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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
OpenAI Puts Ads in ChatGPT for 400 Million Users
TLDR: OpenAI will start showing ads in ChatGPT's free tier and new $8/month Go plan, marking the end of the ad-free AI assistant era.
The Story:
OpenAI announced it will begin testing advertisements in ChatGPT within weeks, starting with adult users in the United States. Ads will appear at the bottom of AI-generated answers in both the free tier and the new $8/month ChatGPT Go plan, which launched globally this week after testing in India. The company says ads will be clearly labeled and won't influence ChatGPT's responses. Ad personalization will be turned on by default, though users can opt out in settings. Paid subscribers on Plus ($20/month), Pro ($200/month), and Enterprise plans will remain ad-free.
Its Significance:
This changes how 400 million weekly ChatGPT users experience the tool. Expect to see sponsored content mixed into your conversations soon. The move signals OpenAI needs more revenue streams. According to The Information, the company could burn through $115 billion by 2030. For users who want an ad-free experience without paying $20/month, options are shrinking fast. The other concern is that responses will be altered to please advertisers. There's also the concern that ad targeting often loosens over time as revenue pressure grows — today's promise not to share conversation data with advertisers could look different in a few years. And despite OpenAI's assurances that ads won't influence responses, users may wonder whether answers subtly favor brands that pay to be mentioned.
QUICK TAKES
The story: A federal judge ordered OpenAI to hand over 20 million anonymized ChatGPT logs as part of the New York Times copyright lawsuit. The ruling suggests AI conversations, even deleted ones, can be subpoenaed in legal proceedings.
Your takeaway: Those "private" chats with your AI assistant? They're stored, retrievable, and potentially fair game in court. Think twice before sharing sensitive personal or business information with any chatbot.
The story: At least 13 Pennsylvania court cases in 2025 contained confirmed AI hallucinations, including fabricated quotes and citations to nonexistent rulings. A Commonwealth Court judge questioned veteran attorneys about an error-filled brief, and one plaintiff was fined $1,000 with their case dismissed.
Your takeaway: Courts are cracking down on AI-generated legal work that hasn't been verified. If you're using AI for anything important, the "trust but verify" rule applies more than ever.
The story: Security researchers discovered a vulnerability called "Reprompt" that let attackers steal personal data from Microsoft Copilot users with one phishing link click. The attack bypassed security controls and continued working even after users closed the chat window. Microsoft patched it on January 13, 2026.
Your takeaway: Update Windows immediately if you haven't already. The fix was included in this week's Patch Tuesday. AI assistants create new attack surfaces that traditional security tools don't catch.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
🗂️ Huly Freemium and Open Source: All-in-one project management with chat, documents, and virtual office—replaces multiple tools.
🔗 Beacons AI Freemium: Build your link-in-bio page with AI-powered tools for selling products, booking appointments, and landing brand deals.
🎬 DaVinci Resolve Freemium: Edit professional videos, color grade like Hollywood, and mix audio in one app—free version rivals $300 software.
🔬 Semantic Scholar Free: Search 200 million research papers with AI that highlights key findings and shows connections between studies.
TRENDING
TSMC Says AI Chip Demand Is "Endless" After Record Quarter - The world's largest chipmaker posted $16 billion in Q4 profit (up 35%) and plans to spend up to $56 billion on expansion this year. CEO C.C. Wei said he personally verified demand with cloud giants.
US Government Takes 25% Cut of AI Chip Sales to China - The Trump administration approved Nvidia H200 sales to vetted Chinese customers but imposed a 25% tariff. AMD's MI325X faces the same terms. It's a reversal from Biden-era bans.
AI Healthcare Startups Raised $14.2 Billion in 2025 - Digital health funding hit its highest level since 2022, with 54% going to AI-focused companies. Mega-rounds over $100 million made up 42% of total investment.
AI Discovers 14 Potential Cancer Drug Candidates - Researchers used machine learning to screen compounds targeting the CDK9 protein linked to cancer growth. Two candidates showed significant results against cervical and breast cancer cells in lab tests.
TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini)
Overthinking Circuit Breaker: Stop the thought loops with a rumination timer, "good enough" threshold, and action triggers
Build a fully functional Overthinking Circuit Breaker as an interactive React app. Render the working application immediately - no code display.
**What I'm overthinking**: [The decision or situation stuck in your head]
**How long has this been looping**: [Days, weeks, months?]
Create these sections:
1. **Thought Loop Detector**
• Symptoms checklist:
☑️ Thinking about the same thing for 3+ days
☑️ Imagining conversations that haven't happened
☑️ Researching the same question repeatedly
☑️ Asking multiple people the same thing
☑️ Can't sleep because of it
☑️ "What if" scenarios on repeat
☑️ Waiting for "perfect" clarity
• Loop severity score: 1-10
• "You're not deciding, you're just spinning"
• Time already spent overthinking calculator
2. **The Rumination Timer**
• Big countdown display:
"You have 10 minutes to think about this. Then decide."
• Start timer button
• When it hits zero: DECISION TIME
• No extensions allowed
• "Your brain had enough time. It's stalling now."
• Emergency stop for genuine new information only
3. **"Good Enough" Threshold**
• Perfectionism reality check:
- What's the MINIMUM acceptable outcome?
- Would 80% good be fine? (Spoiler: yes)
- What's the cost of waiting for perfect?
• Slider: "How good does this need to be?"
0% ----●---- 100%
• "You're at 75%. That's past good enough. GO."
• Search "Satisficing vs Maximizing" button
4. **The Circuit Breaker Panel**
• Visual fuse box with switches:
🔴 OVERTHINKING → flip to → 🟢 DECIDING
• Flip the switch to commit
• Once flipped, no going back for 24 hours
• "Circuit broken" confirmation
• Satisfying flip animation
• "You decided. It's done. Move on."
5. **Just Decide Spinner**
• For when options are genuinely equal:
- Enter your options (2-5 choices)
- Spin the wheel
- Whatever it lands on: THAT'S IT
• "But what if—" NO. It landed. Done.
• Gut check: "Disappointed by the result? Pick the other one."
• Coin flip mode for binary choices
• "The universe has spoken" dramatic reveal
6. **Action Trigger**
• Micro-commitment to break the loop:
"In the next 5 minutes, I will [one tiny action]"
• Examples:
- Send that text
- Book that call
- Click submit
- Say it out loud
• Timer starts immediately
• "Did you do it?" check-in
• Streak tracker for decisive actions
7. **Post-Decision Lock**
• Write down your decision
• Lock it in with a timestamp
• "Revisit allowed after: [date 1 week out]"
• If you try to reopen: "NOPE. You decided. Trust yourself."
• Evidence locker: why you made this choice
• Future you will thank present you
Design specs:
- Industrial electrical panel aesthetic
- Fuse box with flip switches
- Warning labels and caution tape vibes
- Bold colors: industrial yellow, black, red accents
- Satisfying toggle/flip animations
- Countdown timer as centerpiece
- Spinner wheel with dramatic spin
- Circuit board patterns in background
- "DANGER: OVERTHINKING" warning signs
- Lock/vault imagery for decision lock
- Gritty, mechanical feel
When "Search Satisficing vs Maximizing" is clicked, use web search to find decision science research on good-enough decisions and the cost of perfectionism.What this does: Interrupts the endless thought loop with forced decision timers, "good enough" reality checks, and commitment locks. Sometimes your brain has all the information it needs and is just stalling. This breaks the circuit and gets you moving.
What this looks like:
WHERE WE STAND(based on today’s Quick Takes and Trending news)
✅ AI Can Now: Identify potential cancer drug candidates in weeks instead of years through virtual screening of molecular databases.
❌ Still Can't: Tell the difference between a real legal citation and one it completely made up, as Pennsylvania courts discovered 13+ times.
✅ AI Can Now: Power chips so valuable that governments impose 25% tariffs just to get a cut of the action.
❌ Still Can't: Prevent a single phishing click from turning your AI assistant into a data exfiltration tool.
FROM THE WEB
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
Season two opens with chaos. The hosts have revolted, and the park is descending into violence. Dolores is leading a revolution, Maeve is searching for her daughter, and Bernard is trying to figure out what he did during the uprising that he can't remember.
This episode sets up the season's structure, jumping between timelines to slowly reveal what happened. It's ambitious and sometimes confusing, but the performances carry it. Evan Rachel Wood plays Dolores with cold fury, and Thandie Newton gives Maeve real depth. The show is asking what happens when artificial beings decide they're done being controlled by humans and willing to burn everything down to be free.
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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