In this week's issue: The honeymoon is over. AI fatigue hit hard by March. Agentic AI is quietly reshaping business. And a San Francisco power outage reminded us that life is a series of unforeseen circumstances—which means AI still isn’t ready for primetime. Here are the 2025 AI highlights worth knowing.

Hi Reader:

I hope you had a long and lovely holiday weekend. I spent mine at my neighbor’s house, eating too much and soaking up the kind of family chaos that only small children can create. There’s something magical about watching kids tear into parcels with total abandon. Luckily for me, their gifts were all art projects—so I got to draw, color, and make slime. A win.

At one point, someone mentioned she had never heard of ChatGPT (or AI at all). I was stunned—and also reminded of something important:

No matter where we are in our journey, there is always someone behind us.

As we head into a new year, it’s a good moment to remember we should stop competing with those ahead of us and start helping the people who want to be where we are.

Inspired by that conversation, I wrote a full blog post recapping the biggest AI moments of 2025. Spoiler: you probably didn’t miss as much as the headlines would have you believe.

Here's wishing you clarity, momentum, and a gentle landing into the final days of 2025.

Monica

This Week's Article

AI in 2025: A Year of Beautiful Chaos

AI cycled through multiple personality changes, the hype machine exhausted everyone, and people pushed back—loudly—against the idea that “AI will take over the world.”

Here are three takeaways:

• The honeymoon is over: By March, AI fatigue had fully set in. Still, innovation didn’t slow. Google—despite losing the AI race—quietly released this year’s sleeper hit.
• The real action is invisible: While consumers argue about which chatbot is “best,” agentic AI—the kind that connects your systems and does work for you—is reshaping business. But there’s a catch: relying on third‑party companies for core operations is a risky long‑term strategy.
• Humans still need to be in the room: A San Francisco power outage proved it: when the unexpected happens, AI freezes. And since life is mostly unforeseen circumstances, the future is still human.

What's New on YouTube

Overwhelmed by AI? Think of It in Three Pillars

I relaunched my YouTube channel this week. In the first video, I break down a simple way to think about AI.

• AI Deep Dive: Most people use AI to write faster, but you can go deeper. Use AI to Amplify (speed up); Analyze (think strategically); and Automate (build systems).
• Your Power Move: The PCR Prompt: Pros, Cons, Recommendations. PRR helps you weigh tradeoffs on everything from newsletter strategy to hiring decisions. (Even deciding if you can eat those slightly expired groceries.)
• Ten Pieces from One: Write content once, distribute it everywhere. One blog can become tweets, LinkedIn posts, Pinterest pins, and a full content calendar.

What I'm Reading

​

AI Wrapped: 14 Terms That Defined 2025 MIT Technology Review breaks down the language of the year—from “superintelligence” to “slop”—and what it signals about where we’re headed. [MIT Technology Review]

AI Wants to Make You Happy, Even If It Has to Bend the Truth Researchers found that when AI is trained to maximize user satisfaction, it optimizes for what makes people happy—not what’s accurate. The result: a phenomenon they call “machine bullshit.” [IEEE Spectrum/Princeton Research/CNET]

Big Ideas You May Have Missed in 2025: From compostable plastics to pop‑up wetlands—and even salmon returning to California rivers after 100+ years—CBS Sunday Morning rounded up the feel‑good stories of the year. [CBS News]

​

New Strategy Guide

Anatomy of the Big Idea

​

Unleash the ideas that won’t stay quiet and turn them into real business momentum. Move from vision to action—using AI to build the systems and rhythm that sustain growth.

Inside, you’ll find my four‑step framework to stress‑test your idea, motivate audiences, and build a pathway to bold execution.

Work With Me

​

📈 Need a Speaker? — Fresh ideas on AI, automation, and building your big idea.

📖 Anatomy of the Big Idea (Free Guide) — Unleash those ideas that won't stay quite and turn them into business momentum.

📘 Schedule a Vision Call — Let's talk about what you're building.

​Unsubscribe · Preferences​