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Articles
Notes and breakdowns from the work, written for people who have to make a decision about it.
AI Agents
Websites Block AI Agents From OpenAI Meta Google
Major websites are blocking AI agents from OpenAI, Meta, and Google, breaking autonomous browsing for tasks like booking and shopping. Businesses building agent workflows must plan for restricted web access or switch to direct API integrations instead of relying on open web navigation.
Physical AI & Robot Development
ADI Whitepaper: Moving Physical AI to Production
ADI released a whitepaper detailing the technical barriers to moving physical AI from labs to factory floors. It outlines specific challenges in sensor integration and control loops. This is for robotics buyers evaluating hardware readiness.
GitHub & Open Source
GitHub Top 5: REA, ArtCraft, AnyPS5 and the one I'd install
The five repos that gained the most GitHub stars from Oct 10 to 17, 2026, counted down: REA (almost 250K stars in a week), ArtCraft, AnyPS5, Diagram Design and Anthropic's Claude Code plugin marketplace.
Business & Industrial Robots
Briefing #1: Simbe, Persona AI, Agility, and my bet
Three robot stories, one question: how far is each from a repeat customer? Simbe's 3,000 contracted units, Persona AI's shipyard welder and Agility's $300M order claim, with how mature each is.
Humanoid Robots
Humanoid robot companies: who ships and who only demos
Ten humanoid robot companies sorted by public evidence: who has paying customers and robots in service, who runs paid pilots, and who only has demos. Plus five tests to use on any seller.
Business & Industrial Robots
Can robots work in hotels? Tasks, costs and real deployments
Robots in hotels work today for a few narrow jobs: room delivery, floor cleaning, guiding. What they do, what they cost to buy or rent, why one Japanese hotel fired half its robots, and how to decide.
AI Agents
The Barbell Opportunity: Why the “Right Question” is the Most Valuable Asset in 2026
In the winter of 2009, standing on a street corner in Harajuku with a Canon in my hand, I wasn’t thinking about algorithms or autonomous agents. I was looking for a specific kind of light—the kind that defines Tokyo Street Style.
AI Agents
My 18-Bot Mission Control: Living with a Digital Workforce
When I was managing business in Tokyo, the “production office” was a physical space filled with walkie-talkies, spreadsheets, and human assistants running on caffeine and adrenaline. My job was to orchestrate these moving parts into a singular vision.
AI Agents
Why 2026 Demands a Human-in-the-Loop AI Strategy
In the high-speed world of Tokyo media, I learned early on that the most dangerous person on a set isn’t the one who knows nothing—it’s the talented intern who is too afraid to say “I don’t know.” During my years in JAPAN, I managed dozens of high-stakes productions.
AI Agents
From Tokyo Streets to AI Agents in 2026
In the winter of 2009, standing on a street corner in Harajuku with a Leica in my hand, I wasn’t thinking about algorithms or autonomous agents.
AI Agents
The iPhone Moment of Artificial Intelligence
History rarely gives us a clear warning before it pivots. In 2007, when Steve Jobs pulled the iPhone from his pocket, most of the world saw a shiny toy.
AI Agents
Why 2026 is the Year of the Agentic CEO
In the history of technology, there are moments that act as clear demarcations between “before” and “after.” We saw it in 2007 with the iPhone, and we saw it again in late 2022 with the explosion of generative AI.