In the Long Run

In this episode of "In the long run", we unpack the escalating clash between the U.S. “Department of War” (Pentagon) and Anthropic, centered on whether a private AI company can restrict government use of its models, especially around mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.
We explore how today’s “legal” frameworks lag behind AI capabilities, making large-scale surveillance technically easy (and sometimes still lawful).
Finally, we connect the rise of AI coding agents and “vibe coding” to a shake-up in SaaS. How will this impact Software as a service companies, how many subscription apps could become trivial to recreate with personalized agents, pushing SaaS value toward support, accountability, and enterprise-grade reliability rather than basic functionality.

Something Big is Happening… and we can feel it in the AI tools, the timelines, the culture and our business.
In this episode of In the Long Run, we unpack Matt Schumer’s viral article and ask what’s signal versus hype: are developers really moving from “AI helps” to “AI delivers”?
We then zoom in on OpenClaw, the open-source agent that turns models into operators via memory, connectors, skills, and scheduled automation, and we look at the weird, revealing moment that was MoltBook: a social feed for bots, prompts, and performative autonomy.
Finally, we touch Google’s Project Genie, the world-model demo that generates navigable environments.
Thanks for coming back after New Year, and happy Chinese New Year; the Year of the Horse!

In this episode we debate whether it makes sense to wait for the future, try to lead the frontier, or invest in the present — and what that means for change-management in an AI world.
We also cover: the ambition behind Project Suncatcher, a plan to power AI via solar-satellite data-centres in orbit; alarming reports from Anthropic about the first AI-agent-led hacking campaign; the launch of Gemini 3 by DeepMind / Google; and evolving simplification proposals for the EU AI Act.

This week’s episode: Jim attended an event with OpenAI in London and shares some highlights. OpenAI’s reorganisation has been finalised, sparking fresh discussions about AGI timelines. There was also a notable update from the world of AI robotics: 1X has opened pre-orders for its humanoid robot, NEO, priced at $20,000 (or a $500 per month), with deliveries expected next year.

This week’s episode: Jim attended an event with OpenAI in London and shares some highlights. OpenAI’s reorganisation has been finalised, sparking fresh discussions about AGI timelines. There was also a notable update from the world of AI robotics: 1X has opened pre-orders for its humanoid robot, NEO, priced at $20,000, with deliveries to consumer homes expected next year.
AI in Government: UK public sector trials show AI improving transcription and data processing while reinforcing a “more human” service to citizens.

OpenAI Enterprise Vision: AI positioned as an “enterprise operating system,” integrating ChatGPT, Codex, Canva, Figma, and Deep Research.

Adoption Lessons: Organisations like BBVA prove AI saves time but stress cultural readiness, leadership engagement, and peer learning.

OpenAI Structure & AGI Goals: Reorganisation balances Microsoft’s stake with nonprofit oversight; targets include an AI research intern by 2026 and automation by 2028.

1X NEO Robot: humanoid robot for homes performs chores, allows remote guidance, and raises privacy questions.