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Beginners in AI
Good morning and thank you for joining us again!
Welcome to this daily edition of Beginners in AI, where we explore the latest trends, tools, and news in the world of AI and the tech that surrounds it. Like all editions, this is human curated and edited, and published with the intention of making AI news and technology more accessible to everyone.
THE FRONT PAGE
AI as a "Second Reader" Catches Cancers Doctors Miss, Lancet Study Shows
TLDR: A major new study in The Lancet shows AI-assisted screening catches 12% more breast cancers that doctors would have missed.
The Story: The debate over AI in medicine just got a definitive data point. In a massive clinical trial published this week in The Lancet, researchers found that radiologists using AI as a "second reader" detected 12% more cancers that would have otherwise been missed. Unlike previous pilots, this wasn't a simulation—it involved real patient workflows. The AI didn't just spot more issues; it also reduced the radiologist's screen-reading workload by nearly 30% by automatically filtering out clearly healthy scans.
Its Significance: This study shows AI works best not as a replacement for doctors, but as a backup that catches what humans miss. For patients, that means safer screenings and faster results. For the medical field, it could change how we think about standard of care. If AI can reliably catch cancers that doctors miss, it raises a big question: could it eventually be considered malpractice not to use it as a second opinion?
QUICK TAKES
The story: New market data shows that "First Person View" (FPV) drones have become a multi-billion dollar sector. They cost a fraction of what traditional military hardware costs.
Your takeaway: War economics are changing fast. A $500 drone can now disable a $10 million tank. That means defense budgets and military strategies need a serious rethink. AI will become heavily integrated sooner rather than later.
The story: Google AI Studio head Logan Kilpatrick is dropping the "Product Manager" title for "Member of Technical Staff." He says it signals that "everyone is technical" now.
Your takeaway: The days of the non-coding "idea guy" may be numbered. Future leaders in AI will need to understand the technology, not just manage projects.
The story: Five out of six U.S. military branches have officially adopted "GenAI.mil" as their enterprise AI platform. They've moved past the experimental phase into wide-scale deployment.
Your takeaway: Military AI has entered the scaling phase. It's no longer just research projects. It's becoming standard software for soldiers and strategists.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
✨ Reflect Freemium: High speed note taking tool that mirrors the way your brain works by using networked thought, backlinking, and an integrated calendar.
🐧 Espanso Free and Open Source: Cross platform text expander that works in any application, allowing you to create custom shortcuts for frequently used text.
📊 Metabase Freemium: Business intelligence tool that makes data visualization accessible, allowing users to ask questions and create dashboards without SQL.
🌳 Forest Freemium: Gamified focus timer where you plant virtual trees that only grow if you stay off your phone, helping build digital discipline.
TRENDING
OpenAI "Unsatisfied" with Nvidia - Sam Altman is reportedly shopping for cheaper chips to run ChatGPT. If he finds them, it could weaken Nvidia's grip on the AI chip market.
Malwarebytes is now in ChatGPT - You can now check suspicious links or texts directly inside ChatGPT. Malwarebytes built a specialized GPT that acts as a quick security check.
Google DeepMind's Kaggle Game Arena - DeepMind launched a new platform where AI agents can train in complex, multi-player game scenarios. It's designed to push AI decision-making in competitive environments.
Google Cloud x Liberty Global - The two companies signed a 5-year deal to automate telecom customer service using AI agents. If you're a Liberty Global customer, you'll likely be talking to AI sooner than you think.
The First "Large Plant Model" - Carbon Robotics trained an AI model on 150 million crop images. It can now identify and zap weeds with sub-millimeter precision, leaving crops untouched.
Moon Spelunking Robots - European researchers unveiled robots designed to rappel into lunar caves. The goal is to scout for spots that could one day shelter human habitats.
TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini)
💡 Trend Longevity Predictor: Figure out if it's a fad or the future before you invest your time, money, or career
Build a fully functional Trend Longevity Predictor as an interactive React app. Render the working application immediately - no code display.
**Trend I'm evaluating**: [What trend you're curious about]
**Why I'm considering it**: [Career move, investment, business pivot, content strategy, etc.]
Create these sections:
1. **Trend Input**
• Enter the trend to analyze
• Category selector:
📱 Tech / 💼 Business / 🎨 Culture
👗 Fashion / 💪 Health / 📈 Finance
• "How long has this been around?" input
• "Predict Its Future" button
• "Search [Trend] Analysis" button
2. **The Crystal Ball Verdict**
• Big prediction display:
🔮 FLASH IN THE PAN (< 1 year left)
🔮 SHORT-TERM WAVE (1-3 years)
🔮 LASTING SHIFT (3-10 years)
🔮 FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE (here to stay)
• Confidence level: Low / Medium / High
• Swirling crystal ball animation
• "The future says..." reveal moment
3. **Fad vs. Fundamental Test**
• Score these signals:
- Does it solve a real problem? (+10)
- Is it driven by tech improvement? (+10)
- Are serious players investing? (+10)
- Does it change behavior long-term? (+10)
- Or is it just novelty/hype? (-10)
- Driven by one company/person? (-5)
- Requires constant attention to stay relevant? (-5)
• Total score determines longevity
• Breakdown explanation
4. **Adoption Curve Position**
• Where is this trend now?
📍 Innovators (2.5%) - bleeding edge
📍 Early Adopters (13.5%) - starting to grow
📍 Early Majority (34%) - going mainstream
📍 Late Majority (34%) - everyone's doing it
📍 Laggards (16%) - nearly saturated
• Visual curve with position marker
• "Best time to jump in" indicator
• "You're late" or "You're early" verdict
5. **Historical Comparisons**
• Similar trends from the past:
- "This looks like [X] from [year]"
- What happened to it?
- Survived / Evolved / Died
• Pattern matching insights
• "Search Similar Past Trends" button
• Lessons from history
6. **Your Move Recommendation**
• Based on analysis:
🟢 GO: "Get in now, this has legs"
🟡 WATCH: "Monitor for 6 more months"
🔴 SKIP: "Let this one pass"
⚪ HEDGE: "Small experiment, don't go all in"
• Risk level for your specific use case
• Timeline for your decision
• "What would change this verdict?"
Design specs:
- Mystical fortune teller aesthetic
- Crystal ball as centerpiece with swirling mist
- Deep purples, midnight blues, gold accents
- Starfield and constellation backgrounds
- Tarot card styling for verdicts
- Glowing orb animations
- Mysterious, magical typography
- Fog and particle effects
- Zodiac and celestial touches
- Dramatic reveal animations
- "The oracle speaks" energy
When search buttons are clicked, use web search to find trend analysis, adoption data, and historical comparisons for the topic.What this does: Saves you from chasing hype. Analyzes any trend through the fad-vs-fundamental lens, shows where it sits on the adoption curve, compares it to similar trends from history, and tells you whether to jump in, wait, or walk away.
What this looks like:
WHERE WE STAND(based on today’s news)
✅ AI Can Now: Reduce missed breast cancer diagnoses by 12% in clinical settings.
❌ Still Can't: Replace the radiologist entirely (liability is still human)
✅ AI Can Now: Check your suspicious text messages for scams directly inside ChatGPT
❌ Still Can't: "Manage" an AI product team without technical skills.
FROM THE WEB
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
A man nearing the end of a three-year solo stint on a lunar mining base starts experiencing strange events. Sam Rockwell carries the film almost entirely alone, and the AI assistant GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) subverts expectations in quiet ways. Best to go in knowing as little as possible.
Creativity + Science = Ads that perform
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Thank you for reading. We’re all beginners in something. With that in mind, your questions and feedback are always welcome and I read every single email!
-James
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