Smart GPTs, AI Music, and Apple’s Flop—What Every Marketer Should Know – Dan Sanchez

Let’s talk about what’s new in the world of AI for marketers—because there have been some real shifts lately, and I want you to be the first to take advantage. Every week there seems to be another headline: “Apple’s new thing!” or “ChatGPT update!” or even the latest wave in AI music. But behind all the PR, what matters is how these tools can actually up your marketing game and make your life easier.

ChatGPT’s Upgrades: More Than Just Hype

So, here’s what I’ve noticed: ChatGPT keeps rolling out a bunch of small tweaks, and each one just makes it more helpful. We’re not talking about major, world-changing tech leaps every week, but these little changes stack up in a big way. For example, the voice mode update actually makes ChatGPT sound more human, with better inflection and more natural delivery. My wife noticed it immediately—it’s that much better.

If you use voice mode a lot, you’ll notice that responses are now more concise and to the point. That’s a big deal! Brevity keeps things moving and helps you get to answers faster.

Why Marketers Should Care About ChatGPT’s Voice Improvements

Podcast and Content Creation: You can imagine bringing ChatGPT into your workflow as a kind of co-host or expert panelist. Voice upgrades make that much less awkward and more engaging.
Personal Use: Even just for personal productivity, having a tool that’s easy to talk to and cuts to the chase is gold.
The Future: It’s only a matter of time before customizable AI voices become your brand’s new virtual assistant—get hands on now while it’s still fun and fresh.

Upgrading to Pro Models—Is It Worth It?

Let me get real with you for a second. If you’re still using the free version of ChatGPT… you’re missing out. Seriously, the difference between the free model and the Pro versions (like O3 Pro) is night and day.

Pro-level models are about 5x better at heavy analysis and strategic tasks. People are raving that the latest versions offer something that feels like getting bespoke, human-level advice.
If you ever need to build a complex strategy or do deep research, just pay for a month of Pro. You don’t have to stay subscribed forever: get the value when you need it, then pause. Totally worth the $200-$250, especially for massive projects.
The catch: these models thrive on context. Feed them lots of details, meeting notes, or docs—they shine with plenty of input and thoughtful prompts.

The Real Game-Changer: Custom GPTs

This is where things get fun. Building custom GPTs is like having a crew of digital interns, each specialized for a part of your workflow. It’s not “automation” in the sense of classic scripting or Zapier, but it will save you hours every month.

Here’s what I recommend:

Build (at least) a dozen custom GPTs targeting the routine tasks you do every week. Think: social captions, campaign brainstorming, competitive analysis summaries, etc.
The new update lets you actually select the smartness level (the model) for each custom GPT—so your heavy-hitter bots can use the Pro models, and your quick tasks can stick with fast, lighter ones.
Play before you automate. A lot of folks rush into AI automations but struggle. Experimenting with custom GPTs is a much better “sandbox”—build your confidence and see where AI fits your business before wiring it into everything.

And don’t get hung up if your first custom bot isn’t perfect! The models and tools have evolved like crazy in just the last year, so what didn’t work before might blow you away now.

Apple, AI, and Playing Catch-Up

Let’s switch gears for a minute. Apple had a big event recently, and if you felt underwhelmed by their “AI updates,” you weren’t alone. Most of what they launched were small UI tweaks and minor features—nothing that’s going to shift the ground for marketers (or anyone excited about the future of AI).

What Marketers Should Take Away

Don’t count on Apple to drive the future of AI-powered marketing—at least not yet. Their announcements felt cautious, and genuine innovation is happening elsewhere.
Other giants—Amazon, Google—are hustling to catch up, while open-source and third-party providers like OpenAI, Grok, and Claude are running laps around traditional players.
Your competitive edge: Stay agile, keep your eyes out for nimble AI vendors, and don’t tie your success to Apple’s update cycle.

One slightly interesting (if backhanded) move: Apple published research before their event downplaying the reasoning abilities of AI models in general. Here’s my take—who cares? If AI completes tasks, solves real problems, and saves you money or time, it’s useful—even if it’s not technically “reasoning” the way a human does. Take advantage now, don’t wait for academic perfection.

Suno: AI Music Is Here, and It’s Actually Useful

Now for something genuinely exciting: Suno, one of the leading AI music platforms, is cranking out tracks that legitimately hold up. We’re not just talking silly parody songs (although those are fun for social)—the newest models let you blend any genres you want, create stems (so you can remix every instrument separately), and even generate music indistinguishable from paid stock tracks.

What’s in it for you as a marketer?

Make your own background music—no more hunting through Artlist or stock audio. It’s cheaper, it’s faster, and you’ll own all the rights.
Use AI music for campaigns, videos, podcasts, or even as raw material for viral skits and memes. (Yes, I’ve literally turned boring legalese into a hilarious country song!)
Freemium plans let you experiment risk-free. If you like what you hear, upgrade for a month, build your libraries, and keep the tracks forever.
Pro tip: AI music is now good enough to make you rethink paid stock music subscriptions altogether. You’ll save time searching and walk away with something more original.

If you haven’t dabbled, just give Suno a spin. Give it a weird prompt—make a song about your grandma, or your brand, or that weird niche your clients care about. I promise, it’ll surprise you.

How I’m Using AI Music Now

Creating genre-specific, lyric-less playlists for work and creative sessions.
Generating catchy background audio for short-form video and social.
Building fun, on-demand tracks that match campaigns or themes—no more endless stock library scrolling.

And yes, you can even publish or sell what you make. I’ve got an album up on Apple, and I didn’t play a single instrument—it’s all AI generated. That’s where things are headed.

Quick Recap (and Action Steps)

If you haven’t checked out ChatGPT’s recent voice and Pro model updates, do it—these small improvements add up to big workflow wins.
Custom GPTs are the not-so-secret weapon: build a handful for your business, see what happens, then scale up what works.
Don’t get distracted by slow-moving giants; stay nimble, and plug fast-evolving AI tools into your daily routines.
AI music is no longer a toy—try it for your next campaign, and you might save time, money, and sanity.

The key is to experiment, play, and keep your curiosity in overdrive. The winners in this new era won’t be the ones waiting for Apple or Google to tell them what to do—it’s the folks who start using these tools now and find creative ways to stand out in the market.

Give these updates a try. Let me know how you use them—or what challenges you hit. I’ll be right there, leaning over the digital fence, ready to swap stories and tricks to make these AI leaps work for you, too.