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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
Google Releases AI That Reads DNA 25x Better Than Anything Before
TLDR: Google DeepMind built an AI called AlphaGenome that reads your DNA and predicts what each tiny piece does, beating every other tool in 25 out of 26 tests.
The Story:
Google DeepMind just shared AlphaGenome, a new AI that looks at DNA in a whole new way. It can read 1 million DNA letters at once. That's about 1,000 times more than most other tools. The AI then tells scientists what each letter does inside your body. It predicts things like when genes turn on, how proteins stick to DNA, and how cells fold up their genetic code. Scientists tested it 26 different ways, and it won 25 of them. Google trained it on human and mouse DNA.
Its Significance:
Most of your DNA doesn't code for genes. Scientists call it "non-coding" DNA, and for decades, they didn't know what it did. Turns out, it controls when and how your genes work. Mistakes in this hidden code cause many diseases. AlphaGenome can now read this code and flag problems. That means doctors might catch genetic diseases earlier, even ones that don't show up in normal tests. It also opens the door to treatments designed around your exact DNA.
QUICK TAKES
The story: A startup called Physical Intelligence just raised over $1 billion. They want to build AI brains for robots. The company has 80 people and no plan to make money yet.
Your takeaway: Investors are betting big on robots that can learn like ChatGPT learned to talk. The company's boss says he won't rush to sell products. He wants to get the science right first.
The story: SpaceX asked the government if it can launch 1 million computers into space. That's 67 times more than all satellites up there now. They say it would be better for the planet than data centers on Earth.
Your takeaway: This sounds wild, but SpaceX is serious. They filed real papers with the FCC. Critics worry about space junk and crashes. If it works, your internet data might one day live in orbit.
The story: A former Google worker named Linwei Ding was found guilty of stealing AI secrets. He took over 2,000 pages about Google's special computer chips. He faces up to 15 years in prison for each charge.
Your takeaway: This is the first time someone was convicted of AI spying in the US. He uploaded secret files to his own account while working with companies in China. Expect more cases like this as AI gets more valuable.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
🔀 OpenRouter.ai Freemium: Unified access to multiple LLM providers through a single API.
📧 Instantly.ai Paid: AI cold email software for automated outreach and lead generation.
🔲 Whimsical AI Freemium: Generate flowcharts, mind maps, and diagrams with AI assistance.
✍️ Easy-Peasy.AI Freemium: AI content assistant for writing blog posts, social media, and marketing copy.
TRENDING
Google's Project Genie Crashes Gaming Stocks - Google showed off an AI that makes simple video games from text. Gaming company stocks dropped fast. Unity fell 24%, Roblox dropped 13%.
Google's AI Browser Agent Fails Real-World Tests - Google's new Auto Browse tool picks theater seats in different rows and suggests random products without checking if they're good. It costs $20 a month.
Adults in China Are Sleeping With AI Toys - Sales of AI companion toys jumped 1,600% in China. Adults use them for comfort at night. One popular toy breathes, warms up, and talks.
Darren Aronofsky's AI Show Looks Like a Mess - A famous director made a TV show using AI. Viewers spotted scrambled text, weird faces, and people who look 12 feet tall. One comment: "What a terrible time to have eyes."
Essay: Are We Giving Away Our Thinking to AI? - A blogger argues that using AI for personal writing and planning might weaken our minds. He says boring tasks help us build real knowledge.
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: Read 1 million DNA letters at once and predict what almost all of them do
❌ Still Can't: Book two theater seats next to each other
✅ AI Can Now: Generate playable video games from a text description
❌ Still Can't: Put consistently readable text on a fictional historical pamphlet
FROM THE WEB
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
True Skin (2012) - Short Film
A man in a hyper-augmented Bangkok tries to get illegal body modifications while evading authorities. Shot as a proof of concept that never became a feature film, it still holds up as a vision of transhumanism gone mainstream.
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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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