Hey Conscious Church Fam

The pace of AI innovation just keeps accelerating! From Google compressing a decade of research into days, to robots rebounding for NBA stars, we're seeing groundbreaking developments across every sector.

In today's recap:

🧪 How Google crushed a decade of research into 2 days
🤖 Elon's "smartest AI"
🏀 The NBA's robot assistant that Steph Curry can't stop using
🎯 The only AI tool you actually need (my hot take)
... and why less is more in 2025's AI landscape

Let’s dive in 👇

If you think this could help someone you know please forward it on to them.

💭 Josh’s Musings

Last week I started this section by saying “AI is overwhelming”. And you know what? I need to adjust that…

AI is overwhelming—if you let it be.

I can see you nodding along.

But hold on — are you making this harder than it needs to be? 👀

Here’s the pattern I keep noticing:

Someone discovers a great AI tool. Then another catches their eye. And another. Before they know it, they’re juggling 10+ different apps, trying to build the ultimate AI workflow… and somehow feeling more stuck than when they started.

I get it. Every new tool promises something amazing. They all claim to solve problems, automate your life, and make everything easier. But in reality? Most of the time, they just add more friction.

Want to know my actual daily AI workflow?

90% of the time, I’m just using voice-to-text in ChatGPT. That’s it.

• I talk through my thoughts instead of typing them.

• Need to send something as a text? I talk it out - copy the transcript, paste, done.

• Sometimes, I go back and forth with ChatGPT, refining ideas out loud.

That one simple habit has saved me hours every week.

Don’t get me wrong—some specialised AI tools are brilliant if you have a very specific need. But for most things—writing, planning, thinking, strategising—you don’t need 15 different apps.

You just need one tool you actually know how to use.

So here’s my question: if you feel like you’re not getting everything you could from ChatGPT, what’s holding you back? What’s your biggest challenge or question?

Hit reply to this email and let me know—I’ll create some tutorials based on what you actually need.

P.S. I made this meme just for you. It’s funny because it’s true… 😂 (Albeit tongue in cheek)

LATEST NEWS

GOOGLE CO-SCIENTIST

🦠 AI Does a Decade's Work in days

Recap: In what feels like a scene from a sci-fi movie, Google's new AI researcher just matched 10 years of complex bacterial research in just two days. This isn't just impressive - it's a complete game-changer for how we think about scientific discovery.

The Details:

• The AI cracked the code on how sneaky bacteria steal parts from viruses to spread antibiotic resistance - exactly matching what human researchers took a decade to figure out

• It came up with five solid theories about what was happening, and its top pick was spot-on with the lab results

• Here's the kicker - the AI had zero access to the original research team's findings, making this parallel discovery mind-blowing

• Google's not keeping this under wraps - they've just opened up their Co-Scientist system for researchers to start playing with

Conscious Take: Look, I'm not going to pretend this isn't both exciting and slightly terrifying.

Think about it - how many medical breakthroughs are sitting just out of reach because we haven't had the time or resources to find them? This isn't about replacing scientists or human ingenuity; it's about accelerating discovery.

We're entering an era where the question isn't "can we solve this?" but "what should we solve first?"

That's both empowering and a huge responsibility.

GROK 3 AI

🤖 Elon's Latest AI Claims the Crown (Again)

Recap: In classic Elon style, xAI just dropped their latest AI bomb - Grok-3. They're calling it the 'smartest AI on Earth' and honestly? The numbers are pretty wild. This thing is leaving other major players like Gemini-2 Pro and GPT-4 in the dust on some serious tests.

The Details:

• They're rolling out the main Grok-3 through their app (slowly - probably learned from past AI launch chaos), with a zippy mini version for quick chats

• This thing is crushing it on every test they throw at it - math competitions, science problems, coding challenges - you name it

• They've built in some cool "thinking" features where it actually shows its work, similar to what OpenAI and DeepSeek are doing

• The secret sauce? They threw an absolutely bonkers amount of computing power at it - we're talking 200,000 specialised AI chips, 10 times more firepower than their last version

Conscious Take: I wonder when we will hit a plateau of incremental growth rather than these large leaps. At the moment every player from OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, Google, Grok etc is fighting to win this AI Race.

Personally, I feel we (the royal we lol) can get caught up in the latest model/latest tech instead of focusing on impact.

The real question isn't whether it's the smartest AI - it's how we can use these advancing capabilities to serve others better, build stronger communities, and solve real problems.

PERPLEXITY

🔬 Deep Research Just Got a Whole Lot More Accessible

Recap: Perplexity just crashed the deep research party with a tool that does what used to take weeks of research in just minutes. And unlike their competitors who are charging premium prices, they're making it available to everyone - including those of us on a ministry budget (collective yippee lol).

The Details:

• This AI research buddy can dig through hundreds of sources and pull together detailed reports while you grab a coffee (2-4 minutes flat)

• They're crushing some serious tests - scoring 21.1% on Humanity's Last Exam, way ahead of Gemini and Grok-2 (though still behind OpenAI's score)

• Here's the game-changer: while OpenAI charges $200/month for similar features, Perplexity's giving you 5 free deep dives daily

• Their CEO couldn't resist throwing some shade at OpenAI's Sam Altman on X - tech drama continues to entertain

Conscious Take: This makes powerful research capabilities available to everyone. When tools like this become accessible, it levels the playing field.

Sure, we need to be wise about fact-checking and not losing our own critical thinking skills, but imagine the possibilities for equipping more people to dig deeper into topics they care about.

ROBOTS IN THE WILD

🏀 NBA's Robot Revolution Is Here (And It's Pretty Cool)

Recap: The NBA just showed off their tech playground at the 2025 All-Star Weekend, and it's mind-blowing. We're talking AI-powered robots that can rebound, run plays, and even help with player wellness - and some of these are already in use by teams like the Warriors.

The Details:

• They've got this robot called A.B.E. that rebounds and passes like a pro - Steph Curry's already using it to perfect his legendary shot

• M.I.M.I.C. robots are running opponent plays in practice, giving teams perfect replicas of what they'll face in games

• There's a wellness robot named K.I.T. hanging out in locker rooms, helping with motivation and player wellbeing

• Even the basic stuff is getting automated - B.E.B.E. handles equipment management and those repetitive tasks nobody wants to do

Conscious Take: They’re not replacing human coaching or teamwork, they're freeing up time for more meaningful interaction and focused improvement.

What repetitive tasks in our churches/ministries/businesses could we automate, not to replace people, but to give more time for the stuff only we can do or do best?

🔗 Trending Tools

Disclosure: Occasionally links are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

• 📝 Fireflies.ai: Real-time meeting notes and action items while you’re speaking on the call.

• 📸 Image Upsacaler: Upscale images up to 16k with AI

• ⛪️ Tapos App: AI-powered application that unites sermons, podcasts, books, and other Christian teachings into one searchable platform.

Let us be a people (like the men of Issachar) who ‘understood the times and knew what Israel should do’. Especially as we navigate this rapidly changing landscape.

We’re not just gaining capability – we’re gaining responsibility.

Stay conscious,

Josh

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