đ„ AI's ROI
Sept. 9th, 2025 | Unpacking the business impact of generative AI
đŸ IN TODAY'S WILD
Hey everyone,
Good morning and happy Tuesday!
Iâve added a new weekly column every Monday. What happened in tech that mattered, and what did it mean? Once a week, I sift through the changes and ideas, picking the one you donât want to miss in all the noise, and provide it with context and analysis.
+ The news of this week đïž âMicrosoft has officially signaled a major strategic shift in its AI ambitions with the release of its first proprietary foundation model, MAI-1.â Continue reading here.
As a free subscriber, you get the preview from the Premium edition.
Become a paying subscriber and get the most out of the Daily Wild.
Appleâs new generative AI "answer engine" may be released sooner than expected, despite the recent formation of a dedicated team. This is happening as many Fortune 500 companies struggle to get a good ROI from their AI spending, while a smaller startup like Anysphere has found massive success with an AI-native development environment.
The text also highlights the shift from one-way communication to real-time, conversational engagement with customers, enabled by AI. A new animated film, "Critterz," is being created with the help of OpenAI's AI tools, and is aiming for a debut at the Cannes Film Festival. Other news includes a GhostAction attack on GitHub users, the MostereRAT malware targeting Windows, and Snap's internal restructuring into small "startup squads."
đŠŸ AI daily pulse
Appleâs new generative AI âanswer engineâ might arrive sooner than we initially thought
Early last month, Bloomberg reported on Appleâs new in-house generative AI search product â with a new âAnswers, Knowledge, and Informationâ team. Despite this teamâs recent formation, we might get to see the fruits of their labor much sooner than one mightâve anticipated. [LINK]
Why AI isn't delivering ROIâand three fixes that actually work
In just three years, Anysphereâthe startup behind the AI-native development environment Cursorâhas grown to over $500 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and achieved a $9.9 billion valuation. In contrast, many Fortune 500 companies are spending hundreds of millions on AI but struggling to see real gains. [LINK]Is it digital transformation 3.0 or AI transformation 1.0?
From monologues to dialogues, AI enables businesses to shift customer experience toward real-time intent, context, and conversational engagement. [LINK]
Subscribe to The Daily Wild's Newsletter to unlock the full experience.
âĄïž Top trends
âOne problem with using SaaS vendors with their own AI solutions is their incentives: it saves costs if they use cheap models, as little reasoning as possible & stick with outdated prompting & RAG strategies rather than updating them as AI improves.ââ Ethan Mollick [LINK]
OpenAI backs AI-made animated feature film
Film, called âCritterz,â aims to debut at Cannes Film Festival and will leverage startupâs AI tools and resources. [LINK]
đ» Top techies
GhostAction attack hits 327 GitHub users, 817 repositories. [LINK]
MostereRAT malware targets Windows through phishing, bypasses security with advanced tactics, and grants hackers full remote control. [LINK]
đź What else
Snap breaks into âstartup squadsâ as ad revenue stalls
Snap is breaking itself apart and rebuilding from within. In a new annual company letter, CEO Evan Spiegel just announced the company is restructuring around small âstartup squadsâ of 10 to 15 people to better compete against larger competitors. [LINK]Why AI is overrated - with Neil deGrasse Tyson
