When AI Gets Smarter, You Should Too | Austin's AI Newsletter

Hey friends — Austin here.

AI isn’t slowing down. Some skills are getting sharper by the day, while others are… well, kind of coasting. This week, we’re breaking down why, plus a hidden Syllaby feature that’ll change how your videos look forever, and a 3-day event that’s basically Disneyland for marketers (yep — with robot dogs).

In This Week’s Issue

Breaking News: Why Your AI’s Getting Smarter at Some Things—And Dumber at Others
Syllaby: How to Train Your Own Custom Character (No Dragon Required)
AI Marketing World: 3 Days Away. Not Your Average Conference.
This Week in AI: VC Gatekeeping, Wordle Wars, and Sora’s Copyright Curveball
Top AI Tools: GoHighLevel, Tella, and ChipBot
Meme of the Week

Breaking News: Why Your AI’s Getting Smarter at Some Things—And Dumber at Others

Here’s the twist no one’s talking about: AI isn’t improving evenly—it’s getting better at looking smart faster than it’s getting better at being smart.

Researchers just dropped the term “The Reinforcement Gap”. Translation?

AI improves where it gets feedback… and coasts everywhere else.

ChatGPT nails your emails because millions of people keep clicking “thumbs up.”
Image models evolve overnight thanks to viral feedback loops.
But reasoning? Accuracy? Common sense? Still stuck in traffic.

Why it matters:

The next big leap in AI isn’t bigger models—it’s better reinforcement. Whoever figures out how to teach truth instead of reward style wins the next wave.

Sponsored by Syllaby

How to Train Your Own Custom Character (No Dragon Required)

If you’ve ever wished your videos had a signature face — something your audience recognizes instantly — this is where the magic happens.

Inside Syllaby, you can now train and create your own custom characters that stay consistent across every video. Think of it as building your own digital spokesperson — minus the camera anxiety and wardrobe changes.

Here’s how to do it:

1️⃣ Head to Character Consistency inside Syllaby.
2️⃣ Choose your art style — Comic Book, Cyberpunk, Retro Illustration, you name it.
3️⃣ Upload a reference image and add basic details (name, gender, age).
4️⃣ Click Generate Character — and boom. Your custom persona is live and ready to star in your videos.

Why it matters: A familiar face builds trust, recognition, and brand recall. Whether you’re creating tutorials, reviews, or story-driven content — your AI character keeps your visuals cohesive and professional.

👉 Go train your first custom character today and give your content its own identity inside Syllaby.

Sponsored by AI Marketing World Conference

3 Days Away. Not Your Average Conference.

We looked at the marketing conference scene and thought… this is broken.
Same panels. Same hype. Zero real takeaways.

So, we flipped the script.
AI Marketing World isn’t a sit-and-listen event — it’s a build-something-real experience.

Over three days, you’ll get:
✅ Playbooks straight from the best AI operators in the world
✅ Table Talks where you can deep dive, ask questions, and get real answers
✅ A live startup pitch competition featuring companies actually changing the game
And yes — robot dogs and a humanoid robot you can test yourself

📍Dallas, TX – Hyatt Regency Frisco
📅 October 9–11, 2025
🎟️ Just 3 days to go → AIMarketingWorld.co

This isn’t theory. It’s the room where the next generation of marketers are building the future — and you should be in it.

This Week in AI — VC Gatekeeping, Wordle Wars, and Sora’s Copyright Curveball

If You’re Not an AI Startup, Good Luck Raising Money

VCs have spoken — if your pitch deck doesn’t have “AI” somewhere in the first 10 words, you’re probably not getting the call back.

According to TechCrunch, funding has tilted hard toward AI-first startups, leaving traditional SaaS and e-commerce founders fighting uphill battles. The message is clear: adapt fast or get filtered out.

👉 Read More

Scrumball — Influencer Marketing, Now Fully Automated

Meet Lillian, Hunter, and Charlie — your new AI influencer team.

Scrumball runs influencer campaigns on autopilot using a 120M+ creator database, analyzing your brand, finding the perfect creators, and tracking ROI so you can stop spreadsheet juggling and start scaling.

• Launch campaigns in minutes

• Get real data, not hype

• Let AI handle the outreach while you focus on growth

👉 Meet Scrumball

Sam Altman Gives Sora a Copyright Reality Check

Threads is cooking up a new feature: tag the algorithm to configure your feed. Translation? Sam Altman just announced that Sora is getting granular opt-in copyright controls, letting creators decide whether their content trains OpenAI’s video models.

A long-overdue win for transparency — and maybe the start of peace talks between AI and Hollywood.

👉 Read More

Top AI Tools of the Week - Stop Guessing, Start Scaling

1. GoHighLevel — The Business OS You Didn’t Know You Needed

Still duct-taping six different apps together? Stop the madness.

GoHighLevel is your all-in-one business system — funnels, CRM, SMS, email, scheduling, automation — all in one clean, no-code dashboard.

• Built to scale (solo or agency)

• Save money, save sanity, move faster

👉Try GoHighLevel

2. Tella — Beautiful Screen & Camera Recordings Without the Boring

Loom’s cool. But Tella? Cooler.

Record your screen and camera in style, add animations, layouts, and built-in design touches that make every video pop. Perfect for demos, tutorials, and creators who want polish without editing pain.

• Record, design, and share — all in one place

• Built for speed, built for creators

👉 Try Tella

3. ChipBot — Turn Visitors Into Buyers with AI-Powered Chat

Your website doesn’t need more traffic — it needs better conversations.

ChipBot adds an AI-driven video chat to your site so you can engage, guide, and convert visitors in real time.

• Free live chat that feels personal

• Smart support powered by AI

• More engagement = more sales

👉 Try ChipBot

Don’t get SaaD. Get Rippling.

Disconnected software creates what we call the execution tax: wasted time, duplicate work, and stalled momentum. From onboarding checklists to reconciling expenses, SaaD slows every team down.

Rippling is the cure. With one system of record, you can update employee data once,and it syncs everywhere: payroll, benefits, expenses, devices, and apps.

Leaders gain real-time visibility. Teams regain lost hours. Employees get the seamless experience they deserve .

That’s why companies like Barry’s and Forterra turned to Rippling – to replace sprawl with speed and clarity.

It’s time to stop paying for inefficiency.

Don’t get SaaD. Get Rippling.

Stop SaaD in its tracks

Meme of the Week

AI is moving fast — and the smartest move you can make is to keep moving with it.

From smarter models to custom characters, we’re not just watching the shift — we’re building in it.

Stay curious, stay creative, and I’ll see you next week.

Stay awesome,
Austin Armstrong, CEO
Syllaby, Inc.