Here’s a new episode of The Reddy Rundown, crafted so you don’t have to frantically follow everything in the AI news space wondering what you’re missing as an exec in 2025 trying to keep up.

I’m Shawn Reddy, Founder and CEO of AI Advantage Agency. At my core, I’m a marketing architect who builds systems designed to convert — and right now, AI isn’t just a layer in marketing; it’s the operating system. The tools we pick and the strategies we build on top of them are the biggest leverage points for growth.

This week’s AI updates aren’t just headlines — they represent major shifts in how companies tell their stories, compete for attention, and monetize their audiences. Let’s unpack what’s changing.

1. Perplexity’s $42.5M Publisher Payout — Content Discovery Meets AI Marketing

Perplexity just announced a $42.5M revenue-sharing program that pays publishers when their content surfaces in its AI search results. On the surface, this looks like a win for media companies — a way to claw back revenue in an era where AI search is swallowing traditional clicks.

Why this matters for marketers: If Perplexity succeeds, it accelerates a shift where AI search becomes the new SEO. Your content strategy won’t just optimize for Google anymore; it’ll need to optimize for AI-powered discovery. The brands who figure out how to make their insights, blogs, and resources more “AI-visible” will own more surface area where customers make decisions.

But there’s tension here — publishers are calling this “pennies on the dollar.” If $5 subscriptions fund the pool, we’re talking micro-payments split across thousands of outlets. The fight for content value in an AI-driven search economy has officially started.

2. Elon Musk vs Apple & OpenAI — The Lawsuit That Could Reshape AI Access

Elon Musk’s xAI just filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, claiming Apple’s integration of ChatGPT into iOS creates an unfair “walled garden” that locks out competitors like Grok.

Why this matters for marketing systems: If xAI wins, we could see forced openness in AI ecosystems — meaning more distribution paths for tools, more integration options, and less reliance on any single vendor. If Apple & OpenAI hold, we’re heading toward platform monopolies, where marketing stacks get increasingly tied to fewer AI providers.

For marketers, this isn’t just legal drama — it’s strategic risk. Imagine building workflows, automations, and funnels entirely on one AI partner, only for access and pricing to shift overnight. We’re already stress-testing these dependencies across AI Advantage’s campaigns. Vendor diversification isn’t optional anymore.

3. Microsoft’s VibeVoice — AI Audio Goes Long-Form

Microsoft just released VibeVoice, an open-source text-to-speech model that can generate 90 minutes of podcast-quality conversations — with four unique voices — using just 1.5B parameters.

Why this matters for storytelling: We’re entering a world where long-form, multi-voice content can be AI-generated at scale — podcasts, narrated explainers, even simulated interviews between “guests” who never met. From a marketing lens, this unlocks new distribution channels:

• Repurpose blog content into narrated deep dives

• Create AI-generated panels on industry shifts

• Deliver high-touch customer education at low cost

  
  

The more immersive your content feels, the more time your audience spends with your brand. But this also raises questions: where does authenticity fit when anyone can generate a panel of “experts” on demand?

4. Sana Agents — AI Workflows That Replace Operational Bottlenecks

Sana just dropped a major upgrade powered by GPT‑5, making it possible to launch no-code AI agents that handle multi-step workflows instantly: syncing CRMs, updating decks, sending follow-ups, and creating dynamic outputs like docs and presentations.

My take as a systems architect: This is where marketing and operations converge. Imagine one agent that auto-updates your Salesforce pipeline, spins up custom proposals based on lead data, then triggers follow-up emails with personalized pricing. That’s not “future state” — that’s live today.

We’re actively testing Sana inside our AI Advantage workflows. The key isn’t adopting tools for the sake of novelty; it’s building the system around them to compress funnel cycles and eliminate wasted motion. If your revenue engine runs slower than your competitors’ because their stack thinks faster, you’re done.

5. Tools of the Week — And How I’d Use Them for Marketing

I always get asked what tools I’m watching — not just what’s trending, but how they fit into actual marketing systems. Here’s my shortlist this week:

Perplexity Comet Plus Revenue-sharing AI search browser Optimize blog content for AI discoverability Try Perplexity

VibeVoice (Microsoft) Long-form AI speech synthesis Turn your whitepapers into narrated explainer episodes Learn More

Sana Agents AI-driven workflow automation Automate end-to-end proposal, CRM, and outreach flows Explore Sana

Concierge AI answer engine for brands Convert high-intent website visitors faster by answering questions live See Concierge

Study & Learn Mode Guided learning with ChatGPT Upskill teams faster on AI, tools, and systems via structured tutoring Activate Here

Closing Thought

AI isn’t replacing marketers — it’s replacing slow systems. The execs winning in 2025 aren’t just using more tools; they’re building marketing architectures that can adapt as fast as the ecosystem shifts.

If you’re an operator, founder, or marketing leader, the leverage is real — but only if you understand how to turn AI capabilities into growth-ready systems. That’s the playbook I’m building at AI Advantage, and what I’ll keep sharing here.

Looking for a community of like-minded individuals who are interested in AI and Entrepreneurship? Join our free community here to get started: The AI Advantage Community Thank you for reading! -Shawn