In partnership with
The Future of Shopping? AI + Actual Humans.
AI has changed how consumers shop by speeding up research. But one thing hasn’t changed: shoppers still trust people more than AI.
Levanta’s new Affiliate 3.0 Consumer Report reveals a major shift in how shoppers blend AI tools with human influence. Consumers use AI to explore options, but when it comes time to buy, they still turn to creators, communities, and real experiences to validate their decisions.
The data shows:
Only 10% of shoppers buy through AI-recommended links
87% discover products through creators, blogs, or communities they trust
Human sources like reviews and creators rank higher in trust than AI recommendations
The most effective brands are combining AI discovery with authentic human influence to drive measurable conversions.
Affiliate marketing isn’t being replaced by AI, it’s being amplified by it.
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 'Falling Apart in Real Time' as Expert Warns of All Warning Signs
TLDR: A former Fidelity asset manager says OpenAI(parent to ChatGPT) is showing "all the warning signs" of corporate collapse, losing $12 billion per quarter while burning $15 million daily on Sora alone.
The Story:
George Noble, who spent decades in asset management at Fidelity, didn't mince words in a lengthy post on X: OpenAI may already be “falling apart in real time.”The company is reportedly losing $12 billion per quarter and spending $15 million daily just on its text-to-video generator Sora. Noble pointed to stalling ChatGPT subscriber growth and questioned whether the company can justify its plan to spend over $1 trillion before the decade ends. In a separate post, Noble compared Sam Altman's defensive reaction when questioned about finances to Enron's CEO Jeffrey Skilling, who infamously snapped at an analyst before the company's spectacular collapse.
Its Significance:
This matters because OpenAI doesn't have a backup plan. Unlike Google or Meta, which have profitable existing businesses to fund their AI bets, OpenAI is burning through investor cash with no proven path to profitability. The company recently announced it's adding ads to ChatGPT, a sign it's scrambling for revenue. Noble's warning comes just a week after another financial expert predicted OpenAI could run out of money within 18 months. Aside from ads, they’ll have to find other revenue sources OpenAI's New Fee Hits 1 Million Shopify Stores Starting Sunday. It's important to back up your chats and any important projects to be able to use with other AI software should you need to.
QUICK TAKES
The story: Brown University researchers published a paper in Neuron arguing that AI foundation models trained on vast datasets could transform neuroscience research. The concept of "digital twins," AI models that reflect human neural or behavioral data, could help unlock how the brain works.
Your takeaway: There's a catch: scientists don't fully understand how these AI models work "under the hood." As one researcher put it, "You can't explain one black box with another black box." The real question isn't whether AI can predict human behavior, but whether the mechanisms it uses actually match what's happening in our brains.
The story: A group of job seekers is suing Eightfold AI, claiming the company's résumé screening software should be regulated like credit bureaus under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Eightfold reportedly scrapes LinkedIn to build profiles on over 1 billion people, then scores applicants 1-5 based on an algorithm nobody can see or challenge.
Your takeaway: If you've applied for jobs recently and heard nothing back, an AI "black box" might be the reason. One plaintiff tracked her applications and got responses on just 0.3% of them. Until regulations catch up, job seekers have no way to know why they're being rejected or what data companies are collecting about them.
The story: A University of Cologne professor lost two years of academic work, including grant applications, lectures, and publication revisions, after turning off ChatGPT's "data consent" option. The chats vanished instantly with no warning and no way to recover them.
Your takeaway: This is a brutal reminder that ChatGPT is not a file storage system. If you're using any AI tool for important work, keep local backups. OpenAI confirmed that deleted chats "cannot be recovered" and helpfully suggested users maintain their own backups.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
💬 Mattermost Free and Open Source: Replace Slack with a self-hosted team chat you fully control—enterprise features without the enterprise price tag.
🌐 Wegic* Freemium: Build a professional website in under 60 seconds just by chatting with AI, no coding required.
🖼️ Photoroom Freemium: Generate AI backgrounds that match your product perfectly for e-commerce photos and marketing content.
🧠 Sider Freemium: Chat with GPT, Claude, and Gemini from any webpage in one browser sidebar—no more tab switching.
TRENDING
Scientists Identify Brain Waves That Define The Limits of 'You' - Researchers found that alpha wave frequency in the parietal cortex determines how well your brain distinguishes your body from the outside world, with implications for schizophrenia treatment and prosthetics.
Facebook AI Slop Has Grown So Dark That You May Not Be Prepared - AI-generated videos flooding Facebook have taken a disturbing turn, with clips showing humanoid cats grinding up kittens and racist "shark doctor" content. Meta's algorithm keeps serving it because users keep watching.
Apple's AI Shake-Up: Google Gemini to Power New Siri - Apple confirmed a multi-year deal reportedly worth $1 billion annually to use Google's Gemini models for a revamped Siri, expected in iOS 26.4 or iOS 27 later this year.
UN Warns of Escalating AI Threats to Children - Multiple UN agencies issued a joint statement warning that AI-powered grooming, deepfakes, and online abuse against children have exploded, with US tech-facilitated child abuse cases jumping from 4,700 in 2023 to over 67,000 in 2024.
Nanotech Targets Tumors in Mice Study - Brown University's Desai Lab used DNA-scaffolded nanoparticles to deliver tumor-fighting antibodies with precision, significantly suppressing tumor growth in mice compared to untreated subjects.
TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini)
Baloney Detection Kit: Spot logical fallacies, pseudoscience, and BS with Carl Sagan's critical thinking toolkit
Build a fully functional Baloney Detection Kit as an interactive React app. Render the working application immediately - no code display.
**Claim I want to evaluate**: [Paste an article, quote, or claim you're skeptical about]
**Source**: [Where you heard/read this]
Create these sections:
1. **The Baloney Meter**
• Paste any claim to analyze
• Big dial from "Solid Science" to "Pure Baloney"
• Overall credibility score: 0-100
• "Analyze This Claim" button
• Red flags detected count
• "Search Fact Check [Claim]" button
2. **Sagan's Toolkit Checklist**
• The classic tests:
☑️ Is the claim falsifiable?
☑️ Has it been independently verified?
☑️ Does the evidence fit multiple hypotheses?
☑️ Are they using Occam's Razor?
☑️ Can it be measured or tested?
☑️ Does the claimant have an agenda?
• Check each that applies
• "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"
3. **Logical Fallacy Scanner**
• Detect common tricks:
🚨 Ad Hominem (attacking the person)
🚨 Appeal to Authority (trust me, I'm an expert)
🚨 False Dichotomy (only two options)
🚨 Slippery Slope (one thing leads to disaster)
🚨 Cherry Picking (selective evidence)
🚨 Anecdote as Proof (my cousin said...)
• Explanation of each detected
• "What they should have said instead"
4. **Source Investigator**
• Questions to ask:
- Who's making this claim?
- What do they gain if you believe it?
- Who funded the research?
- Is this peer-reviewed?
- What do critics say?
• Credibility score for the source
• "Search [Source] Credibility" button
5. **Red Flag Phrases**
• Instant skepticism triggers:
🚩 "Scientists don't want you to know..."
🚩 "This one weird trick..."
🚩 "100% proven" / "Guaranteed"
🚩 "Ancient wisdom" / "Natural = safe"
🚩 "Do your own research"
🚩 "Just asking questions"
• Why each phrase is suspicious
• Doesn't mean false, but proceed with caution
6. **Verdict Generator**
• Final assessment:
✅ Credible (well-supported)
🤔 Plausible (needs more evidence)
⚠️ Questionable (significant red flags)
❌ Baloney (fails multiple tests)
• Summary of issues found
• Recommended next steps
• "How to respond to someone sharing this"
Design specs:
- 1970s science documentary aesthetic
- Cosmos/Carl Sagan inspired
- Deep space blues and warm amber
- Retro scientific instruments
- Telescope and observatory imagery
- Vintage dial gauges and meters
- Typewriter-style fonts for quotes
- Star field backgrounds
- "Pale Blue Dot" humility vibes
- Curiosity-driven, not condescending
When search buttons are clicked, use web search to find fact-checks and source credibility information.What this does: Channels Carl Sagan's legendary BS detector. Run any claim through the scientific method, spot logical fallacies, investigate sources, and get a verdict on whether you're looking at solid science or pure baloney.
What this looks like:
WHERE WE STAND(based on today’s news)
✅ AI Can Now: Score your job application in a black box you'll never see
❌ Still Can't: Tell you why you didn't get the job
✅ AI Can Now: Generate realistic videos of cats, sharks, and nightmare fuel
❌ Still Can't: Stop feeding that content to people who clearly hate it
✅ AI Can Now: Store two years of your work in the cloud
❌ Still Can't: Warn you before deleting it forever
FROM THE WEB
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
A man constructs an entire virtual world in minutes using gesture-based holographic tools, all for someone who will only experience it briefly. This 9-minute film is gorgeous and melancholy, raising questions about what we create for others and why. It predicted the interface style that companies like Meta and Apple are now chasing with spatial computing, nearly two decades early.
AI-native CRM
“When I first opened Attio, I instantly got the feeling this was the next generation of CRM.”
— Margaret Shen, Head of GTM at Modal
Attio is the AI-native CRM for modern teams. With automatic enrichment, call intelligence, AI agents, flexible workflows and more, Attio works for any business and only takes minutes to set up.
Join industry leaders like Granola, Taskrabbit, Flatfile and more.
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 product links may be affiliate or referral links. This helps support the newsletter at no extra cost to you.
