Turn headlines into talking points

For a newsletter about communication skills, I often get this:

“Why do you keep talking about AI and robots?”

Fair question.

When people hear ‘communication’, they think TED Talks. Body language. Listening to your partner (still need work on that one, apparently…)

But skip AI? You’re out of luck.

We’re witnessing the largest capital investment in human history. $2.5 trillion and counting pouring into AI, bots — and AI inside bots.

Military. Police. Factories. Hospitals. Your home.

My new dog is small, noisy, adorably stupid (and weirdly always smelly).
When it bites my finger, I shout, “Ouch.” He skulks off.
I’m bigger. Stronger. Smarter (allegedly).

Alpha established.

Now imagine the dog is a bear.
(My daughter's first choice. Vetoed. Narrowly.)
Suddenly, the power dynamic…shifts.

Now imagine it’s AI, in a bot.

Nobel-level intelligence. Encased in metal. Strong enough to crush bone.
Quietly folding your laundry while you eat biscuits on the sofa.

Smarter than us. Stronger than us. Capable of lying.

So… alpha. Still us?

THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS (yes, all caps!), published last Sunday, clocked 21 million views on X. 100 hours of research into what happens if AI works exactly as planned.

Two answers. Opposite conclusions.

Mass displacement or mass prosperity?
Reality will be messier than either.

My suggestion?

Flexible beats fearful, so build a prepared mind

Because whether the bots cuddle or crush, you'll need to know how to talk about it.

That's why I do.

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Cultural fluency — no need to Google under the table.

Remember “metrosexual”?

When David Beckham posed in his undies and the planet briefly malfunctioned?

Simpler times.

Now we’ve got Japanese ads for men’s lipstick. Boy band idols discussing serums in prime time.
Masculinity, moisturised (I suppose a bit of cream never hurt.)

But then… there’s looksmaxxing.

A 20-year-old influencer named Clavicular just walked New York Fashion Week, dragging a whole corner of internet slang into the mainstream.

Clavicular? He maxxes maxxing:

Science says: absolutely not.

Yet he makes $100K+ a month streaming (mmm…actually, where’s my hammer?)

Not worried enough? Add misogyny, racism, and livestreaming hitting a person with your Cybertruck (owning a Cybertruck says it all).

So what’s going on?

Male insecurity.

Probably why the US Department of Defence, sorry, Department of War, recently tweeted "Lethalitymaxxing"... (and probably made it uncool again.)

💡 PRO TIP: With new slang, tread carefully. Misfire and you’ll be shamemaxxed (see, you can add it to anything).

💬 FOLLOW-UP: "Who did you look up to when you were a teenager?" Personalisation leads to better connection.

⛔ DON'T SAY: "I remember when men were men." (David Beckham wants a word).

“The problem with beauty is that it's like being born rich and getting poorer.”
(Joan Collins, British actress, 1933-)

👇 Answer at the end

All this talk of bots — here's how not to sound like one.
(5 min read).

Looksmaxxing not enough?

Pika Labs just launched AI Selves — a digital twin that learns your personality, mirrors your communication style, and represents you across every platform.

Birth it. Raise it. Set it loose.

Their FAQ opens with: "Wait — is this real?"

Their answer: "Yes."

The promo video looks like an early ‘80s self-help VHS mated with a Silicon Valley fever dream (seriously, it’s weird and sinister AF!)

Black Mirror called — it wants its plot back.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: "What would your AI twin do that you won't?"

Two rivals drink an immortality potion — then spend the rest of the film falling apart (literally.)

💬 YOUR TURN: Would you drink it?

A) 🇺🇸 Still America — no contest - 12%
B) 🇨🇳 China — quietly and steadily - 47%
C) ⚖️ Split power — messy multipolar world - 29%
D) 🤖 AI wins — nations are irrelevant - 12%

💬 Your Two Cents

B.A: “Good China, bad China. The country is very Jekyll/Hyde.”
S.Y: “America has done a fantastic job clumsily shitting on its international relationships for the past year.”
M.M: “Anything could happen, but my prediction is that the US becomes an even messier hot mess and China finds itself as the #1 superpower by default.”
A.C: “In my family's pub business, we have always said that it takes years to build up a good reputation for a pub, but it can be broken in a week. This is Trump and America today.”
P.C: “I am finding the benefits of AI and ignoring all the crap. I am blown away these days by Notebook LM.”

Let’s hope he’s reading this.

That's it for #59.

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