Hey Conscious Church Fam

Apple looks like it’s taking a nap, Meta is building a robot advertiser, and Reddit just sued an AI company in what could be a defining moment for data rights. Oh, and music giants might finally make peace with AI — for a price. Wild times.

In today's recap:

• Apple may have no real AI surprises at WWDC (👎)

• Meta’s AI ad platform is going fully hands-free

• ChatGPT now integrates with your files and meetings

• Music labels are striking deals with AI music startups

• Reddit sues Anthropic over scraping its data

Let’s dive in 👇

💭 Josh’s Musings

This week’s going to sound different, because I’ve been completely off-grid and just got back.

No signal. No inbox. No AI tools. Just up a mountain in South Wales with the family, staying at Ffald y Brenin — the prayer retreat centre from Grace Outpouring. Maybe you’ve read it. Maybe you haven’t. But either way, it was special.

Quiet. Slow. Sacred.

Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about AI at all. No tools. No launches. No platforms. Just walking. Reading. Praying. Being.

It’s soooo easy to get caught up in the pace. Caught up in doing. Even caught up in good things — projects, content, ministry, strategy — but still missing what’s right in front of you.

Sometimes you have to step away to actually see clearly.

Although our first night after driving 6 hours, ended up with our eldest in A&E for 6 horus.. Not ideal.

All good by the morning though!

I was challenged even in morning prayer — just how slowly they spoke the liturgy. My brain wanted to rush ahead, say it faster.

I was forced to slow down.

And without the convenience of a device or access to the web, I was more present in those in-between moments. You know like between a thing.. the few minutes waiting for the next thing when you just fill it with ‘stuff’.

Coming home, I had that sinking feeling. Like when you’re a kid and summer’s over. But I realised… it doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can carry the stillness back with you. You can create rhythms that bring life EVEN in your ‘natural habitat’ lol.

We talk a lot about AI here. And it matters. But none of it means anything if we’re not tending to what’s going on inside.

You can build workflows and products and platforms — but are you building the inner life that can sustain them?

That’s the reset I needed. Maybe you do too.

So this week, I bless you in the name of Jesus — not with more ideas, but with permission to slow down. To step away. To listen. To remember that you’re not behind. You’re not forgotten. You’re not alone.

You're the beloved of God. And He has great plans for you.

🙌Stay Curious, Stay Conscious, Stay Wild
Josh

LATEST NEWS

🍏 APPLE'S 'GAP YEAR' IN AI

Recap:
Don’t hold your breath for a major AI reveal at Apple’s WWDC. According to insider reports, Apple is calling 2025 a “gap year” — quietly prepping its bigger AI ambitions for 2026.

The Details:

• Developers will get access to Apple’s 3B parameter models for building lightweight AI features — but it’s nowhere near OpenAI or Google levels.

• Expect some rebranding too: Apple plans to slap “AI-powered” on existing features and rename parts of its OS to sound smarter.

• The big stuff (like a new Siri or health-focused “Project Mulberry”) is still not ready for public use.

• Behind the scenes, Apple’s huge 150B model is apparently testing well — but concerns over accuracy and internal disagreements are holding it back.

Conscious Take:
Apple is great at playing the long game, but the rest of the AI world isn’t waiting around. There’s wisdom in moving slow — but in tech, slow can look a lot like silence. For a company that shaped how we interact with technology, being late to the AI conversation might cost them more than they think. (Cathie Wood - Ark Invest, seems to think so)

🎶 RECORD LABELS & AI MUSIC: TRUCE IN SIGHT?

Recap:
Music giants like Universal, Sony, and Warner are now in serious talks with AI music startups Udio and Suno — potentially trading lawsuits for licensing deals.

The Details:

• Labels want equity and licensing fees in exchange for access to their music catalogues.

• They had previously filed lawsuits seeking up to $150,000 per song allegedly used to train the AI models.

• These talks could set new industry-wide standards for how AI companies compensate creators.

• Multiple negotiations are happening at once — and everyone wants to be first to strike a deal.

Conscious Take:
From Napster to Spotify, the music industry has a history of fighting first, then figuring things out. This time around, it feels like they’re choosing partnership over panic. For artists and creators in the Church, this is a reminder: when disruption hits, we can either protect what we’ve built or help shape what’s next.

📸 META WANTS TO AUTOMATE ADVERTISING (TOTALLY)

Recap:
Meta is building an ad platform that would eliminate human input entirely by 2026. Product image + budget = fully automated ad creation, targeting, and placement.

The Details:

• Businesses upload a product image and set a budget — AI handles everything else, including text, visuals, targeting, and distribution.

• It can generate dynamic video ads that change based on user location (think: same car ad, different background).

• Meta sees this especially helping small businesses without ad agencies.

• With 97% of its revenue coming from ads, this fits right into Zuck’s bigger AI strategy.

Conscious Take:
There’s a fine line between helpful automation and removing humans from the loop entirely. Meta’s vision may empower small teams — but it also reduces creativity to a formula.

🧠 REDDIT TAKES ON ANTHROPIC IN COURT

Recap:
Reddit is suing Anthropic, claiming the AI startup illegally scraped their content — even after being told to stop.

The Details:

• Anthropic reportedly hit Reddit servers 100,000+ times after saying it had blocked its bots.

• Reddit says Claude still references subreddit content, proving training took place.

• The company had tried to license its data like it did with OpenAI and Google — Anthropic declined.

• This lawsuit could reshape how platforms protect (or monetise) user-generated data.

Conscious Take:
As the internet becomes AI’s training ground, who owns the content we’ve poured our lives into? Platforms like Reddit are starting to push back — not just on principle, but on profit. This could lead to a new era where content isn't just free fuel for AI, but something that carries value. Something sacred, even.

📁 CHATGPT NOW RECORDS MEETINGS & READS YOUR FILES

Recap:
OpenAI is rolling out new ChatGPT features for business users, including integrations with Google Drive, Dropbox, and real-time meeting recording.

The Details:

• You can now connect your cloud accounts and let ChatGPT search, summarise, and generate from your documents.

• A new "record mode" captures meetings and voice memos, generating transcriptions, summaries, and action plans.

• Integrations also include Microsoft Outlook, Teams, and custom connector support.

• ChatGPT has now passed 3 million paying business users across its tiers.

Conscious Take:
We’re watching ChatGPT evolve from a smart chatbot to a full-on productivity assistant. For us, this means smarter admin workflows and more focused creative output. These integrations are making us more wedded to an ecosystem (much like Android v Apple etc). I wonder if audio (voice) generation will be part of the plan?

🔗 Trending Tools/Tips

• Bing Video Creator – Create short AI-generated videos from a single prompt

• Perplexity Labs – Smart report builder for research, decks, and data

• Suno.so – Open-source AI agent that can run tasks autonomously

Jesus, thank You that we don’t build alone.
While the world rushes to create, remind us that we co-labour with the Creator of all things.
Amen.

Stay conscious,

Josh

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