Hey Conscious Church Fam

OpenAI’s been hiring ex-Meta staff like it’s going out of style, Anthropic’s taking on Excel, and Universal just made peace with AI music.

It’s wild to think how fast we’ve gone from “AI might help write an email” to “AI is reshaping entire industries.

In today's recap:

• OpenAI’s “Meta-fication” sparks internal culture clash

• Claude moves straight into Excel

• Universal Music settles with AI generator Udio

Let’s dive in 👇

💭 Josh’s Musings

Adobe held their MAX conference in LA this week and announced AI assistants that can chat with you about your work, let you edit in plain English, and coordinate across their entire suite. They partnered with Google to integrate models like Gemini and Veo directly into Photoshop and Premiere. Then Canva dropped Affinity as a completely free professional design suite, no subscription, no catch. And Spotify announced they're partnering with Sony, Universal, Warner, and basically every major label to build AI music tools that supposedly put artists first.

The ground is moving again.

For years, the creative world had natural friction points. You had to learn Photoshop. Put in the hours with Illustrator. Work your way up. But AI is removing those barriers fast. The technical skill gap is collapsing, and everyone's getting handed the same tools.

Which raises the uncomfortable question: if anyone can make anything, what makes our work matter?

Maybe that's not the right question. Maybe the question is what's always mattered: the ideas themselves. The point of view. The thing you're trying to say beneath all the execution.

Because the tools have always changed. Painting didn't die when photography arrived. Studios didn't collapse when digital recording became accessible. What survived was the stuff that couldn't be replicated just by having access to the same equipment.

So whether it's music, design, writing, whatever: the most interesting work still comes from somewhere the AI can't reach. The tools will keep evolving. What you bring to them won't.

🙌 Stay Curious, Stay Conscious, Stay Wild
Josh

LATEST NEWS

🤖 OPENAI’S ‘META-FICATION’ SPARKS CULTURE CLASH

Recap:
A new report from The Information reveals that one in five OpenAI employees now come from Meta, bringing Facebook-style growth tactics that are reshaping the startup’s culture.

The Details:

• Over 600 of OpenAI’s 3,000 staffers are ex-Meta, including apps CEO Fidji Simo.

• An internal Slack group exists just for Meta alumni.

• Staff surveys reportedly asked whether OpenAI was becoming “too much like Meta.”

• Ex-CTO Mira Murati left partly due to disagreements over user growth direction.

• Teams are even exploring ChatGPT memory for personalised ads — something Sam Altman once called “dystopian.”

Conscious Take:
OpenAI’s shifting from a research lab into a global consumer empire, but at what cost? Growth without grounding can hollow out a mission, and it can be hard to maintain the identity of a company that grows this big this fast. Hopefully they don’t lose the ‘start up’ vibe that drove their initial success.

📊 ANTHROPIC BRINGS CLAUDE INTO EXCEL

Recap:
Anthropic has released Claude for Excel in beta, giving users an AI sidebar that can read, analyse, and modify spreadsheets — plus new financial connectors and Agent Skills.

The Details:

• Claude can explain data, fix formulas, or build sheets from scratch.

• Seven new connectors link Claude to platforms like Moody’s and LSEG.

• New “finance skills” include building cash flow models and coverage reports.

• Rolling out now to Claude Max, Enterprise, and Teams.

Conscious Take:
AI is officially moving from creativity to competence.
We’re not just talking art and writing anymore, we’re talking budgets, forecasts, and real business flow and integration with tools.
If you work in admin or finance, this could quietly change your daily grind.

🎵 UNIVERSAL SETTLES WITH AI MUSIC PLATFORM UDIO

Recap:
Universal Music Group has settled its lawsuit with AI music startup Udio and announced a joint venture to launch a licensed AI music platform in 2026 — a first of its kind.

The Details:

• UMG’s catalogue will now power Udio’s new platform for remixing and training.

• Artists will be paid both for training data and for remix use.

• Udio disabled downloads during the transition, frustrating creators.

• UMG also announced a partnership with Stability AI to create new artist tools.

Conscious Take:
The music industry just blinked. After months of legal battles, the biggest label in the world decided to collaborate instead of fight.
It’s a sign that resistance is shifting to regulation.

“He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” — Psalm 1:3

Stay conscious,

Josh

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