In the Long Run

In this episode of In The Long Run, we discuss Anthropic’s growing role in AI, from its collaboration with the Vatican on ethical questions to its compute deal with xAI. We also explore Andrej Karpathy joining Anthropic, the tension between AI safety and commercial incentives, SpaceX IPO rumors, and a new software engineering benchmark challenging how we compare AI models.

Agentic AI is moving from clever chat to real work. In this episode, Jim and João discuss GPT Image 2.0, Codex, GPT-5.5, agents in ChatGPT, and why these tools matter beyond software development. They explore how agents plan, use tools, browse, test, create, and iterate across tasks: from financial reports to Sudoku scraping. The bigger question is enterprise readiness. Large companies must now solve identity, access, data classification, governance, logging, auditing, interoperability, and security for agents working across systems, suppliers, and teams.

This week's episode opens with the Artemis II launch as a jumping-off point: progress doesn't happen automatically, it takes investment and will. Jim and João then unpack Alberto Romero's "How to Survive the Age of AI", drawing a sharp distinction between automation and systemic disruption. It's not the ATM that killed banking, digital banking did. The article's tips spark debate: don't obsess over AI skills, keep some tasks AI-free to stay sharp, and know when to stop prompting and start thinking for yourself.

On the news front: Anthropic's Claude Code source code leak (human error, apparently) raises questions about accountability as AI agents take on more sensitive roles. OpenAI's Sora social network quietly winds down, too expensive, too unfocused. A Financial Times analysis finds AI chatbots are nudging people toward the political center, a striking contrast to social media's polarizing pull. And Elon Musk's TerraFab lands with Kardashev-scale ambition: own the chip supply chain, harness the sun, build for a galactic civilization. Bold or classic Musk overreach? Time will tell.

• Brain cells on a chip learning to play Doom: early signs of biological computing as an alternative to silicon chips

• Embodied intelligence through a simulated fly: testing whether cognition needs a body and environment

• Brain emulation and when can we upload our mind into a computer?

• AI supporting personalised cancer treatment for a dog

• AI running its own research loops: Karpathy’s autoresearch as a glimpse of autonomous experimentation

• 1M context windows: longer memory changing how AI systems handle tasks and reduce manual setup (RAG)

• Jensen Huang creates "Safe" version of OpenClaw

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.

What made “In the Long Run” worth listening to this year? Which episode stuck with you most, and why? We celebrate 1 year of In the Long Run in our 20th episode. We have reached 100 subscribers! Thanks for being part of this journey. Here’s to another year of great conversations and new listeners joining in.

And which breakthrough felt like the real shift this year? We reflect on the biggest events that happend in tech news this year and how they affected our lives. Would you welcome a robot in your home if it looked more like a person - or less? With Sora 2 in everyone’s pocket, does realism in video spark more creativity or more mistrust? Has open source caught up, or does leadership still rest with the big players? And who will be the big players one year from now; Google, Apple or still OpenAI?