Rapid Fire AI Updates & The Coming Energy Reckoning | 96

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Sidecar Sync, Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias tackle the latest developments in AI with a fast-paced series of updates—from Claude overtaking ChatGPT in the voice mode battle, to Google's shockingly tiny Gemma 3 model, to the rocky rollout of GPT-5 and what it teaches us about innovation at scale. Then, the duo zooms out for a big-picture look at AI’s massive and growing energy demands. Can AI keep advancing without breaking the grid? Enter neuromorphic computing—a brain-inspired breakthrough that could power the next era of AI more efficiently. Hot dogs, ant colonies, and nuclear power all make appearances in this can't-miss conversation.🤖 Join the AI Mastermind: https://sidecar.ai/association-ai-mastermind 📕 Download ‘Ascend 2nd Edition: Unlocking the Power of AI for Associations’ for FREEhttps://sidecar.ai/ai 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Claude Voice ➡ https://www.anthropic.com/ChatGPT Voice Mode ➡ https://openai.com/chatgptGoogle Gemma 3 ➡ https://ai.google.dev/gemmaOSS Models (OSS-20B, OSS-120B) ➡ https://huggingface.co/mistralai/Mixtral-8x7BMark Hersam’s TED Talk on Neuromorphic Computing ➡ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66b49ZrJzdw&t=3s📅 Register for digitalNow2026 in Washington, D.C. from October 25–28:  https://digitalnow.sidecar.ai🎀 Use code AIPOD50 for $50 off your Association AI Professional (AAiP) certification at https://sidecar.ai/aaip🚀 Help Us Grow Our Reach - Share With a Friend or Colleague!👍 Like & Subscribe!https://x.com/sidecarglobal https://www.youtube.com/@SidecarSynchttps://sidecar.ai/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidecar-global/Amith Nagarajan is the Chairman of Blue Cypress, a family of purpose-driven companies and proud practitioners of Conscious Capitalism. The Blue Cypress companies focus on helping associations, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations achieve long-term success. Amith is also an active early-stage investor in B2B SaaS companies. He’s had the good fortune of nearly three decades of success as an entrepreneur and enjoys helping others in their journey.https://linkedin.com/amithnagarajan Mallory Mejias is passionate about creating opportunities for association professionals to learn, grow, and better serve their members using artificial intelligence. She enjoys blending creativity and innovation to produce fresh, meaningful content for the association space. Mallory co-hosts and produces the Sidecar Sync podcast, where she delves into the latest trends in AI and technology, translating them into actionable insights.https://linkedin.com/mallorymejias