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22 June 2025 | Issue #97

In this issue:

• Reporting AI-Induced Job Loss
• Disney & Universal Sue Midjourney
• Midjourney Introduces Video
• What Content Each AI Platform Prefers to Consume
• Design Quote of the Week

Reporting AI-Induced Job Loss

AI-induced job loss is all over the headlines. From Amazon to Morgan Stanley, to the WEF projections to the Godfather of AI predicting AI will "replace everybody", we're constantly hearing about jobs that will be lost due to AI.

Some people assume that this is all posturing by big companies to help push up their stock price. If they're able to cut costs and increase productivity at the same time, it's reasonable to assume that this will increase the bottom line.

But how can we know for sure if AI is leading to job loss?

New York governor Kathy Hochul has introduced a proposal to have employers check a box when filing a mass layoff notice due to AI.

Judging by the comments on some of these articles, this is becoming yet another example of "everything is politics." When someone from one party introduces something new, the other party has to reject it, even if it will impact their people.

Selecting the AI checkbox isn't legally required, which means most employers will choose not to select it. If states are collecting this data, it's probably not so they can reward the employers that are cutting jobs.

It will be hard to measure AI's impact on jobs because employers won't want to open themselves up to potential blowback from worker-friendly states. Executives will talk about it to boost the stock price or scare employees, but then won't report the actual cuts made due to AI.

But Are We More Productive?

Jasper (who has a vested interest in showing productivity due to AI) released its first State of AI in Marketing report and the top takeaway is marketers are more productive due ti AI, but we're not seeing the ROI yet. While 63% of marketers are using AI, only 49% are measuring the ROI of their AI investments.

Using AI will make you more productive and help you stand out. By now, I hope you're using AI to automate chunks of your current workload.

Even Geoffrey Hinton, the aforementioned Godfather of AI says, "You'd have to be very skilled to have a job that it [AI] just couldn't do." ​

He's very pessimistic when it comes to job loss because he's so optimistic about AI itself. He's been there since the beginning and understands the technology better than most.

My guess is there are a few factors he's not considering if he's only looking at the technology:

• The speed at which companies will adapt this new technology and automate many human roles
• People don't want to interact with technology all the time

There will be a pushback to a fully automated world. Some people will go all in on the tech, but most won't. This is an opportunity for human interactions to stand out.

For those who want to zig during this time of AI zag, it's the perfect time to revisit Bryan Kramer's Human to Human: H2H methodology. It will help you stand out from all of the AI-generated slop that's out there right now.

​ NEWS AT THE INTERSECTION OF MARKETING, DESIGN, & AI

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🐭 Why Disney’s AI Lawsuit Will Determine Whether Studios Survive

Disney and Universal have filed a lawsuit against AI image-generation platform Midjourney, alleging rampant copyright infringement. It’s the entertainment industry’s most high-profile legal move yet in response to generative AI being trained on copyrighted content, and could mark a turning point for how studios protect their IP in the AI era.

• The stakes are massive: A legal win for the studios could restrict AI models from being trained on copyrighted content. A loss or settlement, however, may cement a future where AI models use Hollywood IP with permission — or without it — undermining the need for traditional content production at all.
• The end of the Dream Factory? If studios pivot to becoming IP licensing shops instead of content creators, we could see the collapse of the traditional studio model — and a future where the next “Yoda” or “Shrek” is generated on demand by users, not developed in a studio.
• My Take: This reminds me of the early days of YouTube. Back when YouTube was an independent company, it was getting sued by Paramount and others due to copyright infringement. But after an acquisition by Google, things worked out.

​Keep reading​

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🎥 Midjourney Launches its First AI Video Generator

On the other hand, Midjourney has rolled out its first AI-powered video generator, allowing users to animate still images—whether created within the platform or uploaded—from text prompts. The V1 Video Model offers both automated and manual control over motion, promising an accessible video creation experience for its community.

• 5–21 Second Clips from Images: Start with a 5-second video, extendable in 4-second increments up to 21 seconds. Choose between Low or High Motion to dictate camera and subject movement.
• Two Modes: Default & Manual: Default adds subtle, automatic motion, while the manual mode lets users craft custom movement through text prompts.
• 480p Resolution & $10/mo Plan: Outputs are in 480p SD, with integration via Midjourney’s website and Discord. It costs $10/month, with video jobs priced around eight times that of image jobs.
• My Take: I need to try this out!

​Keep reading​

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🔎 AI Platform Citation Patterns: How ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity Source Information

A recent study by Profound analyzed 30 million citations across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity (August 2024–June 2025) to uncover how each platform sources information—and what that means for brands and visibility.

This article highlights distinct sourcing strategies across platforms and suggests tailored visibility tactics for brands aiming to stand out in AI-driven search.

• ChatGPT relies heavily on Wikipedia: Nearly 48% of its top citations come from Wikipedia, with Reddit trailing at around 11%. Traditional media and finance sites (Forbes, Reuters, NerdWallet) also feature prominently—suggesting that maintaining accurate Wikipedia entries and strong profiles on mainstream publishers is key.
• Google AI is more diversified: Its citations are split across Reddit (21%), YouTube (19%), Quora, LinkedIn, and others—demonstrating a mix of social, professional, and video sources. Optimizing across these content types (e.g., video, LinkedIn articles) is smart.
• Perplexity favors community and review sites: With Reddit leading at 47%, followed by YouTube, Yelp, and LinkedIn, community-generated and review-based platforms dominate. Brands should engage directly within forums and reviews to boost visibility.

​Keep reading​

​ THE VISUAL MARKETER

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"A must-have on the desk of any modern marketing professional." – Goodreads

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RECENT AND UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS

I also have a few other podcasts and roundtables in the queue.

If you're looking for podcast guests, or want to collaborate on something, shoot me a DM.

DESIGN QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“There is no such thing as a boring project. There are only boring executions.”
– Irene Etzkorn

My AI disclaimer: I write the main story and additional sections. For the news section, AI writes the summary, and then I contribute My Thoughts. If AI generates the images, I include the prompt so you can see how I got to that image.

Thanks for reading!

–Jim

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