You may have seen a lot of discussion online about Anthropic, Claude, the U.S. government and OpenAI — and not all of it is clear or accurate. Here’s a concise summary of what’s been happening, why it’s significant, and a chance to hear your view. 📌 What triggered the dispute Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) demanded that Anthropic grant unrestricted access to its Claude AI for military use, including lawful purposes that could include domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons deployment. Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, refused, citing ethical guardrails the company has built into its AI — especially prohibitions on mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons without human oversight. When Anthropic stood firm, the Pentagon threatened to cancel a significant contract (≈ $200 million) and label the company a “supply chain risk.” Shortly thereafter, President Trump directed all U.S. federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s AI technology, citing national security concerns. Anthropic has publicly stated it plans to challenge the “supply chain risk” designation in court and maintain its ethical stance. CEO Amodei characterised his decision not to relent as compatible with defending democratic values — even if it means falling out with government authorities. Meanwhile, OpenAI struck a separate deal with the Pentagon to supply AI for classified military networks, which some commentators believe reflects a different approach to the same set of ethical red lines. 🤔 Why this matters for anyone using AI tools This isn’t just about military contracts — it highlights key tensions in our industry: 1. AI ethics vs. use case pressureCompanies are being pushed to bend their internal safety guardrails in the face of external expectations about how their AI should be used. The Anthropic standoff shows how far a company might go to stick to its principles — and the real consequences when it does. 2. Competition and positioningAnthropic is also promoting easier switching to Claude, even offering tools to import chat histories — part of a broader strategy to attract users amid the controversy.

What if you could take a simple Excel idea… and turn it into a fully working app? In this short video, I walk you through exactly how I: - Designed a debt repayment calculator for advisory work - Built a powerful Excel model comparing Snowball vs Avalanche methods - Then transformed it into a clean, interactive app with sliders, charts and client views - Used the right AI tools at each stage instead of relying on just one If you work with clients who are in debt… this is serious advisory opportunity. Most accountants stop at spreadsheets. But imagine being able to: - Show clients visually how overpayments change outcomes - Compare strategies instantly - Deliver something that feels modern and high value That changes the conversation. And in the video, I also explain why choosing the right AI tool for the job makes all the difference. If you want the full process, step by step, I’m going deeper on this in the live webinar on WEDNESDAY. 👉 Book your place here Now I’m curious… 💬 What Excel spreadsheets do you currently use in your firm that could be turned into something more powerful? Drop them below.Your idea might become the next demo I build.

Let me ask you something… What if you could build an interactive financial dashboard for your business, or a client in minutes… not hours? I’ve just recorded a short video showing what this looks like in practice… and why it matters for accountants and bookkeepers who want to deliver better advisory. Here’s what I cover in the video: • What an interactive client dashboard can look like (with real financial insight, not just pretty charts) • How you can turn financial statements into something clients actually understand • Why this kind of output can lead to better client meetings and better decisions If you want to stay ahead of where advisory is heading… watch this now. 👉 Click the link here to book your place on the webinar (where I’ll go into the full step by step). And comment below: 💬 If you could wave a magic wand… what would you want your perfect client dashboard to show?

OpenAI recently rolled out a new feature called Apps… and you’ll now see a dedicated section for it in the left-hand menu of ChatGPT. But the big question is…Is this going to be useful for us in practice? Or is it just another passing gimmick? Here’s why I’m asking… 🧩 You can now connect ChatGPT with tools like Airtable, Canva, Replit, and even Spotify, Apple Music, and TripAdvisor 🧪 It replaces the old Plugin system (remember that mess?)—and looks more promising 🤔 But personally, I’m still a bit sceptical... so I’d love your thoughts! 👇 Watch the video below, and then tell me in the comments: • Have you started using Apps inside ChatGPT? • Which ones are you using (business or personal)? • Do you see this being useful long-term? Let’s share what’s working… and what’s not.I’d love to learn from your experience.

First off... Happy New Year 🥳. If I could teach you anything in the realm of AI or ChatGPT, what would you like me to teach you in 2026? 👇 Let me know in the comments below. I am currently thinking about how best I can help you. It could be more practical AI prompts, teaching vibe coding, how to build apps, going deeper with ChatGPT. Be as specific as possible. And feel free to add more than one comment.