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Artificially Intelligent

The plain-English newsletter on public affairs technology

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Artificially Intelligent Recent Editions

Why Every Public Affairs Practitioner Should Switch To This AI Model Today

One of the most consequential AI releases of the year happened last Tuesday, and almost no one wrote about it. Instead, the commentary spent the week celebrating Fable's return from government-imposed exile and speculating about when GPT-5.6 gets out of its holding pen. In today's short read, we explain why a mid-tier model you've barely heard about should now be doing most of your work.

The White House Has Come For ChatGPT

Over two weeks ago, The White House shut down Anthropic's latest AI models. Then last week, it came for OpenAI. The new ChatGPT model, GPT-5.6, will only be available to customers that the Administration directly approves. In today's short read, we explain the de facto AI licensing regime that now exists, how markets are responding, and an explosive new requirement that every AI user in the U.S. could be subject to any day.

America Benched Its Best AI. Beijing Is Running Up The Score.

On June 12, the U.S. government pulled the plug on the most powerful AI America had ever shipped. The stated goal was to keep frontier capability out of foreign hands. Instead, the shutdown stampeded customers toward the one part of the market the ban can't touch — most of it Chinese. In today's short read, we explain why the shutdown's biggest winner is Beijing, and how public affairs teams should adapt.

The Fable Shutdown And What It Means For Public Affairs

On Tuesday, Anthropic released the most powerful AI model it's ever put in public hands. By Friday evening, the U.S. government had switched it off — worldwide, for every customer, including Anthropic's own employees. By the time you read this, Fable may be back on, or the dispute may have spiraled to implicate your other AI tools.

Why AI Isn't Coming For The Jobs You Think—Part 2

Last week, we showed you how economic efficiency gains, historically, have created more demand than they've destroyed—known as Jevons Paradox. In the job market, we're seeing this play out already. One example: cheaper software development means more things that we build with software, creating higher, not lower demand for software engineers.

AI Isn't Coming For The Jobs You Think

For the better part of a year, the loudest voices in AI told you the same thing: white-collar work was about to vanish. In the last few weeks, those same voices have started telling a very different story—and the reason traces back to a coal mine in Victorian England. In today's short read, we explain why the jobs narrative is flipping, and what the reality means for your organization.

The Three Worlds Of AI Are Coming Into Focus

The defining feature of the current agentic AI era is compute scarcity—meaning that even the most advanced AI labs in the world don't have enough computational power to serve current demand. The market response is already underway, quietly sorting organizations into three worlds of AI. In today's short read, we show you what's emerging, and which world most public affairs organizations should be targeting.

The Reason Your AI Feels Dumber Than Your Competitor's

Walk into almost any public affairs organization and ask how they're "using AI." You'll hear about ChatGPT subscriptions, Claude tabs left open in the browser, and maybe the occasional prompt swapped over Slack. But chatbots are only a thin slice of what AI tools can do for an organization.

The Largest AI Companies Are Becoming Consultants

Last week, news broke that Anthropic and OpenAI are raising enormous sums of money to build out something most people in public affairs have never heard of: Forward Deployment Engineering teams.

Why Your AI Bill Is About To Skyrocket

The era of subsidized AI usage is starting to wind down. In today's short read, we explain why AI costs are likely to rise and what public affairs teams should expect next.

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Neptune Ops Newsletter

Capital Whisperer

The newsletter for political influence tracking

Sign up for Capital Whisperer, the Neptune Ops newsletter tracking the people, messages, and moments shaping public affairs outcomes.

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Capital Whisperer Recent Editions

Keeping It In The District

When a state legislative seat changes hands, it usually means a new name, a new network, and a new set of relationships forming from scratch. California's 53rd Assembly District did something different. In 2024, term-limited Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez handed the seat off—and the person who picked it up was Michelle Rodriguez, his wife. The result is a rare case in which the transfer of a public office and the continuity of a household run along the same line.

The Show of Force

On June 14, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries gathered at the Edison Ballroom in midtown Manhattan alongside a roster of prominent Black elected officials to publicly back five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the June 23 Democratic primary for New York's 13th Congressional District.

The Promotion

On May 26, Secretary of State Marco Rubio promoted longtime aide Mike Needham from State Department Counselor to Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser. Rubio, who holds the dual role of Secretary of State and acting National Security Adviser, stated publicly: "Mike has been a key player in delivering President Trump's overwhelming foreign policy successes."

The Override

A few weeks ago, we wrote about how Chris LaCivita's role inside John Cornyn's orbit functioned as a kind of proxy signal—a way for Trump-world credibility to flow into the Texas Senate primary without a formal endorsement from Trump himself. Today, that dynamic shifted.

Some Chiefs End Up Across the Table

How former chiefs of staff can become influential counterparts when insider knowledge, relationships, and institutional trust move across the table.

Some Classmates Stay in Touch

How old school ties can become durable political relationships when personal history meets proximity to decision-makers.

When One Mayor Called Another

A look at how peer-to-peer relationships between elected officials can move political decisions through trust and shared experience.

The Interpreter in the Room

How translators, advisors, and trusted intermediaries can become decisive influence nodes inside high-stakes political rooms.

The Inner Circle Keeps Its Seat

How long-running proximity to power can keep insiders influential even as the political landscape shifts around them.

The Proxy Endorsement

A look at how endorsements can work through trusted intermediaries when the most important influence is indirect.

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