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Welcome back to the Neural Net! If you’d like to start your week by questioning reality, Mark Cuban is now a rising Sora influencer, generating cameos of himself doing delightfully random things.
And according to last edition’s poll on AI generated content, it looks like most of you are here for the fun! Nearly half responded that if it’s entertaining, I don’t care who made it.
In today’s edition: an examination of the emerging workplace “AI Superstar” and how you can be one too, OpenAI continues to spend, soccer star drops agent and signs with ChatGPT’s help, and more.
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The Street
note: stock data as of last market close
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New Research Shows AI Isn’t Leveling the Field — It’s Picking Favorites
AI entered the workplace with the hope that it would act like a rising tide, lifting all boats and giving everyone a shared productivity boost. Instead, new research shows it may be working more like premium seating: everyone’s technically on the same flight, but a few people just got upgraded to business class with extra legroom and free snacks.
Those employees are emerging as “AI superstars” — not because they know the most about the tools, but because they apply judgment, structure their thinking, and start experimenting while everyone else is still waiting for the official training session invite.
🦸♀️ Trying to Make the AI Upgrade List? These Are the Behaviors That Get You There
Don’t wait for official playbooks — experiment early, test boundaries, and build personal AI workflows before the company even formalizes its guidelines.
Ask AI better questions, using industry judgment and context to refine prompts instead of accepting generic outputs.
Reject bad AI outputs faster — AI superstars know what "correct" looks like; their domain expertise lets them filter rather than just consume.
Think in systems, not tasks — instead of using AI for one-off help, wrap AI around entire workflows.
Document and optimize as you go, turning prompt chains into repeatable processes, which can quietly shape how the rest of the team operates.
Use AI to extend judgment, not just speed — treat AI as leverage on strategy, not just a shortcut for grunt work.
Be comfortable with ambiguity, meaning you need to test AI in a “messy state,” even if it means a few first attempts never see daylight.
But here’s the kicker: the research also shows that it’s not just about using AI well, it’s about who gets seen as using it well. It makes it clear that the AI superstar advantage doesn’t stop at performance, but extends into how their work is perceived.
👀 AI Usage Isn’t Just Changing Output. It’s Changing Perception, and Perception Drives Careers
AI superstars receive disproportionate credit when AI improves their output, because observers assume their skill and judgment produced the result, not the tool.
When an average employee produces similar results, it’s more easily dismissed as “AI did the work,” not as a signal of growing judgment or potential.
Because of that, the same AI-assisted output leads to two very different career outcomes: one builds authority, the other invites suspicion.
🚀 Consider this your boarding call — the upgrade list is open, and it’s up to you to get your elbows out and climb to the top.
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Heard in the Server Room
OpenAI has done it again, this time with a monster deal with Broadcom to build and deploy 10 gigawatts of custom AI chips—five times more compute than the 2 GW OpenAI runs on today. Instead of relying solely on Nvidia, OpenAI is designing its own silicon with Broadcom’s networking stack to squeeze out more performance and slash costs. Guess you got to do something with all that money being raised.
There’s a new TikTok trend for people with too much time and not enough sense: the “AI homeless man prank.” It involves using AI image generators to fake a rough-looking stranger snoozing on your couch and then texting your spouse for shock value. Millions have watched these “pranks,” prompting police across the U.S. and Europe to remind everyone that faking a break-in is, shocker, not hilarious.
Move over Jerry Maguire — ChatGPT is now the one yelling “SHOW ME THE MONEY!” Former Man United prospect Demetri Mitchell says he ditched human agents and used AI to negotiate his move to Leyton Orient, calling it his “best agent yet.” He used it to draft counteroffers and justify a higher salary based on London living costs and relocating his family. And the best part? No agent fee; he got to keep the extra cash.
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How to AI: Direct Sora Like You’re on Set
AI video tools like Sora 2, Veo 3, and Meta Vibes are making it incredibly easy to generate slick visuals—but unlike images, video prompting adds extra layers of complexity that can trip you up fast.
If you want to create videos that blur the line between AI and reality, this guide is a great place to start. Here are our top 3 prompt moves:
🎬 1. Start with a Story Arc
Prompt: “Generate a 10-second video with a clear story arc — hook in the first 3 seconds, main moment in the middle, and a satisfying visual finish.”
This gives the AI structure so it feels like an intentional sequence, not random.
🎨 2. Direct the Style Like a Brand Brief
Prompt: “Make it look high-end with cinematic lighting, smooth camera motion, and a polished aesthetic similar to a product launch video.”
Style cues like cinematic, retro film stock, or glossy tech commercial instantly upgrade quality.
📱 3. Design for the Platform from the Start
Prompt: “Generate this as a 9:16 vertical video framed for TikTok/Reels, with subject centered and pacing optimized for fast social scrolling.”
Telling AI where the video will live changes how it frames and paces the shot.
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That’s it for today! Have a great week, we’ll be back Friday.