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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
Elon Musk Ends Tesla's Flagship Cars to Bet Everything on Robots
TLDR: Tesla is discontinuing its Model S sedan and Model X SUV to convert its Fremont factory into a facility producing up to 1 million Optimus humanoid robots per year, marking the company's biggest strategic pivot from cars to robotics.
The Story:
Tesla announced during its Q4 2025 earnings call that it will end production of its flagship Model S and Model X vehicles next quarter. CEO Elon Musk called it "time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge." The two vehicles, launched in 2012 and 2015 respectively, helped establish Tesla as the world's most valuable automaker but now account for less than 5% of total deliveries. The Fremont, California production lines will be converted to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots, with a target of 1 million units annually. Tesla expects to begin production of Optimus before the end of 2026 and sell robots to consumers by 2027, with a target price under $20,000.
Its Significance:
This move shows Tesla betting its future on robots, not cars. What makes Tesla different from other robot makers? They already build their own AI chips, have years of autonomous driving data, and can repurpose car manufacturing know-how for robots. Musk's SpaceX satellite plans could eventually help power the massive data centers AI needs, while Tesla's energy storage business is now their fastest-growing segment. If you're thinking about careers in manufacturing or considering a Tesla purchase, this signals where the Musk’s focus will be and where the all of his technology is heading.
QUICK TAKES
The story: Amanda Askell, Anthropic's in-house philosopher, said on a recent podcast that "we don't really know what gives rise to consciousness" and suggested AI models trained on human text might be more inclined to express feelings. She went back and forth on whether biology is required for consciousness.
Your takeaway: When the person hired specifically to think about AI ethics at a leading AI company says she's genuinely unsure if the models might already feel things, that's a significant shift from the usual dismissals. Worth watching how this debate evolves.
The story: Google's new "Personal Intelligence" feature for Gemini can scour your Gmail, Photos, Search history, and YouTube activity. One journalist found it correctly deduced his parents' hiking preferences, found his license plate from photos, and knew his car insurance renewal date.
Your takeaway: This is what happens when an AI company has decades of your data. Google says it doesn't train on your personal info, just teaches AI where to find it. Still, letting AI browse your entire digital life creates new privacy questions.
The story: NYU Langone researchers developed an AI that reads doctor admission notes and predicts which patients will need skilled nursing facilities after discharge. The tool creates "AI Risk Snapshots" that are 94% shorter than original notes while maintaining 88% prediction accuracy.
Your takeaway: This is AI helping solve a real hospital problem: patients stuck waiting because no one planned their next step. When nurse case managers reviewed the AI's assessments, they strongly agreed with its conclusions. A practical win for healthcare AI.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
🤖 Kimi Freemium: Chat with China's leading AI assistant—handles 2 million characters and has deep research capabilities rivaling ChatGPT.
📤 LocalSend Free and Open Source: Share files between nearby devices instantly—no internet needed, works across all platforms.
📸 Ente Photos Free and Open Source: Back up photos with end-to-end encryption—a privacy-respecting alternative to Google Photos.
🎙️ Alice Transcription Paid: Get flawless transcription accuracy with credits that never expire—no monthly subscription pressure.
TRENDING
Dow Cuts 4,500 Jobs, Shifts to AI and Automation - The chemicals giant is eliminating about 12% of its workforce as part of a plan called "Transform to Outperform," expecting a $2 billion boost in near-term earnings while spending up to $800 million in severance costs.
OpenAI Slashing Hiring as Financial Pressure Mounts - Sam Altman said OpenAI will "dramatically slow down" hiring, warning against aggressive hiring followed by uncomfortable layoffs when AI can do more work.
Lloyds CEO Tells Bankers: Reskill for AI or Risk Your Jobs - Charlie Nunn said Lloyds will reskill its 64,000 workers rather than mass layoffs, though he admitted some roles will be cut. The bank's 800 AI models delivered £50 million in profit last year.
Zuckerberg: Future Without Smart Glasses Is "Hard to Imagine" - Meta's CEO said glasses sales tripled last year and compared the moment to when flip phones became smartphones. Google, Apple, and Snap are all racing to release competing smart glasses.
Google Launches $8/Month AI Plus Plan - The new tier includes Gemini Pro, AI image and video tools, NotebookLM, and 200GB storage. Google's offering 50% off the first two months.
AI Detected Hidden Detail in Raphael Masterpiece - An AI trained on authenticated Raphael paintings found that Saint Joseph's face in the "Madonna della Rosa" was likely painted by someone else, confirming centuries of expert suspicion.
TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini)
💡 Self-Talk Translator: Rewrite your inner critic from brutal to balanced with real-time thought translation
Build a fully functional Self-Talk Translator as an interactive React app. Render the working application immediately - no code display.
**My inner critic's favorite line**: [What you say to yourself when you mess up]
**When it shows up most**: [Work, relationships, appearance, etc.]
Create these sections:
1. **Thought Input**
• Type what your inner critic is saying
• Big text field for the harsh thought
• "Translate This" button
• Recent thoughts history
• Common patterns detected
2. **The Translation Engine**
• Three-column transformation:
🔴 HARSH (what you said)
🟡 NEUTRAL (just the facts)
🟢 KIND (what a friend would say)
• Example:
🔴 "I'm such an idiot"
🟡 "I made a mistake"
🟢 "Everyone messes up sometimes. What can I learn?"
• Side-by-side comparison
• "Search Cognitive Reframing" button
3. **Pattern Spotter**
• Identify your critic's habits:
- All-or-nothing ("I always fail")
- Mind reading ("They think I'm dumb")
- Fortune telling ("This will be a disaster")
- Labeling ("I'm a loser")
- Should statements ("I should be better")
• Which patterns you use most
• "You do this one a lot" insights
4. **Reality Check Questions**
• Challenge the thought:
- Is this actually true?
- What's the evidence against it?
- Would I say this to a friend?
- Will this matter in 5 years?
- What's a more balanced view?
• Answer prompts for each
• Watch the thought lose power
5. **Kinder Alternatives Library**
• Pre-written replacements:
- "I'm not good enough" → "I'm learning and growing"
- "I can't do anything right" → "I do many things well"
- "Everyone is judging me" → "People are mostly thinking about themselves"
- "I'm a fraud" → "I earned my place here"
• Copy your favorites
• Add your own custom translations
• Build your personal phrasebook
6. **Self-Talk Score**
• Track over time:
- Harsh thoughts logged
- Successful translations
- Patterns improving
• Weekly kindness score
• "You're getting better at this"
• Streak for catching negative self-talk
Design specs:
- Text editor / word processor aesthetic
- Track changes and redline styling
- Strikethrough on harsh text
- Green highlights on kind text
- Clean, minimal writing interface
- Before/after document comparison
- Spell-check style underlines for patterns
- Warm, supportive color palette (soft blues, greens)
- Typography-focused design
- "Edit mode" and "Preview mode" toggle
- Satisfying delete animations on harsh words
When "Search Cognitive Reframing" is clicked, use web search to find CBT techniques and self-compassion research.What this does: Catches your inner critic in real-time and translates the abuse into something balanced. Spots the patterns you fall into, challenges distorted thinking with reality checks, and builds a library of kinder alternatives. Because you'd never talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself.
What this looks like:
WHERE WE STAND(based on today’s news)
✅ AI Can Now: Predict which hospital patients need skilled nursing care with 88% accuracy by reading admission notes
❌ Still Can't: Tell us definitively whether it's conscious (even Anthropic's own philosopher isn't sure)
✅ AI Can Now: Identify which parts of a 500-year-old painting were made by a different artist than the credited master
❌ Still Can't: Make OpenAI profitable enough to keep hiring at its previous pace
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
A long, strange, brilliant essay about why civilizations build things that destroy them. Scott Alexander uses game theory and poetry to explain why we can't just agree to stop racing toward dangerous AI. Once you see the "Moloch" framework, you'll notice it everywhere. Free online, about 45 minutes to read.
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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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