Issue 28: If you're not using AI, you're already behind
AI's having its iPhone moment. The tools dropping this week aren’t experiments — they’re everyday essentials. Some are really freaking scary, too. Here’s what you need to know...and do...now.
Yep, that headline’s a bit ominous because OMG…AI is here, and we’re just not ready for it. We’ll get to that in a second, but first, can we all just take a collective pause and wonder — how is it October (aka ‘Tektober’) already?!
New gadgets galore. All the launches.
We’re all neck-deep reviewing a bajillion and one newfangled doodads to pick our ultimate must-have’s for upcoming articles, segments, and year end “best-of’s.” I have a packed fall line-up of TV, articles, and appearances including;
Week of October 27th:
I’m back on SHERRI — one of the top two most-watched talk shows in America. Focus: “Everyday gadgets that solve the most common problems without breaking the bank.”
Today Show - topic TBD
Ongoing: USA Today
Ongoing: Station appearances talking gadgets in LA, SF, Seattle, and New York (and more).
Upcoming: Our about-to-launch Techishly Jenn Podcast!
…And so much more that’s been weeks months years in the making.
Subscriber Kathleen (hiiii K!) recently asked where she can watch me on TV these days. If you don’t see me pop up on a station near you, we try to post most segments on Techish.com and on our socials, including Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
I LOVE hearing from you and knowing what types of content you want me to focus on, make more of, and plan out in the future. What matters most to you and how can I help? Best way to reach me? Subscribe and send me a message right here or email me. I read every single one!
Are you ready for another round of awesome? Here’s what’s inside this newsletter today:
AI just hit its iPhone moment. It’s equal parts wow and whoa. ChatGPT lets you shop on it now. Sora 2 lets you deepfake…just about everyone and everything. Meta gives kids new ways to interact with totally inappropriate/insanely creepy. Read this one right now and let’s talk about it. Seriously.
If you’re going to try Sora 2 — and it IS a fun way to lose several hours of your life to the new shiny thing — do and know this first.
I’ve been living with the new AirPods Pro 3 for two weeks now. The firm(er) tips are an issue. Here’s how I solved it.
🌱DIY Landscaping: I let AI design my yard… here’s what happened
And…a few more Sora 2 videos because these are just. too. weird.
1. AI just hit its iPhone moment. It’s equal parts wow and whoa.
OpenAI just dropped Sora 2, an invite-only iOS app that looks and feels like TikTok — except AI generates every clip, and you can star in them yourself. Type a prompt, and Sora shows you Mr. Rogers explaining the meaning of “rizz,” Sam Altman shoplifting computer chips from Target, and Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO) showing me (@JennJolly on Sora) how to boil pasta with $175 million in VC funding.
People rushed to download it. In just a few days, Sora climbed to the top spot in the App Store with some 164,000 installs within the first 48 hours.
The internet reacted fast — and split:
It’s a hit. People can’t get enough. The feed feels hypnotic, hilarious, and endlessly remixable.
It’s “slop.” Critics flooded all the feeds with dunks about infinite AI junk. (“Finally, pure slop,” one viral reply said on X.)
It veers off mission. Commentators blasted OpenAI for chasing AGI one week and launching a slop feed the next. Sam Altman fired back: saying that products like Sora fund the computer brain power needed to cure cancer. (Awesome talking point … but when does big tech do the right thing?)
It’s very Altman-forward. Just like Elon Musk on X, Altman made himself the protagonist of Sora. He even lets you remix his likeness into anything — and the internet’s going wild. (See my favorites so far below…)
It tramples copyright. Pikachu, Mario, Spongebob, MLK Jr, and The Simpsons clips flood the app because OpenAI forces rights holders to opt out, not opt in. Hollywood lawyers have already mobilized.
It raises competition. TIME reported every AI giant now races to build an AI video feed. Meta looks flat-footed.
It unnerves even insiders. Some OpenAI employees posted their own concerns, warning that AI feeds could warp politics, mental health, and truth. Security experts flagged Sora as the easiest deepfake machine yet.
The Sora drop capped a massive week for OpenAI.
The company rolled out shopping inside ChatGPT, launched parental controls (which I think overall, are pretty lame — my take here), debuted its first ad campaign, and closed a $6.6 billion secondary stock sale that valued it at $500 billion — the highest-valued startup in the world.
Meanwhile, Meta stoked its own controversy.
Starting in December, Meta will mine your AI chatbot conversations to target ads on Instagram and Facebook — no opt-out. Ask for hiking recommendations, and you’ll see hiking boots in your feed.
Sora’s rise shows how quickly the ground shifts. While some people still scratch their heads and debate whether to try AI, millions already generate videos, shop inside ChatGPT, feed prompts into Gemini, and automate their routines with Perplexity. If you don’t experiment with these tools, you fall behind — missing the feeds, the apps, and the money — while others learn to ride the wave.
Together, these moves reveal the business model of today’s AI boom: your face, your chats, and your favorite characters.
What does that mean for us? Honestly, it’s terrifying. The biggest tech companies are treating us — and our kids — like test subjects in the largest social experiment of our time. The slop may be funny, but the copyright chaos feels inevitable, and the deepfake threat makes my stomach lurch.
People already use it. No guardrails exist.
The real danger isn’t just nonsense and next-gen deepfakes flooding our feeds — it’s losing our grip on truth, trust, and the very humanity that holds us together.
So what now? Sure, people said the same thing about Google, the internet, and even television at some point. And yes, we survived all of that — but AI isn’t just another screen, it’s a machine that can rewrite reality itself. That means each of us has to stay awake at the wheel: question what we see, teach our kids to do the same, and decide when to put the tech down. Will this spark a revolt — a wave of people logging off to save their sanity and humanity? Maybe. But whether we pick up AI or push it away, the real choice in front of us is simple: use these tools with intention, or risk letting them use us.
I’ve tested several ways to use it for good — mine and yours. As I continue to cover the rise of AI, I’ll keep showing you how to harness its power without losing our grip on what makes us human — healthy, happy, and thriving in our very real world.
2. How to Use Sora 2 Without Getting Creeped Out
OpenAI’s Sora 2 doesn’t just generate video from text prompts — it makes videos so realistic, you’re probably already asking, “Wait, is this real life?” Whether you’re curious or cautious, here are a few quick tips to try it out — without losing your mind (or your dignity).
Start Small — and Safe
Don’t begin with “make me the star of a Marvel movie.” Instead, test Sora with something playful but harmless:
“A golden retriever learning to skateboard.”
“A time-lapse of tulips blooming in Central Park.”
This helps you learn how detailed (or weird) your prompts need to be before throwing yourself into the mix.
Be Crystal Clear
The difference between “good” and “nightmare fuel” often comes down to specificity. Instead of:
“Make a person walking.”
Try:“A person in a bright red raincoat walking across a busy New York crosswalk, filmed like a Wes Anderson movie.”
Protect Your Cameo
Sora 2 lets you upload your face for cameos. If you try it, set boundaries up front. Tell the system:
“Use me only in flattering, professional, or humorous contexts — never political, sexual, or harmful.”
Think of it like a rider for your digital twin.
Remix, Don’t Replace
One fun hack? Use Sora 2 for backgrounds or B-roll in your own videos. Think:
A storm rolling in behind you.
A futuristic cityscape as you narrate.
That way, you’re still you — but your storytelling gets the blockbuster treatment.
Remember the Fine Print
Sora 2 is still experimental. Don’t trust it for news, facts, or anything that looks like evidence. Always label AI-generated video clearly — especially before you post on TikTok or Instagram.
✨ Bottom line: Sora 2 is like Photoshop for moving pictures. Treat it as a creative tool, not a truth machine — and you’ll stay more wow than whoa.
3. AirPods Pro 3: When the Tips Don’t Fit Right
Hard pivot now to another common problem. I LOVE (all caps, I’m shouting!) the new Apple AirPods Pro 3. The battery life feels lifetimes better than the Pro 2’s. The language translation feature’s awesome But…the new AirPods Pro 3 tips don’t fit my wee little ear-holes as well as the last ones did. The small tips fall out, the mediums feel too firm, and the whole “perfect seal” thing is suddenly a lot less comfortable. I’m sure it’s not just me either.
Apple actually made the new tips firmer — less squishy — on purpose. The new design uses “a patented process that embeds a thin layer of foam inside the silicone.” The idea, says Apple, is a tighter seal, better sound, and stronger noise cancellation. Great in theory, not so great if you have Goldilocks—I need this to be ‘just right’—ears like I do.
Here’s how people are trying to fix it:
Switch sizes smartly: Go for the smallest tip that still seals, even if it feels counterintuitive. I tried that. The smallest size feels like jamming a Q-Tip in my ear.
Insert gently: Place and rotate instead of jamming them in — less pressure, better comfort. I tried this too. The AirPod just falls out if I bend, twist, turn, bounce.
Run the Seal Test: In AirPods settings on your iPhone, check if the size you’re using actually passes Apple’s fit test.
Upgrade the tips: Aftermarket memory foam tips (like Comply, around $25) can mold to your ear for a softer, more custom fit.
Add ear hooks: If security is the issue, ear hooks keep them in place without relying on tip pressure alone.
Bottom line: the new tips are intentionally firmer and less forgiving than the old ones, but ears aren’t one-size-fits-all. If your AirPods feel more painful than premium, it might be time to tweak the fit — or bring in some third-party reinforcements.
If the new firmer, less-squishy tips don’t sit right, here’s where to find those upgrades:
Comply Foam Tips – Memory foam molds to your ears for a softer, custom seal. Great for comfort and noise cancellation.
👉 Shop Comply Foam Tips for AirPods ProDekoni Bulletz Tips – Similar to Comply, but slightly denser foam for people who want maximum isolation (and don’t mind a snugger feel).
👉 Shop Dekoni Bulletz TipsCharJenPro Ear Tips – Hybrid silicone + memory foam, designed to balance softness with stability.
👉 Shop CharJenPro TipsEar Hooks (Generic/Spigen/Elago) – Silicone hooks that wrap around your ear so the buds stay put during workouts, even if the tips don’t quite seal.
👉 Shop Ear Hooks for AirPods Pro
💡 Pro tip: Try the Acoustic Seal Test in your AirPods settings after swapping tips to make sure you’re actually getting the comfort and the sound upgrade.
4. DIY Landscaping: $12.5K Estimate, $2K Reality
Now here’s how AI can save the day for real, right now. When a landscaper quoted me twelve grand to fix my dirt and rock patch in front of my house, I nearly choked. So I handed the project to ChatGPT instead. It designed a full cottage garden for my climate, picked deer-resistant plants, mapped the layout, found the cheapest nursery prices, and saved me about $10,000. The result? A yard my neighbors think a pro designed — powered by mulch, family muscle, and a very bossy AI sidekick.
👉 See the before & after, what exactly I did and learn how you can save too.
5. Find the Best Discount Codes for just about Anything
Skip coupon-hunting or apps/browser extensions with outdated codes. AI can instantly sniff out and compare live promo codes. It can also find you the best price in a specific store near you—online or in-person, tell you about return policies, price-matching, and potential upsells. It basically does ALL the things I’ve been talking about every holiday season since the dawn of time — for you! This is especially important for Black Friday/Cyber Monday — and can save you thousands throughout the year — for reals.
Prompt:
“Find the lowest price, current coupon codes, return policy, and price-match options for a 65-inch LG OLED TV. Also warn me about any upsells I should skip and make sure it’s this year’s model (not a derivative) and triple check/confirm your work. My Zip Code is XXXXX.”
What happens:
AI looks across major retailers automatically (Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Target, etc.).
It pulls promo codes/discounts where available.
It surfaces return windows and price-match rules for whichever stores are relevant.
It flags the most common upsells (like extended warranties or cables).
***BONUS: You can also use it in a grocery store like this:
Take pictures of aisles when shopping and asking ChatGPT to compare prices so you can determine which item is the best value without having to comb through them yourself. Simple, but so useful!
That’s a wrap for this week in all things gadget-y and tech-ish. Here’s what I want to leave you with right this second. The headlines are dizzying — AI slop in our feeds, deepfakes at every tap, swipe, and scroll, and gadgets that aren’t always “just right.” But here’s the truth I keep coming back to: We still get to choose how, when, and why we use this technology. We can harness it to save money, grow gardens, spark creativity, and connect in ways that actually make life richer. We can also disconnect, go outside, look into the eyes of those we love most and take another deep breath as the truly magical humans we are.
On that note… let’s stay curious, stay skeptical, and remember that the best future isn’t the one AI builds for us — it’s the one we build with it. 🌱✨
Love you for real,
XO Jenn