses both promise and peril. We should be racing toward innovation, but not at the expense of oversight. It’s a fine line—one worth debating as we navigate the future of clean power and intelligent regulation.

Actionable insights:

This week’s tech pick is Submagic—a intuitive, all-in-one platform that makes creating short, high-converting videos surprisingly effortless. With Submagic, you can add captions, transitions, b-roll, sound effects, and more using AI—no editing background required.

We find Submagic especially exciting because it lowers the barrier to entry for aspiring creators. If you’ve been sitting on content ideas but felt held back by complex editing software, this might be the tool you’ve been waiting for. It’s fast, intuitive, and designed to help you bring your vision to life—whether you're promoting a product or building a personal brand.

Submagic uses AI to instantly generate attention-grabbing captions, cut long videos into bite-sized clips, and apply automatic zooms and transitions to keep your content dynamic. You can highlight words and add emojis without lifting a finger, and choose from subtitle styles that mimic top-tier creators. It's built for the kind of content that thrives on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.

TRY SUBMAGIC HERE if you’re ready to start creating scroll-stopping videos and watch your ideas come to life—no editing expertise needed!

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