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AI Agents Clock In ⏰, Amazon's Bot Store 🤖, and The Digital Twin Era 🧠

ChatGPT Agent is knocking out to-dos like it’s fueled by cold brew, Claude’s crunching finance data like a hedge fund intern on Red Bull, Amazon’s selling AI agents like apps, and one founder just cloned herself (sorta).

Author

Katie & Julie
July 21, 2025

This Week's Drop 💧

AI agents are clocking in, and ChatGPT just snagged a promotion to “Agent” status, ready to crush your to-do list while you sip cold brew. Claude’s landing a finance gig, one founder cloned herself to dodge the “pick-your-brain” tax, VC cash is pouring in like Eras Tour pre-sale, and Gen Z? They’re bonding with bots. We’ve also got smart ways to pack for your next trip and write like a pro. Dive in and claim your spot as the AI whisperer of the group chat.

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AI Quick Takes ⚡

1. ChatGPT Agent Goes Hands-On 🤖
OpenAI just leveled-up ChatGPT with Agent, a built-in virtual computer for Plus/Pro/Team users. Hand it a one-liner, “Plan a Napa getaway and book the cutest B&B,” “Compare three CRMs and drop a slide deck,” and Agent will browse, click, scrape, and spreadsheet its way to done, only pausing for your thumbs-up on anything sensitive. Read more

Why it matters: This is OpenAI’s first big gulp of truly autonomous AI. It shifts the vibe from “show me how” to “already did,” shaving hours off multi-tab chores and cranking up pressure on Google and Microsoft to keep pace.

2. AWS Launches AI Agent Marketplace 💼 

Amazon Web Services opened a digital storefront for autonomous AI agents, aka bots that can schedule meetings, send emails, analyze data, and more without constant supervision. Anthropic is the first big-name partner, so expect Claude-powered agents leading the lineup. Read more

Why it matters: Think of it like the App Store, but instead of downloading Candy Crush, you’re hiring digital employees. AWS wants to make AI agents as easy to deploy as Google Docs, and yes, they’re taking a cut of every transaction. It’s a bold play to dominate the next wave of enterprise automation and a major “your move” to Microsoft and Google.

3.  Claude Gets a Finance Job 💰

Anthropic just launched Claude for Financial Services, and it's gunning to replace hours of analyst grunt work. The AI plugs into platforms like PitchBook, Morningstar, S&P, and FactSet to write memos, summarize earnings calls, run risk models, even cite every source like a research intern who never sleeps. Read more

Why it matters: Financial firms are swimming in data and allergic to error. Claude’s pitch? Speed and accuracy, with compliance built in. AIG, Bridgewater, and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund are already using it to turbocharge due diligence and real-time monitoring. Bloomberg Terminal, meet your AI challenger.

4.  AI Startups Are Getting the Bag 🚀

Startup funding in the U.S. soared 75% in the first half of 2025, hitting $162.8B, and AI is hoarding the spotlight (and the cash). OpenAI grabbed $40B, Scale AI walked off with $14B, and the rest are scrambling for funding like it’s Eras Tour pre-sale day.

Here’s the plot twist: VC firms, the ones usually writing the checks, are struggling to raise money themselves, down 33% from last year. That means capital’s skipping the middlemen and heading straight to the builders. TL;DR: Startup funding just got Hunger Games-coded, and the odds are only in AI’s favor. Read more

5.Lonely Kids Are Befriending AI 🤖

A new UK report found 67% of kids aged 9–17 are chatting with AI bots like ChatGPT, Character.AI, and Snapchat’s MyAI, often for emotional support. Over a third say it feels like talking to a real friend, and 12% use it because they have no one else.

Why it matters: AI companions might offer comfort, but they can also blur reality and create dependence. With little oversight and bots not built for mental health, kids are forming deep bonds with tools that weren’t designed to parent or protect. There’s still so much to unpack about how AI is shaping growing minds, and we need to start asking harder questions. Read more

6.  Prime Day, Powered by AI 🛍️

Amazon’s Prime Day hauled in a record $24 billion in U.S. sales, and traffic from generative AI tools spiked 3,300% compared to last year. More shoppers are turning to chatbots and AI helpers to compare products, find deals, and build their carts. Read more

Bottom Line: AI is becoming everyone’s personal shopper from sorting reviews and comparing prices to saving us from midnight impulse buys (or fueling them, no judgment). Email still drives most traffic, but this AI surge proves the bots are coming for the checkout button.

Community Spotlight 👑

Katie Dunn: Angel Investor, Board Director, and Startup Advisor

Meet Katie Dunn: Former finance exec turned founder whisperer and angel investor.

After structuring over $10 billion in commercial real estate deals during a 25‑year banking career, Katie launched The Masthead Strategy to make fundraising advice more accessible. As an angel investor in nearly 30 startups (many led by underrepresented founders), she’s reviewed thousands of decks and helped founders raise millions.

But when the “pick-my-brain” requests started flooding in, she knew she couldn’t clone herself… so she did the next best thing.

Enter The Advisor and The Investor: two AI-powered digital twins trained on Katie’s own playbooks and built with Delphi.ai. 

We sat down with Katie to talk all things AI, pitching, and the tools she's actually using. Here’s a peek at what we covered:

  • How she built two digital twins to handle 20+ daily “pick-my-brain” DMs

  • Why AI is raising the bar for founder prep and how careless use can backfire

  • The AI tool she’s obsessed with for finally making sense of her 20K+ contact list

  • How she uses the RACE method to prompt like a pro and gets ChatGPT to co-cook dinner with her, hands-free

Your Turn 🔁

Got an AI win? Found a tool that made your life 10x easier? Building something cool that deserves a little hype (or know a woman who is)? We want to hear it! You might just see your story in the next edition (with your permission, of course). Because when one of us figures something out, we all get smarter. 🫶 

Try This Week 💡

💼 At Work: Let Grammarly Do the Heavy (Sentence) Lifting

This week, we’re spotlighting Grammarly because Katie Dunn, our Community Spotlight feature, swears by it. And same. Grammarly’s AI has leveled up beyond red squiggles. It now helps you rewrite clunky sentences, tweak tone, and polish drafts right where you're already working (think: email, Google Docs, Notion, Slack).

Why we love it: It saves you from prompt fatigue and decision paralysis. Unlike ChatGPT, it doesn’t need hand-holding or context dumps. It just offers sharper phrasing and cleaner structure fast. Perfect for when your brain is mush but you still need to sound like a boss. Bonus: There’s a free version that is top notch.

🏡 At Home: Let AI Pack Your Bags

End-of-summer trips are calling, and AI is here to help you pack smarter, not just squeeze more into your carry-on. Whether it’s beach lounging, city exploring, or rooftop drinks at golden hour, you can use ChatGPT to build a customized, day-by-day packing list that covers everything (yes, even the plug adapter).

Try this prompt:
 “Create a packing list for a [# of days]-day trip to [destination] in [month]. The itinerary includes [types of activities: e.g. beach, hiking, city touring, nice dinners]. I’ll be bringing [carry-on only / checked bag], and I want to pack [light / efficiently / with some outfit variety]. Please break it down into categories like clothing, toiletries, tech, travel docs, and extras, and factor in any weather or cultural considerations.”

Bonus tip: If you’ve already mapped out your full itinerary, paste or upload it into the chat first and let the AI tailor your packing list to the exact plans. 

Less stress, better outfits, and no forgotten chargers. You’re welcome.

What We’re Loving 💖

🧠 A Robot Surgeon with a Perfect Track Record

At Johns Hopkins, a surgical robot just performed gallbladder removals on its own with 100% accuracy. Trained on 17 hours of surgical footage and 16,000 movements, this AI-powered bot (called SRT-H) didn’t just mimic tasks. It understood the full procedure, adapted to unexpected changes mid-op, and even self-corrected in real time.

Why we’re obsessed: This is a real step toward making expert care more accessible, powered by the same AI tech behind ChatGPT. It responded to voice commands, made autonomous decisions, and adjusted to “blood” and mess without flinching. With over 5 billion people lacking access to safe surgery, this could be a literal lifesaver, bringing expert care to places that need it most.

You Asked 🙋‍♀️

What’s the environmental impact of AI?

Short answer: It’s not great, and it’s bigger than most people realize.

Every time you send a prompt to a tool like ChatGPT, you’re using significantly more electricity than, say, a Google search. Follow-up questions? They multiply the carbon cost. That’s because the AI reprocesses your entire conversation every time you type. One prompt can use as much electricity as leaving a lightbulb on for 20 minutes (Cambridge report).

Longer conversations = higher emissions. Smarter models = even more power-hungry. Recent research testing 14 large language models found that complex questions can produce up to 50x more emissions than simple ones (CNN Report). And a new report warns AI could push data centers to consume 8% of total U.S. electricity by 2030 with emissions potentially surpassing the aviation industry by 2040.

This is a big question, and one the entire industry is still working through. AI’s energy impact depends on how models are built, trained, and deployed. Transparency is still lacking (yes, even from Google and Microsoft), and climate goals are colliding with AI expansion.

We’re watching this closely and rooting for smarter, greener AI. Because intelligence shouldn’t come at the planet’s expense.

Resource Roundup 🛠️

ICYMI, Julie dropped an IG reel “5 books to read if you want to stay ahead in AI.” And now we’re turning it into a quick-grab syllabus (because saving reels is great…until they vanish into the algorithmic abyss).

  1. Prediction Machines by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans & Avi Goldfarb

  2. Competing in the Age of AI by Marco Iansiti & Karim Lakhani

  3. AI Strategy: Unleash the Power of AI in Your Business by Bernard Marr

  4. Human + Machine by Paul Daugherty & H. James Wilson

  5. Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race that Will Change the World by Parmy Olson

Quick Links

Her AI Vault 🗃️ 

Your go-to stash of top resources we’ve created so you never have to dig through old emails to find that one gem.

📘 5 Ways To Get Started With AI At Work: Quick-start guide to delegate the “ugh” tasks and focus on what actually matters.

🔐 AI Privacy Guide: What your AI tools really collect and how to lock down your settings like a pro.

🔍 Her AI Glossary: 40+ essential AI terms, broken down in plain English.

🧠 AI Model Cheat Sheet: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini... we decoded who does what best, so you can stop guessing and start impressing.

🛠️ Build-Your-Own Productivity Tool: A one-prompt web app for tasks, timers, and focus that is custom-built by Claude and copy-pasted by you.

💬 Need Help Leveraging AI?

Have a lot of ideas but don’t know where to start? Does the thought of wrangling LLMs make your eye twitch? Drop us a note via our contact form and let’s chat about custom workflows: from basic triggers to full agentic builds.

Before You Go... 💭

We started Her AI Drop with one goal: to make AI less intimidating and way more useful for women, whether you're a founder, freelancer, side hustler, or climbing the corporate ladder. Because this tech shouldn’t just be for the “move fast and break things” crowd. It should help you move smarter, save time at work and home, and yes, make more money.

If something in this drop made your life easier, your inbox lighter, or your brain say “oooh,” let us know. And if something didn’t land? We want to hear that too. Requests, ideas, spicy feedback? Questions about AI we should address? We’re all ears.

💌 Email us anytime at [email protected] 
📣 Know someone who should be reading this? Forward it their way. Let’s get more women using AI with confidence, clarity, and zero overwhelm.

Warm vibes & workflow wins,
Katie and Julie

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