Hey, it’s Abe. If you don’t have time to scroll through another 20-tab Twitter thread or decode yet another “AI is coming for your job” headline — don’t worry, I’ve got you.

This is Artificial Sweetener, where I cut through the noise and break down what’s actually useful in AI this week — for your work, your systems, and your life.

This Week’s Flavor: AI wearables, file-gen Claude, Microsoft’s quiet shift, scroll-stopping product photos, and the tools pushing AI deeper into the systems we use every day.

Let’s get into it.

Alterego’s “Near-Telepathic” Wearable

Abe’s take: This is the kind of hardware leap that’s easy to dismiss until it’s everywhere. If this lives up to the demo, Siri-style voice commands are going to feel like dial-up in 3 years.

Boston startup Alterego (an MIT Media Lab spinout) dropped a prototype that’s about as close to mind-reading as we’ve seen without implants. Instead of voice commands, it picks up on the subtle muscle signals in your throat and jaw when you think about speaking.

It’s called “Silent Sense,” and the demo shows the founder silently texting, coding, and controlling apps. No speech. No gestures. Just intent.

Why it matters: This isn’t just a new interface — it’s a new paradigm. If you’re building in productivity, accessibility, or even parenting tech (imagine controlling devices without disturbing a sleeping baby), this is one to watch.

Microsoft May Be Eyeing Claude for Office 365

Abe’s take: Microsoft’s starting to hedge. This is more than a model shift — it's a sign that verticalized AI is taking precedence over brand loyalty.

According to The Information, Microsoft is reportedly in talks to bring Anthropic’s Claude models into Office 365 — especially for spreadsheet and slide generation — alongside OpenAI’s tech.

The inside scoop: Claude Sonnet 4 reportedly outperforms GPT‑5 in tasks like Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft could integrate it via AWS (yes, even if it means paying their rival, Amazon).

Why it matters: The enterprise AI stack is starting to look less monogamous. And when companies like Microsoft prioritize performance over branding, it opens the door for more agile players to plug in where they previously couldn’t.

Claude Can Now Generate Files (Yes, Real Ones)

Abe’s take: This is what actual workflow automation looks like — not just chatbots pretending to help. Claude’s new abilities are a big step toward ditching repetitive manual doc work.

Anthropic just rolled out file creation tools inside Claude. Users can now create and edit Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and PDFs from within a chat. It can generate reports, convert formats, or turn meeting notes into decks — all in a secure computing environment.

Why it matters: This is what most people actually use AI for at work. Turning messy data into clean reports. Drafting summaries. Building decks from scattered notes. This puts Claude in direct competition with Microsoft and Google — and it’s doing it through natural language, not forms or templates.

Miniature Product Photos with Nano Banana

Abe’s take: The scroll-stopper potential here is massive. We’re talking about ecom ads that look handcrafted — but scale like code.

Nano Banana is a quirky little tool that lets you generate hyper-realistic mini product photos — think Cartier watches or luxury bags held between fingers. It nails the upscale, “made-for-ads” look.

Use case: If you run a DTC brand, agency, or marketplace, this is a plug-and-play visual asset tool. You can use Freepik, Firefly, or Gemini to generate. Just be mindful to label scale clearly if you’re using these commercially.

Are You Invisible in AI Search? (Presented by Tely AI)

Abe’s take: If your brand isn’t showing up in ChatGPT or Perplexity, it’s not your SEO team’s fault — it’s your lack of structured content. Tely is solving that fast.

Tely AI analyzes what people in your space are searching for (on Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity), then auto-generates expert-level content to rank for it. No team needed.

It’s full-stack content ops, optimized for AI-native search. Worth a look if you’re in a niche industry or haven’t seen much inbound from these platforms yet.

Real-Life AI Use This Week

Here’s how I’m applying this stuff in real systems — not just reading about it.

• Nano Banana just became part of our asset creation stack for ecomm funnels we’re building with clients. It cuts hours off ad prep and gives scroll-worthy visuals on demand.

• Claude file-gen is helping me prototype internal decks from Slack conversations. We feed it bullet points, and it’s outputting slides with structure.

• Alterego-style input models are shaping how we think about hands-free UX in caregiver tech. Not ready yet, but worth preparing for.

Want to stay ahead of AI — not the hype, just the real tech quietly changing how we live, work, and parent? Join our free AI Advantage community here: The AI Advantage Community — Thanks for reading, Abe.