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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
ChatGPT Now Takes a Cut of What It Sells You — And It's Not Small
TLDR: OpenAI will charge merchants 4% on every sale made through ChatGPT's new checkout feature starting January 26, while Google and Microsoft's competing AI shopping tools charge no fees at all.
The Story:
OpenAI is introducing a 4% transaction fee for merchants using ChatGPT Instant Checkout, which launches with Shopify's 1 million+ stores this Sunday. The fee stacks on top of Shopify's existing 2.9% processing charges. Google's AI Mode and Microsoft's Copilot Checkout both let merchants sell without any added AI fees. OpenAI lost $5 billion in 2024 while generating $3.7 billion in revenue, and the company projects losses could hit $27 billion in 2025 as it scales infrastructure. ChatGPT has roughly 700 million weekly users, but only about 20 million pay for subscriptions.
Its Significance:
This marks OpenAI's first serious push into commerce revenue beyond subscriptions and API fees. The bet is that ChatGPT becomes the trusted advisor who influences purchase decisions. Sam Altman has argued that unlike Google's ad model (which profits when search works poorly), ChatGPT should give you the best answer and earn a commission when you buy. Adobe data shows AI-driven retail traffic jumped 693% during the 2025 holiday season, suggesting the agentic commerce market is real. But OpenAI's competitors are betting that waiving fees will win merchants first and lock in the infrastructure before anyone can charge for it.
QUICK TAKES
The story: Runway tested 1,043 people with their Gen-4.5 video model. Each person watched 20 videos (10 real, 10 AI) and guessed which was which. Only 9.5% could reliably tell the difference.
Your takeaway: We've crossed a major line. AI video is now indistinguishable from reality for most people. Detection isn't a reliable strategy anymore, and Runway is calling for new verification standards before this gets out of hand.
The story: Google DeepMind struck a licensing deal with voice AI startup Hume AI, hiring CEO Alan Cowen and top engineers. This follows Google's pattern of bringing back AI talent, including Noam Shazeer from Character.AI in August 2024.
Your takeaway: Google is consolidating AI voice expertise. Expect smarter, more emotionally aware voice assistants from Google products. The AI talent war continues to reshape which companies lead in key areas.
The story: Researchers at Penn Medicine are using AI to analyze brain MRIs and predict tumor progression. The system spots subtle changes that human doctors miss, leading to "much longer survival" for glioblastoma patients.
Your takeaway: AI in medicine isn't replacing doctors. It's catching what humans physically can't see. When your brain has thousands of data points changing constantly, AI becomes essential for early detection. This is already saving lives.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
🔇 Krisp* Freemium: Remove background noise from both sides of your calls with AI that works with any conferencing app—eliminates barking dogs, crying babies, and keyboard clicks instantly.
💰 RocketMoney Freemium: Find and cancel forgotten subscriptions while AI helps you track spending and build better budgets.
⏱️ Pomofocus Free: Stay focused with customizable work sessions and built-in task lists to track what you accomplish.
🔄 Syncthing Free and Open Source: Sync files between devices without cloud servers—peer-to-peer encryption keeps your data private.
TRENDING
AI Startup Humans& Raises $480 Million at $4.48 Billion Valuation - A three-month-old company founded by ex-Anthropic, ex-xAI, and Google veterans just became one of the most valuable AI startups before shipping a single product.
Economic Times Publishes AI Image That Misspells "Kafkaesque" - The newspaper's "Word of the Day" graphic featured a blackboard spelling it "Kafkaesliue." Kafka himself would appreciate the absurdity.
Wearable AI Device Helps Stroke Patients Speak Again - The "intelligent throat" captures muscle vibrations and converts them to speech with 96.3% word accuracy and 83.2% emotion recognition.
Waymo Launches in Miami, Its 6th US Market - The robotaxi service now covers 60 square miles of Miami with 10,000 people on the waitlist, and plans for 10 more US cities this year.
Tesla Removes Safety Monitors From Austin Robotaxis - Elon Musk confirmed rides now operate with zero human backup. The fleet has about 25 cars, well short of the promised 1,000.
TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini)
Boundary Scripts Generator: Get pre-written scripts for saying no, protecting your time, and shutting down guilt trips
Build a fully functional Boundary Scripts Generator as an interactive React app. Render the working application immediately - no code display.
**Where I struggle to set boundaries**: [Work, family, friends, dating, etc.]
**My biggest boundary challenge**: [What situation you dread most]
Create these sections:
1. **Boundary Type Selector**
• Pick your situation:
🏢 Work (overtime, extra tasks, weekend emails)
👨👩👧 Family (unsolicited advice, guilt trips, obligations)
👫 Friends (last-minute plans, lending money, emotional dumping)
💕 Dating (moving too fast, disrespect, pressure)
📱 Digital (response time, availability, social media)
• Get scripts tailored to each category
2. **Script Library**
• Ready-to-use phrases for common situations:
- "I can't take on more right now"
- "That doesn't work for me"
- "I need to think about it"
- "I'm not available then"
- "I love you, but no"
• Soft, medium, and firm versions of each
• Copy button for every script
• "Search Boundary Setting Tips" button
3. **The "No" Customizer**
• Build your personalized no:
- Situation: [what they're asking]
- Your relationship: [boss, mom, friend, etc.]
- Firmness level: 🪶 Gentle → 🪨 Firm
• Generated script with your tone
• Optional: give a reason (you don't have to!)
• "No is a complete sentence" reminder
4. **Guilt Trip Deflector**
• Counter-scripts for manipulation:
- "After everything I've done for you..." → [response]
- "You're being selfish" → [response]
- "But it's family" → [response]
- "You've changed" → [response]
- "Fine, I'll do it myself" → [response]
• Stay calm, don't JADE (Justify, Argue, Defend, Explain)
5. **Broken Record Mode**
• When they won't accept no:
- First ask: [polite no]
- Second push: [same no, slightly firmer]
- Third push: [boundary + consequence]
- Keeps pushing: [exit the conversation]
• Practice repeating without escalating
• "You don't need a new reason each time"
6. **Boundary Tracker**
• Log boundaries you've set
• Did you hold it? Yes / Caved
• How it felt (guilt fades, freedom grows)
• Streak counter for held boundaries
• Progress: "You've said no X times this month"
Design specs:
- Shield/armor customization aesthetic
- RPG character equipment vibes
- Strength meter for boundary firmness
- Medieval/knight imagery (protecting yourself)
- Bold colors (steel gray, gold, royal purple)
- Shield icons for each boundary type
- "Armor up" energy
- Defense stats and upgrades
- Satisfying equip animations
When "Search Boundary Setting Tips" is clicked, use web search to find psychology-based advice on healthy boundary setting.What this does: Gives you the exact words when your brain goes blank. Pre-written scripts for every awkward situation, guilt-trip deflectors for manipulative pushback, and a tracker to build your boundary-setting confidence over time.
What this looks like:
WHERE WE STAND(based on today’s news)
✅ AI Can Now: Fool 90% of people into thinking AI-generated video is real footage, according to Runway's 1,043-person study.
❌ Still Can't: Spell "Kafkaesque" correctly on a blackboard, as the Economic Times learned the hard way.
✅ AI Can Now: Read muscle vibrations in stroke patients' throats and convert silent signals into spoken words with 96% accuracy.
❌ Still Can't: Pass the Texas DMV test. Tesla's driverless Austin fleet operates in a regulatory gap that closes in May.
FROM THE WEB
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
In 2016, futurist Maurice Conti gave a TED talk that framed AI not as a replacement for human creativity but as its amplifier. He walks through the ages of human history (hunter-gatherer, agricultural, industrial, information) and argues we're entering what he calls the "Augmented Age," where humans, robots, and AI systems work together to solve problems none could tackle alone.
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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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