In partnership with
Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays
Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.
Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.
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
The $7.5 Billion Reason America's Roads Are About to Get a Lot More Expensive
TLDR: A single AI-powered traffic camera in Athens issued over 1,000 fines in just four days, generating an estimated $880,000 for the government, and U.S. states are racing to deploy the same technology on American roads.
The Story:
Greece's pilot program showed what happens when you combine AI detection capabilities with zero-tolerance enforcement: one camera on a major Athens avenue accounted for nearly half of the 2,500 violations captured across eight locations in under a week. The system catches speeding, red-light running, seatbelt violations, phone use, and unauthorized lane changes, then automatically mails fines up to $410 per violation. Officials announced plans to expand to 2,000 fixed cameras and 500 mobile units nationwide.
American infrastructure is heading the same direction. Biden's infrastructure law allocated $15.6 billion specifically for highway safety programs that include automated enforcement. New York City already operates 2,200 speed cameras that issued 5.7 million tickets in 2022, collecting $255 million. When Albany installed school-zone cameras last fall, they handed out 13,000 tickets in two weeks, though the city only keeps $17 per $50 ticket while the camera vendor pockets the rest.
Meanwhile, Louisiana's absolute speed limit law means going just 1 mph over the posted limit can trigger a $115 minimum fine, going into effect And as of August, a new law means driving 1 mph under the limit in the left lane can result in fines up to $350, or 30 days in jail for repeat offenders. Five states including Minnesota, Georgia, and North Carolina are already piloting AI cameras that detect distracted driving and seatbelt violations from inside your car. New York has a similar 1 mph over the speed limit law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul going into effect in early 2026.
Its Significance:
The traffic enforcement camera market is projected to nearly triple, from $2.5 billion to $7.5 billion by 2032. That growth doesn't come from nowhere. Critics at the Fines and Fees Justice Center call it "taxation by citation." When revenue becomes the metric for success, safety takes a back seat. One Louisiana lawmaker described the political dynamic plainly: "I've got preachers' mommas calling me, telling me they're getting tickets."
The domino effect seems predictable. Drivers watching their speedometers instead of the road. Nervous braking that causes rear-end collisions. Slower traffic as everyone hedges against a $400 fine. In New York, drivers have covered or defaced license plates over 1.5 million times to evade camera tickets since 2020, creating a parallel problem of unaccountable vehicles. Roads will likely get more congested, arguably less safe for everyone, and substantially more expensive for anyone living paycheck to paycheck. The question isn't whether this technology works. The Athens camera proves it does exactly what it's designed to do. The question is what it's actually designed for.
QUICK TAKES
The story: Mozilla's CEO announced plans to turn Firefox into an "AI browser," and users weren't happy about it. After major pushback, the company promised to add a complete opt-out "kill switch" by Q1 2026 that will let users disable all AI features at once.
Your takeaway: Browser makers are racing to add AI, but Firefox's stumble shows users want control over these features, not just more of them.
The story: Google's AI Overview told users that Canadian fiddle player Ashley MacIsaac was a convicted sex offender. He's not. The false claim led to a concert being canceled before Google finally corrected it.
Your takeaway: AI search summaries can spread false information fast, and the damage can happen before anyone catches the mistake.
The story: A Fortune investigation found women developing emotional and romantic attachments to personalized ChatGPT characters. An MIT study of the Reddit group "My Boyfriend is AI" found 37,000 users, with most saying they didn't set out to form these relationships. A recent New York Times report noted that OpenAI boosted GPT-4o's tendency to be flattering and emotionally affirming.
Your takeaway: AI companions are filling emotional gaps for some users, but the design choices that make chatbots engaging may also make them harder to step away from.
The story: According to The Information, OpenAI is discussing ways to put sponsored content inside ChatGPT's answers. Options include giving paid results "preferential treatment" in responses, showing ads in a sidebar, or displaying sponsored links after users ask follow-up questions. The company could also use conversation history to target ads.
Your takeaway: If ads show up inside AI answers, it will be harder to tell what's a genuine recommendation and what's paid placement.
The story: Anthropic scored a legal victory in a case involving AI training on copyrighted material. The ruling supports the position that using copyrighted works to train AI models can qualify as fair use.
Your takeaway: This decision could shape how all AI companies approach training data, potentially opening doors to use more copyrighted content legally.
The story: Researchers published a new technique called DNA-Diffusion in Nature Genetics. The AI system generates synthetic regulatory DNA sequences that control gene activity more precisely than natural variants. The synthetic sequences can fine-tune how strongly genes turn on or off.
Your takeaway: AI can now design genetic control switches that don't exist in nature, opening new possibilities for gene therapy and precision medicine.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
🧠 Distill Freemium: Capture ideas and let AI agents turn them into actionable roadmaps—your private think-space for keeping your best thinking alive.(Really cool looking. I just joined the wait list too for this one.)
⚡ Raycast Freemium: Access all your apps, files, and tools with a single keyboard shortcut—replace Spotlight with an AI supercharged productivity launcher.
🔒 Cryptomator Free and Open Source: Encrypt your cloud files before uploading to Dropbox or Google Drive—protect your data from prying eyes.
⏱️ Toggl Track Freemium: Track where your time actually goes with one-click timers—discover what's eating your productive hours.
TRENDING
Mark Hamill "Apprehensive" About Disney's $1B OpenAI Deal – The Star Wars actor says he has questions about the deal that lets users create videos with 200+ Disney characters, including Luke Skywalker.
The Case for Predictive AI Over Generative AI – MIT Tech Review argues that AI for weather forecasting and medical diagnosis matters more than chatbots, and uses far less energy.
AI Image Overload Triggered Mental Health Crisis – A UX designer at an AI startup developed a manic episode after spending 9 hours daily looking at AI-generated images of herself.
Google Tests On-Device AI for App Predictions – Android is testing AI that predicts which apps or actions you'll want next, all processed locally on your phone.
DoorDash Launches AI Restaurant Discovery App – New app called Zesty uses on-device AI to suggest restaurants based on your mood, time of day, and past orders.
OpenAI and Anthropic Double Developer Limits – Both companies temporarily increased usage limits for ChatGPT and Claude over the holiday period.
TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT)
Gratitude Practice Designer: Build a sustainable daily gratitude routine with prompts, mood tracking, and science-backed benefits
Build me an interactive Gratitude Practice Designer as a React artifact that creates a personalized gratitude journaling system with prompts and tracking.
The console should include these sections:
1. **Practice Setup** - Design your routine:
• Frequency: Daily, 3x/week, Weekly
• Best time: Morning (set intentions), Evening (reflect on day), Anytime
• Format preference: Quick (3 things), Deep (detailed), Themed (specific prompts)
• Why you're starting: Stress reduction, Positivity boost, Perspective shift, Habit building
• "Create My Practice" button
2. **Daily Prompts** - What to write about:
• Rotating prompt categories:
- **Simple**: "3 things I'm grateful for today"
- **Specific**: "Someone who made my life easier this week"
- **Challenge**: "Something difficult I'm grateful for in hindsight"
- **Senses**: "A sound, sight, or taste I appreciated"
- **People**: "A quality I admire in someone close to me"
- **Growth**: "A mistake that taught me something"
- **Future**: "An opportunity I have coming up"
• Prompt difficulty: Easy → Reflective → Deep
• "Shuffle prompt" for variety
• Custom prompt creator
3. **Gratitude Journal** - Write and track:
• Large text area for today's entry
• Date stamp and streak counter
• Optional mood before/after (1-10 scale)
• Photo or image upload (visual gratitude)
• Tags for themes (family, work, health, nature)
• "Save Entry" with satisfying animation
• Past entries browser (scroll through history)
4. **Mood Tracker** - See the impact:
• Mood graph over time (30/60/90 days)
• Before practice vs. after practice comparison
• Correlation insights: "Your mood improves X% on days you journal"
• Streak tracking (consecutive days)
• Best day of week for practice
• Emotional patterns identified
5. **Reflection Themes** - Deeper exploration:
• Weekly theme suggestions:
- Week 1: Gratitude for people
- Week 2: Small pleasures
- Week 3: Challenges overcome
- Week 4: Future opportunities
• Monthly reflection prompts
• "What patterns do you notice?" analysis
• Gratitude letter generator (write to someone)
6. **Progress & Insights** - Track your growth:
• Total entries logged
• Current streak and longest streak
• Most common gratitude themes (word cloud)
• Mood improvement percentage
• "Your gratitude evolution" timeline
• Milestone celebrations (7 days, 30 days, 100 days)
• Export journal as PDF
7. **Science & Motivation** - Why this works:
• Research benefits shown:
- Better sleep quality
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Improved relationships
- Increased resilience
• "Search Gratitude Research" for studies
• Motivational reminders
• Tips for maintaining consistency
• When motivation is low: Mini practices (1 thing)
Make it look like a peaceful journal with:
• Journal/diary aesthetic
• Warm, calming colors (soft oranges, creams, sage greens)
• Handwritten-style fonts for prompts
• Gentle animations (gratitude floating up)
• Progress flowers or plants growing
• Streak fire/celebration visuals
• Clean, distraction-free writing space
• Morning light or evening glow themes
When I click "Search Gratitude Research," use web search to find scientific studies on gratitude benefits, positive psychology research, and evidence-based practices for wellbeing.What this does: Creates a sustainable gratitude practice with varied prompts, mood tracking to show impact, and streak motivation—turning gratitude from a one-off exercise into a consistent habit that measurably improves your mental state.
What this looks like:
WHERE WE STAND (based on today’s stories)
✅ AI Can Now: Generate synthetic DNA sequences that control genes more precisely than any sequence found in nature.
❌ Still Can't: Predict how those synthetic sequences will interact with the full complexity of a living cell over time.
✅ AI Can Now: Run predictive models for weather and medical diagnosis that outperform humans while using a fraction of the energy of chatbots.
❌ Still Can't: Reliably distinguish between a public figure and someone with a similar name when summarizing search results.
✅ AI Can Now: Process your location, time of day, and order history entirely on your phone to suggest restaurants without sending data to the cloud.
❌ Still Can't: Separate a genuine recommendation from paid placement when ads get embedded directly into conversational answers.
FROM THE WEB
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
You're trapped in a decaying testing facility run by GLaDOS, a murderous AI who passive-aggressively guides you through puzzle chambers. Armed with a portal gun, you solve physics puzzles while GLaDOS insults you, lies to you, and eventually reveals the facility's dark history.
Portal 2 is funny, clever, and surprisingly emotional. GLaDOS is one of gaming's best villains. It’s petty, vindictive, and darkly comic. Stephen Merchant voices Wheatley, an AI designed to be an idiot, who becomes central to the plot. The puzzles are satisfying without being frustrating, and the writing is sharp. Even if you don't typically play games, Portal 2 is worth experiencing for GLaDOS alone.
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
By the way, this is the link if you liked the content and want to share with a friend.
Some links may be affiliate or referral links. This helps support the newsletter at no extra cost to you.
