Author: GW Alger

I connected Claude Cowork directly to WordPress in about 5 minutes. No plugin. No MCP. No middleware. No Zapier. Just a built-in WordPress feature most folks completely ignore: Application Passwords.

AI-generated videos depicting L.A. mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt as a superhero and his rival Karen Bass as a villain are gaining traction online

18 months ago, Google looked like it had missed the AI revolution. Now, Alphabet’s stock is up 140% over the past year and Wall Street is betting it’s one of the few companies positioned to profit from every layer of the generative AI boom. From Gemini to Google Cloud to its custom TPU chips, the company controls more of the AI stack than almost any of its rivals. This week’s Google I/O is the next big test — investors want to see whether that confidence is backed by a real product roadmap. CNBC’s MacKenzie Sigalos explains how Alphabet became the AI race’s unlikely frontrunner.

What drives the tech titans behind the AI arms race? For some, it’s the thrill of scientific discovery; for others, it’s the pursuit of profit. Through the story of DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis and other AI leaders, author Sebastian Mallaby explores how motivations ranging from scientific curiosity to commercial ambition and political power are shaping the future of the technology. We sat down with Mallaby to discuss the fraught and simultaneously symbiotic tension between science and capital at the heart of the AI revolution, and whether governments are prepared for systems becoming dramatically more powerful.

Using AI can lead to heart problems.

AI trust is collapsing. OpenAI, NVIDIA, generative AI, and Big Tech are spending hundreds of billions while public trust in artificial intelligence keeps falling.
AI was supposed to become the next great leap forward. Instead, people are watching advanced models pass elite exams, then fail simple tasks like reading a clock, counting letters, or separating fact from hallucination.

Behind the hype is a growing problem. AI can look brilliant in one moment and completely unreliable in the next. That “Jagged Frontier” is shaking public confidence, even as Silicon Valley keeps pouring money into data centers, chips, power grids, and infrastructure.

From AI hallucinations and Apple’s research, to the Stanford AI Index, environmental costs, public backlash, and fears of an AI bubble, this is why trust in AI is collapsing.

Why does Silicon Valley believe so strongly in a technology the public still doesn’t trust?

I’m back from Google I/O, and while everyone saw the big keynote announcements, some of the most interesting AI tools were buried in the margins.

In this one, I dig into what Google is actually building around Omni, Flow, Genie, video editing, world models, audio tools, and the creator workflows that did not get the clean keynote headline. I also got to talk with Josh Woodward and Logan Kilpatrick about what Omni is, where video fits into it, and why this might be less “one new video model” and more “a new layer for editing, remixing, compositing, and building with AI media.”

The short version: Google’s AI video plan is getting weird. Maybe underpowered in spots, definitely sprawling, but also way more interesting than just waiting for the next model name.

Plus — for the first time ever — a loose, on-the-ground podcast with some of my favorite creators recorded straight from the I/O floor.

I’ll show you how to use Zentangle keywords to create high-contrast ink masterpieces and why the Celestial style is the secret to creating ethereal, “space-photography” gods. We also explore the Grid Layout (a sophisticated evolution of Knolling) using the city of Buenos Aires as our architectural backdrop, and I reveal the technical prompts needed to create the high-energy Shattered effect on materials like porcelain and skin. Finally, we look at the kaleidoscopic symmetry of DMT Art for the ultimate visionary aesthetic.

Neil Patel explores a significant shift in the AI landscape, highlighting that the CEOs of OpenAI, NVIDIA, Google, Microsoft, and XAI are all signaling the same transition for 2026: the move from AI models to AI systems and autonomous agents.

The Core Shift: From Search to Agents

Patel explains that the industry is moving away from users manually searching for information and toward “AI agents” that perform complex, multi-week tasks autonomously.

• Intelligence as a Utility: Sam Altman (OpenAI) suggests AI will soon be as accessible and essential as electricity or water.
• Infrastructure over Apps: Jensen Huang (NVIDIA) notes that AI has moved from training to “productive work,” requiring a massive infrastructure takeover.
• Agent Orchestration: Sundar Pichai (Google) describes the future of search as an “agent orchestrator” that completes tasks rather than just providing links.
• Systems over Models: Satya Nadella (Microsoft) emphasizes that the real impact comes from integrated systems, not just standalone LLMs.

What This Means for Marketing

The audience for digital content is changing. Instead of writing for humans who skim pages, marketers must now optimize for AI agents that dissect, extract, and cite information.

• The New SEO (GEO/AEO): Traditional SEO is evolving into Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).
• Citation is the New Ranking: The goal is no longer just to “rank #1” on Google, but to be the source an AI agent trusts and cites when answering a user’s prompt.
• High Conversion: Patel shares data showing that while AI platforms currently drive less traffic than Google, that traffic has significantly higher purchase intent and revenue conversion.

3 Actionable Strategies for 2026

1. Build for Citation: Structure content to be machine-readable. Use clear attribution, structured data, and direct answers upfront so agents can easily extract your insights.
2. Look Beyond Google: With over 70% of searches now happening across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, ChatGPT, and Perplexity, brands must ensure visibility across the entire “research layer” of the internet.
3. Develop Systems, Not Tactics: Move away from using AI as a one-off tool (like just writing a blog post). Instead, create feedback loops where content production is measured by agent retrieval and citation frequency to constantly improve strategy.

Patel concludes that the window for early-mover advantage is closing, and marketers who adapt to this “agent-driven” economy now will build a competitive moat that latecomers will struggle to cross.

Google just dropped a wild new AI video model that lets you insert yourself into any scene you can imagine. And it’s available right inside Gemini.