Why is Jev breaking the internet?

Happy Thursday!

I'm trying a new format this week! Splitting the newsletter into different sections. I know some of you are more interested in marketing, tech, AI, and media. Let me know what you think (you can always reply to this email with feedback 😊) .

In this issue

Claude Opus 5.5
Anthropic says its new Opus model approaches Fable 5.1 on most work, improves on Opus 5 and does the job more efficiently. That makes it interesting for research, analysis and writing, rather than just coding benchmarks.

Try Opus 5.5 for everyday professional work, then compare with Fable on your hardest jobs. I'm personally finding it basically on par with Fable whilst exhausting my usage limits nowhere near as quickly. Anthropic.

GPT-6 Sol and Luna
OpenAI’s new models offer cheaper ways to get work done alongside Astra. Sol is the option for substantial research, writing and tasks with several steps. Luna suits clearly defined, repeatable jobs, such as extracting information or making small edits. Start with the lighter model that produces a good enough result, then move up when needed. They’re rolling out in ChatGPT Work and Codex, with account and workspace restrictions, rather than ordinary Chat. OpenAI.

Why the model names are confusing
AI model names are confusing if you’re used to, say, iPhones getting a bigger number every year. That's clear linear progression.

Whereas in AI, new models offer different balances of speed, cost and intelligence. So in OpenAI's world for example, Astra, Sol, and Luna are useful because Astra is there for the more demanding stuff but exhausts your usage limits really quickly, whereas Sol can do pretty much anything. Luna is there for more basic work that is just not worth draining usage allowances for.

And it's not just about cost, it's about speed too. Less waiting makes AI less frustrating. I don't know about you, but one of the key challenges of using AI today is the constant task switching and waiting for things to finish.

So don't always pick the biggest, most advanced model. Make use of how quick and cheap these new lighter models are.

ChatGPT Voice starts to feel like a work interface
I haven’t quite clicked with Voice Mode in my workflow yet, but I have a feeling it will. This update, along with recent updates, means you can do more talking to ChatGPT and Codex as a single entity that can go and delegate tasks, work across your various chats and tasks, connect with tools, use subagents, etc., on your behalf (rather than you always having to start a new chat and then voice chat within just that chat).

Access depends on your plan, rollout and the tools and permissions available. Voice · Subagents.

What is Jev?
If you consume content related to AI, then this has almost certainly been all over your feeds, with the headline that it is hundreds of times cheaper and quicker than large language models.

But what exactly is Jev?

Jev is a classifier, an AI model that makes choices instead of generating language. In other words, it makes decisions. It's not something you can chat with. It's not a large language model like Claude or Gemini.

You can hook it up to your main AI, such as Claude or ChatGPT, so that large-scale decision-making can be farmed out to Jev at very low cost and with almost instant results.

These decisions could be about where to file an email, or how to categorise a customer query, or whether a piece of content is trending or not.

The key feature is making thousands of these small decisions quickly and cheaply. Your agent could use Jev to sort your inbox, but then back to Claude to draft replies. It complements language models. Install and test it here - TypeSafe · DeepEval.

Meta had a busy week, with good reviews!
Muse has earned positive early reviews, and yesterday’s VR Glasses announcement promises roughly 100 g on your face, with a separate computing puck, for spring 2027.

I’ve owned a VR headset for years and regularly play table tennis on it. It’s a great gaming platform; I think more people will come round. Muse also feels like a smart move in packaging an ongoing personal assistant. Others already have proactive tools, but I expect Meta’s push to hurry their next releases. Review · Meta.

Custom GPTs are moving to plugins
If you rely on custom GPTs, start preparing: OpenAI schedules retirement for 11 December, with approved Enterprise deferrals extending to 11 February 2027. The planned Enterprise cutoff for creating new GPTs is now 26 October. Migration turns instructions into a plugin skill and copies reference files, but custom actions need replacement integrations. Migrated GPTs become read-only until retirement, and sharing doesn’t transfer automatically. Test familiar tasks before switching, and follow the notice for your account or workspace. OpenAI FAQ.

Sephora makes a TikTok Shop move
Sephora launched an exclusive beauty set on TikTok Shop with Mikayla Nogueira’s POV Beauty, with further drops planned. I think we’re going to see another big year for TikTok Shop and LIVE. With Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas approaching, expect more brands that previously wouldn’t have considered selling there to join the platform. Sephora is a useful example of a major retailer following attention into creator-led commerce. Digiday.

Instagram collabs deserve a place in your plan
Emplifi’s first-half analysis found collab posts consistently outperforming ordinary brand posts, with creator collaborations and Reels particularly strong. Accepted collabs from its smallest brand profiles generated five times more interactions. More than 73% of brands in the analysed dataset used collabs. That’s a useful reason to test the format with relevant creators, rather than simply commissioning a separate sponsored post. These are observational results from Emplifi’s sample, rather than a promise of fivefold growth for every brand. Emplifi.

A useful starting point for AI search
Aleyda Solis has updated her AI-search optimisation checklist and worksheet. It starts with the questions your customers actually ask, then helps you measure current visibility, find gaps and decide what to improve. The useful distinction is between appearing in AI answers and proving that those appearances lead to business. Treat citations, referral traffic and conversions as different signals. If AI search is on your marketing to-do list, this is a practical way to turn the vague brief into something you can work through. Checklist.

Creator fees meet the attention test
India’s Barcode Entertainment says 60–70% of briefs it receives now favour creators with 50,000–500,000 followers. That figure belongs to one agency, but the wider argument is useful: brands are scrutinising expected views, watch time, audience fit and conversions instead of paying mainly for follower count. Mega creators still have a role in mass reach and cultural relevance. The question for a paid partnership is what the creator can realistically deliver for the investment. Storyboard18.

YouTube expands creator commerce
YouTube plans to expand its Shopping affiliate programme to 35 countries by year-end, with product tags localised for viewers and new retailer incentives. Creator Partnerships is already available in 20 countries, helping brands find creators and support their content with paid media. That gives marketers more ways to connect trusted recommendations with purchases, and creators more ways to earn from useful content. The announced country expansion is still ahead, so check your own eligibility before planning around it. YouTube.

LinkedIn scales back the rewrite button
LinkedIn is replacing its broader AI post-enhancement tool with inline proofreading for Premium users. It still uses AI, but gives you suggestions to accept or reject. AI-written posts have all but ruined my feed, and the platform was never that much fun in the first place. It’s interesting to see LinkedIn lean away from wholesale rewrites. People who spend time there crave human insight, and polishing someone’s words is a more useful direction than making everyone sound the same. Social Media Today.

YouTube Shorts get seasons and episodes
YouTube is rolling out Shorts series, with seasons, episodes, custom thumbnails and sequential playback across web, mobile and TV. This is fantastic news for anyone like me who’s had success with TikTok playlists. I’ll be replicating that approach on YouTube as the feature reaches me. Each video can become an entry point into a series on the same topic, making it easier for someone to discover one useful clip and keep watching. That’s a much better opportunity for deeper engagement. YouTube.

Creators want a stake as well as a fee
Creators are increasingly discussing equity alongside paid brand deals. We’ve talked about this in my creator circles for a while, especially with startups: long-term ambassadorships can include an ownership stake. It makes sense when the creator contributes more than distribution. Think Michael Jordan with Nike, or Dr. Dre with Beats, as broader examples of shaping a business as well as its image. Creators can bring a close understanding of the customer and influence products and creative decisions. The reported deals vary; this isn’t a universal arrangement. Digiday.

Apple plans paid video podcasts
Apple Podcasts Subscriptions will soon support video, including subscriber-exclusive episodes, ad-free viewing, early access and bonus content in more than 170 countries and regions. It’s another route for podcast businesses to earn directly from their audience. Apple says hosting integrations and further details will follow over the coming months, so this is a forthcoming option to plan for. The broader trend is clear: a podcast increasingly needs a strategy for both the screen and the headphones. Apple.

Meta previews Muse Charm
Meta also showed Muse Charm, a small screen-based device for speaking to its assistant without opening a phone app. Shipping is targeted for December, but only a few prototypes exist and price, connectivity and final materials remain unclear. This is a hardware preview. Its interesting question is whether an ongoing AI assistant earns a place on a separate device, rather than being another thing you open on your phone. The Verge.

New Macs, and a home for my agents
The new Mac mini, with M6 or M5 Pro, and Mac Studio, with M5 Max or M5 Ultra, went on sale this week. I’m looking into buying a Mac mini so AI agents can work on a separate machine for longer, without slowing my MacBook or taking control of it during work calls. That has happened, which is not ideal. The attraction is giving the agents their own computer while I get on with mine. Apple.