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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 Told Surgeons Their Tools Were in the Right Place. Patients Had Strokes.
LEAD STORY
TLDR: An investigation found AI-enhanced medical devices are injuring patients, with one surgical navigation tool allegedly misleading doctors about instrument placement inside patients' heads.
The Story:
A Reuters investigation documents a sinus surgery navigation tool that allegedly gave surgeons wrong positioning data during operations. The TruDi Navigation System had seven reported malfunctions before AI was added in 2021. Since then, the FDA's received at least 100 reports of malfunctions and adverse events, including two strokes after surgeons accidentally damaged carotid arteries. A JAMA Health Forum study found that 43% of AI device recalls happen less than a year after approval, roughly twice the normal rate, and most reach patients without being tested on real people.
Its Significance:
1,357 AI-enhanced devices now have FDA authorization, double the number through 2022, and the approval process doesn't require clinical trials. One lawsuit alleges the TruDi system's maker set "a goal of only 80% accuracy" before rushing AI features to market as a marketing tool. When AI is guiding instruments millimeters from our brain, 80% isn't good enough.
QUICK TAKES
The story: AI dominated this year's Super Bowl commercials. Svedka ran what it calls the first "primarily" AI-generated national Super Bowl ad, while Anthropic took a shot at OpenAI's plan to add ads to ChatGPT. Meta, Amazon, Google, and Ring all featured AI products too.
Your takeaway: When vodka brands and pet camera companies are building Super Bowl spots around AI, the technology has officially crossed into mainstream culture. Anthropic's dig at OpenAI that went over people’s heads also sparked an online feud with Sam Altman, proving AI rivalries now play out on the biggest stage.
The story: Anthropic's new Opus 4.6 model jumped from 18.4% to 29.8% on Mercor's professional tasks benchmark, which tests AI agents on real legal and corporate analysis work. With multiple attempts, it averaged 45%. Mercor's CEO called the leap "insane."
Your takeaway: Lawyers don't need to panic yet - 30% is still far from replacing anyone. But that kind of jump in just a few months shows AI agent capabilities aren't hitting a ceiling anytime soon.
The story: ByteDance released Seedance 2.0, a video generation model that creates up to two-minute 1080p clips from simple text prompts. Early testers say it's hard to tell the output from real footage. Chinese media and AI stocks surged, with publisher COL Group hitting its 20% daily trading limit.
Your takeaway: China's AI video tools are moving fast. Some analysts already rank Seedance 2.0 ahead of OpenAI's Sora 2 and Google's Veo 3.1 in practical tests, and ByteDance's massive Douyin video library gives it training data most competitors can't match. Expect the physics in AI-generated movies to look much better when using this model.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
🐧 Vikunja Free and Open Source: Powerful self-hosted task manager that offers multiple project views including Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and tables. (Alternative to Todoist)
📸 Screen Studio Paid: High-quality screen recording tool for macOS that automatically creates beautiful zooms and smooth cursor movements to make software demos look professional.
🧠 Lazy Paid: Minimalist capture tool that allows you to save highlights, links, and ideas from any app with a single shortcut, using AI to categorize them instantly.
➰ Gumloop Freemium: AI-native automation platform that uses a visual canvas to build complex workflows, allowing you to scrape websites and process data without writing code.
TRENDING
EU Warns Meta to Open WhatsApp to Rival AI Chatbots - The European Commission charged Meta with antitrust violations for blocking rival AI assistants from WhatsApp since January. Meta could face fines up to 10% of its global revenue, and the EU is considering forcing WhatsApp open to competitors while the investigation continues.
Boston Dynamics Atlas Nails Cartwheel and Backflip - Boston Dynamics put its Atlas humanoid through a final acrobatic stress test before moving to a production-ready version. The robot ran, did cartwheels and backflips, and recovered from stumbles using simulation-trained control software.
Humanoid Robots Practice Kung Fu with Shaolin Monks - Chinese robotics company Agibot released a viral video of its humanoid robots performing martial arts moves alongside monks at the historic Shaolin Temple. The clip surprised viewers with the robots' balance, speed, and precision.
MIT: AI Model Rankings Can Be Surprisingly Unreliable - MIT researchers found that removing just 2 votes out of 57,000 on popular AI ranking platforms changed which model came out on top. Some of the most influential votes appeared to be user errors like misclicks.
AI Startup Tries to Recreate Lost Orson Welles Film - Startup Fable is using AI to reconstruct 43 minutes of lost footage from Orson Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons," which the studio cut and destroyed in the 1940s. Welles' daughter remains "skeptical" but believes the team has "enormous respect" for the original.
Ukraine Unveils AI Drone Interceptor With 320 km/h Top Speed - Ukrainian company SEE unveiled SEEDIS, a fully autonomous drone interceptor that detects, tracks, and strikes airborne threats without a human pilot. Its AI-powered cameras can lock onto targets at up to 1,000 meters.
Palladyne AI Flies Autonomous Mixed Drone Swarm - Palladyne AI tested its IntelliSwarm software by flying different types of drones together in a fully autonomous swarm. The test paired loitering munitions with surveillance drones, coordinating them without human control.
TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini)
Icebreaker Roulette: Spin for conversation starters, follow-up questions, and awkwardness escape hatches
Build a fully functional Icebreaker Roulette as an interactive React app. Render the working application immediately - no code display.
**Situation**: [Networking event, party, first date, work meeting, etc.]
**Vibe**: [Professional, casual, playful, deep]
Create these sections:
1. **The Spinner Wheel**
• Big colorful wheel with icebreakers
• "SPIN" button in center
• Dramatic spin animation
• Lands on a conversation starter
• "Spin Again" for another option
• Satisfying tick-tick-tick sound vibes
• "Search Conversation Starters" button
2. **Situation Selector**
• Get openers for:
💼 Professional networking
🎉 Party / social gathering
💕 Date or romantic interest
👥 New coworker / classmate
🏠 Neighbor / community
✈️ Travel / random encounter
• Each has tailored wheel options
• Switch situations, refresh wheel
3. **Follow-Up Generator**
• They answered—now what?
- "Tell me more about that..."
- "How did you get into that?"
- "What's the best part of...?"
- "That's interesting because..."
• Keeps conversation flowing
• Never hit a dead end
• Active listening prompts
4. **Avoid the Cringe**
• Icebreakers to NEVER use:
❌ "What do you do?" (as opener—boring)
❌ "How about this weather?"
❌ "Come here often?"
❌ Anything that sounds like a line
• Why they fail
• Better alternatives for each
5. **Escape Hatches**
• Graceful exits when needed:
- "I'm going to grab a drink, great chatting!"
- "I should keep mingling, but let's connect"
- "I see someone I need to say hi to"
• Polite endings that aren't awkward
• When to use each one
6. **Save Your Favorites**
• Star the ones that work for you
• Build your personal deck
• "These worked well" notes
• Quick access before events
• Export your go-to list
Design specs:
- Game show wheel aesthetic
- Bright, party colors (teal, coral, yellow, purple)
- Spinning wheel with lights
- Confetti on spin results
- Carnival / prize wheel vibes
- Bold, playful typography
- "Wheel of Fortune" inspired
- Ticket and prize imagery
- Fun sound effect styling
- Celebratory reveal moments
When "Search Conversation Starters" is clicked, use web search to find interesting icebreaker questions and social skills research.What this does: Kills the "I don't know what to say" panic. Spin for situation-appropriate openers, get follow-up questions to keep it going, and have graceful exits ready when needed. Makes small talk feel like a game instead of a chore.
What this looks like:
WHERE WE STAND(based on today’s news)
✅ AI Can Now: Generate two-minute video clips with multi-shot storytelling, lip-sync in 8+ languages, and sound effects from a single text prompt - production work that used to take a full day now takes five minutes.
❌ Still Can't: Score above 30% on professional legal and corporate analysis tasks, even with the most capable model available and multiple attempts at each problem.
✅ AI Can Now: Autonomously intercept airborne drones at 320 km/h, locking onto targets with onboard cameras and adjusting flight paths in real time without any human pilot input.
❌ Still Can't: Maintain reliable rankings - removing just 2 user votes out of 57,000 on popular AI leaderboards can flip which model is rated best, meaning the platforms companies use to pick AI tools rest on shaky ground.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
A woman discovers that a streaming service has made a show about her life using her data and an AI-generated actress. It's funny and horrifying, especially as AI-generated content becomes more real. Annie Murphy is excellent in the lead.
AI in HR? It’s happening now.
Deel's free 2026 trends report cuts through all the hype and lays out what HR teams can really expect in 2026. You’ll learn about the shifts happening now, the skill gaps you can't ignore, and resilience strategies that aren't just buzzwords. Plus you’ll get a practical toolkit that helps you implement it all without another costly and time-consuming transformation project.
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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