from JPT Group | July 2025 | Vol. 18 No. 7
All AI is not Created Equal
When most people think of AI, they think of something like ChatGPT – which is genertive AI. But, there is also agentic AI which is the brains behind autonomous vehicles, robotic process automation, or smart assistants that can schedule your meetings and order your groceries. These systems are equipped with sensors, algorithms, and actuators that enable them to perceive their environment, process information, and execute actions.
What sets agentic AI apart is its ability to act with purpose. It’s not just reacting to input but considering objectives and making choices to achieve them. For instance, an autonomous drone delivering packages must navigate obstacles, optimize its route, and adapt to unforeseen circumstances — all without human intervention.
The easiest way to differentiate generative AI from agentic AI is to think of their primary functions. According to Forbes, generative AI is about producing something new, while agentic AI is about achieving something specific. One creates, and the other acts.
But generative AI isn’t perfect. Its outputs are only as good as the data it’s trained on. Feed it biased or incomplete data, and it will reflect those flaws. Moreover, it doesn’t truly “understand” the content it creates. It’s simply predicting what might come next based on patterns it has seen before. Despite this limitation, Forbes reports that generative AI is already revolutionizing industries, from marketing to entertainment.
While generative AI focuses on creating, agentic AI is all about doing. This type of AI is designed to act autonomously to achieve specific goals. Agentic AI systems don’t just generate outputs; they make decisions, take actions, and adapt to changing environments.
"The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do."
— B.F. Skinner, American psychologist,
behaviorist, inventor and social philosopher
BUSINESS UPDATE
“The back-to-office mandate has clearly reached designers worldwide, and they’re responding with collections that transform cubicle life into something actually worth dressing for… Designers are making returning to the office way more fun than we ever expected,” said DeVanté Rollins, stylist and market editor, on fashion houses designing and marketing cubicle chic amid ongoing return-to-the-office (RTO) mandates.
Source: Business Insider
Pity the Poor Ashtray
During the first two-thirds of the 20th Century, ashtrays were as ubiquitous throughout American life as salt and pepper shakers. Then the anti-smoking tsunami washed across the land and took many of the ashtrays out to sea with it. Yet there was a time when they were everywhere. Almost every room in the house had at least one ashtray. Some were even incorporated into furniture. They were in hospitals and doctors’ offices. All cars had them. They were built into the armrests on airplanes. They were extremely popular as art projects for Fathers Day gifts. Today, however, they are not much more than relics of a bygone age.
No one knows how many still exist. Oddly enough, according to marketplace.org, the Federal Aviation Administration still requires that all airplanes have them supposedly so that any smoking violators have a safe place to discard their contraband.
So what has become of all the ashtrays? We asked ChatGPT for the most popular non-traditional uses of ashtrays today. They responded with: planters, candle holders, decorative trays for trinkets, incense holders and pet food dishes. Funny, our first thought was holders for loose change.
"Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray."
— unknown
KEEPERS
You don’t need a foot fetish to have it. It is Morton’s Toe which is a condition characterized when the second toe is longer than the big toe.
According to physiopedia.com, Morton's Toe is a little misleading, because this condition is not really a long toe. It is specifically the relative length difference between the first and second toes that defines this foot shape.
The name derives from American orthopedic surgeon Dudley Joy Morton (1884–1960). It’s sometimes referred to as Greek foot or Royal toe. Mental Floss claims that the Statue of Liberty is one of the more famous examples.
I’ve got an eye on you. In addition to eight legs, Huntsman spiders also have eight eyes.
— QI
Give till it hurts. Ouch! In 2023 contributions to non-profit organizations exceeded $550 billion.
— Indiana University
Don’t tread on me. President Trump has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
— uselessdaily.com
It’s a mystery. Although he was nominated five times, Alfred Hitchcock never won the Best Director Academy Award.
— britannica.com
At the tone, the time will be… Despite its expansive geography, there is only one official time zone in China.
— timeanddate.com
Fighting global warming. Penguin colonies can produce tons of guano yearly — so much that the ammonia affects the weather.
— ripleys.com
Making them is criminal. Starting in 1901, New York was the first state to require automobile license plates.
— interestingfacts.com
Wiener take all. The infamous Indianapolis Motor Speedway recently hosted a race by six Oscar Meyer Weinermobiles.
— Associated Press
On your mark… In Beijing, 21 humanoid robots raced alongside thousands of human runners in a half-marathon. The men’s winner won by more than an hour and a half over the leading robot.
— sky.com
The nose knows. A TikToker claimed that her significant other let out a particularly smelly fart that led to seven years of chronic sinus infections.
— forbes.com
Music to their ears. Spiders build their webs further from speakers playing techno or rap music, but close to speakers playing Bach.
— Miami (OH) University
The Month of July
Month of the Month
People who like to plan ahead have dubbed July Get Ready For Kindergarten Month. Hungry? Although they may or may not go together July is National Deli Sandwich and National Baked Beans months. Finally, rev it up, baby. July is Women's Motorcycle Month.
Let it go already. Today, July 15, is National Give Something Away Day. And lest we forget, it’s also Saint Swithin's Day.
Question of the Month
Yesterday was Bastille Day. Our question this month is: How many prisoners were in the Bastille when French revolutionaries captured it in 1789?
You would have to be somewhat lucky to guess the correct answer.
Quote of the Month
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.”
— Peter Drucker, Austrian-American
management consultant, educator
and author
Get a Headstart
If you have ever thought about including a newsletter in your marketing communications toolkit, before you begin, download our free digital booklet – Getting Started with Your Newsletter – to get some basic questions answered as well as a little inspiration to nudge you forward. Be sure to check out “Something Special” at the end. Download your copy.
A Gridiron MBA?
Maybe that’s not possible, but there is much you can learn about business from football in the book, Hard Hitting Lessons. The subtitle says it all, “Some not-so-obvious business lessons learned from playing football.”
Get your copy here!
