Pikachu vs. AI

Plus: Apple powers up performance

October 17, 2025


Welcome back! Spotify just made its AI DJ a better listener. For premium users, the music service now takes text requests in addition to voice ones, like “play me some workout music” or “surprise me with new indie tracks.” It’s a small but smart tweak that makes AI feel a bit more human, like a real friend who listens, reads, and types back.

So, if AI can pick your next song… what’s next? Your next search? Your next job contract? Let’s dig in.

Apple Launches M5 Chip for the AI Era

Via WIRED

Apple just unveiled the M5, its next-generation processor for MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro, claiming a 4x boost in GPU compute for AI tasks compared to the M4. Each GPU core now includes its own Neural Accelerator, allowing large models to run locally with unprecedented efficiency. Apple’s pitch? This new chip is built for intelligence, not just speed.

Key specs:

  • Next-gen GPU architecture: 10-core design with dedicated AI accelerators.

  • Upgraded Neural Engine: 16 cores for faster on-device Apple Intelligence.

  • 153GB/s memory bandwidth: Run bigger AI models entirely offline.

Big picture: Apple’s M5 joins NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel in a global arms race for compute power, blurring the line between personal device and AI workstation.

Japan Tells OpenAI to Stop Copying Manga

Tokyo’s copyright cops are stepping in. Japan’s government has formally asked OpenAI to stop “ripping off” manga and anime art after Sora app users began mass producing anime-style content.

The backstory: OpenAI’s decision to drop its opt-out policy for creators backfired hard. Its Sora app flooded social media with AI-generated videos featuring characters like Mario and Pikachu. Japanese creators—and now the government—pushed back, with officials calling these art forms “irreplaceable cultural treasures” and accusing OpenAI of violating Japan’s intellectual property norms.

Why it matters: Japan’s move could set a global precedent for how nations protect creative identity in the AI age. The message is clear: you can train on global culture, but you can’t copy it.

Unions Demand Worker-Centered AI

America’s largest labor federation wants a seat at the AI table. The AFL-CIO, a coalition of 63 unions representing nearly 15 million U.S. workers, launched its “Workers First Initiative on AI.” The plan calls for new labor protections, retraining programs, and limits on AI-driven surveillance at work.

Key priorities:

  • Transparency: Employers must disclose how AI impacts jobs and decisions.

  • Protection: Stop AI from being used to undermine labor rights.

  • Involvement: Give workers a role in government-funded AI research.

Why it matters: The AFL-CIO’s stance signals a shift from panic to participation. Instead of resisting automation, labor groups are demanding a say in how AI gets built and deployed.

Build Without Limits on Sevalla

If you’ve outgrown rigid tiers and hidden fees, you need Sevalla, the all-in-one cloud platform built for teams. Powered by Kinsta’s infrastructure expertise, it delivers modern PaaS flexibility, global scale, and transparent pricing—all in one place.

Sevalla give you:

  • Unlimited collaborators, parallel builds, and no rigid plans

  • Kubernetes in 25 regions + Cloudflare’s 260+ edge network for speed

  • Usage-based pricing with zero hidden fees

  • Managed databases, object storage, and global deploys

  • Enterprise-grade security and real developer support

Turn Products into Self-Teaching Experiences

TutorialAI

TutorialAI automatically generates step-by-step guides and demo videos for your software or service. It analyzes product details and user behavior to produce dynamic, updatable onboarding materials—no manual scripting or editing required.

How you can use it:

  • Auto-generate interactive tutorials and walk-throughs

  • Keep guides synced as your product updates

  • Reduce customer support load with self-serve help docs

  • Deliver consistent, polished training content across teams

Pricing: free and paid

Make Your Videos Speak 52 Languages

Luboo

Luboo localizes short videos like TikToks, Reels, and YouTube Shorts with AI-powered dubbing that mirrors tone, dialect, and emotion. It recreates your voice in multiple languages with perfect lip-sync and cultural nuance, all in minutes.

How you can use it:

  • Instantly dub your short-form content for global audiences

  • Preserve emotion and tone across languages with neural synthesis

  • Translate and post in multiple markets at once

  • Eliminate the need for manual dubbing or expensive studios

Pricing: Paid

Jobs, announcements, and big ideas

  • Spotify and major labels team up on new AI tools designed to protect artists.

  • Pinterest gives users more control over AI-generated posts with clearer labels.

  • New York becomes the first state to ban AI software that manipulates rent prices.

  • Cisco launches CodeGuard, an open-source project to secure software written by AI.

  • Amazon unveils a nuclear-powered facility to fuel its clean energy ambitions.

  • OpenAI pulls Sora-generated videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after objections from his estate.

  • Microsoft expands Copilot AI to every Windows 11 device in its latest update.

  • Google DeepMind partners with Commonwealth Fusion to use AI in advancing fusion energy.

  • Character.ai debuts a ‘Scenes’ feature that lets users create immersive role-playing stories.

  • Claude AI now integrates with Microsoft 365, adding enterprise search across all tools.

Everyone was talking about Sora 2… until they weren’t. Here’s why the internet moved on overnight.

That’s a wrap! See you next week for more.

—Matt (FutureTools.io)

P.S. This newsletter is 100% written by a human. Okay, maybe 96%.