📊🤖 73% of CMOs Are Doubling Down on AI. Are You?

Hey Explorers!

The AI noise is loud… but the signal is getting clearer.

This week, we’re cutting through the hype with 7 stories that reveal where AI is really heading, starting with why 73% of CMOs are increasing their AI spend.

If you’re not locked in, you’re falling behind.

Here’s what’s going on... 👇🏼

🗞️ TECH & TRENDS | News & More

📊💰 73% of CMOs Are Increasing Their AI Spend
AI is no longer a side experiment. It’s a line item with real dollars behind it. According to BCG, nearly three-quarters of CMOs are increasing AI budgets, with 18% allocating more than $10M this year alone. If you're still "testing," you're behind. (🔗 Link)

⚡📈 AI Is Accelerating Decision-Making in Sales and Marketing
AI is being used to make faster, more accurate business calls. From forecasting to campaign adjustments, leaders are using real-time data to make moves without delay. The teams using AI aren’t just faster—they’re more confident in every action they take. (🔗 Link)

🧠📎 ChatGPT for Business Just Leveled Up
OpenAI rolled out major updates: Meeting recording, app integrations, document search, and custom tools for teams. This version is all about infrastructure. Expect workflows to compress, meetings to shrink, and productivity to rise. (🔗 Link)

📱🧠 AI Is Creeping Into Personal Life
People are using AI to write dating profiles, breakup messages, wedding vows, and even eulogies. The lines between human and machine-authored emotion are fading in everyday life. (🔗 Link)

🚫🇨🇳 China Shut Down AI Chatbots for Exam Season
To prevent cheating during national exams, China temporarily blocked access to AI apps like Kimi and Qwen. It’s one of the first nationwide suspensions of consumer AI access, showing how governments may act when AI usage crosses the line. (🔗 Link)

📦🦿 Amazon Is Testing Humanoid Delivery Robots
Amazon is running a live test with robots designed to walk packages to your front door. Inside a dedicated facility, these bipedal bots are learning real-world delivery logistics. This could become a major shift in last-mile delivery. (🔗 Link)

🦶🩺 AI Foot Scanner Can Detect Heart Failure Early
A new AI device being trialed in the UK scans a patient's feet to detect early signs of fluid retention—often a precursor to heart failure. The system can flag issues up to 13 days before hospitalization would normally occur. (🔗 Link)

🚀 WE BUILD FAST. WE BUILD BOLD. WE BUILD WHAT’S NEXT.

In just the last 18 months, we’ve gone from idea to execution again and again — building everything from AI concierges to viral quiz games, from voice clones to live summits. For ourselves and for clients ranging from scrappy startups to Fortune 500s.

Here’s just some of what we’ve done:

🎙️ QuickPod – Take any newsletter and turn it into a highly produced podcast, complete with intros, outros, bumpers, and even your own voice. (Yes, WAY before NotebookLM)

🎤 The First Real-Time AI Panel Moderator – Capable of bringing guests on stage live and asking questions based on their background. A total game-changer for events.

🔥 CigarPhone – The world’s first AI cigar concierge, and the cornerstone of a new vertical we’re building from the ground up.

🧠 Smart CRM Voice Assistant – Handles post-call sales updates and can even coach your reps.

🎁 AI Concierge for a Major Membership Rewards Program – Think ChatGPT meets loyalty meets scale.

👤 AI Avatar for a Major International Spirits Brand – Because modern brands should talk back.

🤖 ContentMachine – Our custom AI-powered content generator that turns your inputs into ready-to-go copy and assets.

🔍 Instagram Profile Analyzer – Generates detailed customer personas from public data.

📦 Etsy Listing Optimization Tool – Boosts discoverability, sales, and efficiency.

🛒 Chrome Plugin for AI Print-on-Demand – Built for creators looking to scale fast.

⚙️ Fully Automated Community Onboarding System – Using Make, Beehiiv, Telegram, Stripe, GHL, and more. Seamless, scalable, and saves hours.

🤝 AI Networking Tool – Helps people make meaningful connections, not just random intros.

🧠 Daily Quiz Game with Viral Mechanics – Can be skinned for any industry. Built-in lead gen and engagement on autopilot.

🧩 Unique Daily Word Guessing Game – Simple, sticky, and fun.

🏠 Consumer Tool for Homeowners vs. HOAs – Helping residents fight back with data and tools on their side.

📲 Event Check-In + Raffle Tool – Designed to increase participation and excitement at live events.

🎧 Spotify Playlist Generator – Tests your ability to spot “bangers” and builds shareable playlists. 😂

💡 Prompt-a-Thon – A hands-on experience exposing attendees to the latest AI tools and guiding them to build MVPs and prototypes for their businesses—on the spot.

🎤 Produced the Crossroads Summit – A 2-day IRL event at the intersection of chaos and technology, featuring futurists like Cathie Wood, Peter Zeihan, Michael Jabbour, and Jamie Metzl.

🚬 Cigar Tech Initiatives – Including the launch of Cigar Social events and a nationwide SMS-based e-commerce platform.

🇺🇸 Marketing Strategy for a New Cigar Brand – Breaking into the U.S. market with bold positioning and clear traction.

🏢 AI Training Sessions – Delivered to Fortune 500 companies, national organizations, pro sports teams, enterprise clients, and small businesses.

🎓 University + High School Partnerships – Helping schools explore AI trends and strategy, including planning and exploration at 3 high-profile private high schools.

🎤 Panels + Moderation – We've spoken and moderated on AI, marketing, and business strategy dozens of times over.

💼 Advisors to Startups, Enterprise Clients, and a Government Client – Bridging tech and strategy with hands-on execution.

🌐 Built a Community of Innovators, Tinkerers & Entrepreneurs – All using tech to disrupt their industries.

📰 Produce a Weekly Tech Newsletter – Helping readers stay in-the-know on emerging tech, tools, trends, and AI breakthroughs.

🔥 Building the Largest Community of Premium Cigar Smokers in the U.S. – Combining tech, culture, and lifestyle.

🎓 Mentors for the Mark Cuban AI Foundation – Guiding the next generation of AI leaders.

🎨 Created Dozens of Custom GPTs – From tools to toys to business apps.

🧠 Conceptualized and Created IP for a Large-Scale Cigar Event – End-to-end vision and execution.

🎼 Produced Songs, Jingles, and Soundtracks – All with cutting-edge AI tools.

🎥 Created Commercials 100% Using AI – Script, voice, visuals, editing—AI-powered from top to bottom.

And that’s just a slice of it.

💡 Whether you’re trying to explore AI, break into a new market, build community, or turn an idea into a working prototype—We’ve done it. We’re doing it. And we can do it with you 🫵

Just click below if you want to jam with us! 👇🏼

Remember… We don’t just talk about the future. We build it.

📅 LET’S HANG OUT | Upcoming Events

📍 6/17 Defense Tech Tuesdays @ Beat Culture

📍 6/19 Coconut Grove Cigar Social @ The Regatta

📍 6/26 Miami Immersive Intensive @ Downtown Miami

📍 7/1 South Miami Tech Tuesdays @ Bougies

📍 7/8 Cafecito & Pastelitos @ Microhub Edgewater

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