What investment is rudimentary for billionaires but ‘revolutionary’ for 70,571+ investors entering 2026?
Imagine this. You open your phone to an alert. It says, “you spent $236,000,000 more this month than you did last month.”
If you were the top bidder at Sotheby’s fall auctions, it could be reality.
Sounds crazy, right? But when the ultra-wealthy spend staggering amounts on blue-chip art, it’s not just for decoration.
The scarcity of these treasured artworks has helped drive their prices, in exceptional cases, to thin-air heights, without moving in lockstep with other asset classes.
The contemporary and post war segments have even outpaced the S&P 500 overall since 1995.*
Now, over 70,000 people have invested $1.2 billion+ across 500 iconic artworks featuring Banksy, Basquiat, Picasso, and more.
How? You don’t need Medici money to invest in multimillion dollar artworks with Masterworks.
Thousands of members have gotten annualized net returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8% from 26 sales to date.
*Based on Masterworks data. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd
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 edited and curated, and published with the intention of making AI news and technology more accessible to everyone.
THE FRONT PAGE
Autonomous Machines Just Went Microscopic
TLDR: Researchers built the first robots small enough to monitor individual cells—and gave them onboard computers that let them think without any outside control.
The Story:
Engineers at Penn and the University of Michigan just solved a problem that's stumped robotics for four decades: making robots that operate independently at sizes below one millimeter. Their new machines measure about 200 by 300 by 50 micrometers—smaller than a grain of salt—yet carry their own computers, sensors, and propulsion. Powered by light and costing roughly a penny each, the robots can swim for months, sense temperatures to within a third of a degree, and adjust their paths accordingly. They're the first programmable robots at this scale that don't need tethers, magnetic fields, or joystick control from researchers. Each one gets its own unique address, so scientists can load different programs onto different robots—opening the door to coordinated swarms where each machine handles a distinct task.
Its Significance:
The timing matters. As AI systems get better at processing sensor data and making decisions, the missing piece has been hardware small enough to actually reach the places that need monitoring—inside the body, inside machinery, inside environments too small or fragile for conventional tools. These robots fill that gap. They could track cellular health in real time, help construct microscale devices, or serve as the physical layer for AI systems that currently exist only in software. The researchers see this as a platform, not a finished product: future versions could carry more complex programs, move faster, and integrate new sensors. For now, they've proven something that seemed stuck: you can put a brain, a sensor, and a motor into something almost too small to see, and have it work.
QUICK TAKES
The story: A Texas company called HGP Intelligent Energy wants to reuse retired nuclear reactors from Navy submarines and aircraft carriers to power AI data centers. The company filed for a federal loan guarantee to build a facility near Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The two reactors would produce 450-520 megawatts of power at a cost of $1.8 to $2.1 billion—much cheaper than building new nuclear plants.
Your takeaway: AI data centers are hungry for constant, carbon-free power. Recycling military reactors could be a creative shortcut, but current regulations weren't designed for this kind of reuse.
The story: A researcher discovered a 1,200-line system prompt hidden in Waymo's app code showing the company is testing a Gemini-powered assistant for its self-driving taxis. The assistant can answer questions, control temperature and music, and greet riders by name. It's programmed to avoid discussing driving decisions or incidents, and to always refer to the "Waymo Driver" when asked about how the car sees the road.
Your takeaway: Self-driving cars are getting AI chatbot companions. The careful separation between the chatbot and the driving system shows how companies are thinking about liability and trust.
The story: 2025 became the year AI showed up everywhere in gaming. AI-generated assets were discovered in Call of Duty and Ubisoft's Anno 117: Pax Romana. Major studios announced AI partnerships while indie developers pushed back, marketing their games as "AI-free." One study found that one in five Steam games released this year discloses some form of generative AI use—a 681% increase from last year.
Your takeaway: Game studios see AI as a way to cut costs and speed up development, but the tech still produces noticeable quality issues. Player backlash suggests the industry hasn't figured out how to use it without alienating its audience.
TOOLS ON OUR RADAR
🌐 Wegic
Freemium: Build professional websites by chatting with AI—describe what you want and get a complete site in seconds with no coding required.📈 Mixpanel
Freemium: Track how users interact with your product and make data-driven decisions with powerful analytics and cohort analysis.📋 Asana
Freemium: Organize team workflows with task assignments, project timelines, and automated updates—keep everyone aligned without endless meetings.💬 Signal
Free and Open Source: Send messages and make calls with end-to-end encryption that even Signal can't access—recommended by security experts worldwide.
TRENDING
AI Engine Optimization Is Changing Online Visibility – Google's AI Overviews now appear on about 30% of U.S. searches, causing double-digit drops in website clicks. Marketers are shifting from traditional SEO to "AI engine optimization" that focuses on structured data and entity recognition.
Groq's Chip Design Takes Different Approach to AI Speed – Groq's deterministic chip architecture processes AI tasks with predictable timing, unlike traditional GPUs. The approach trades flexibility for speed and consistency in running AI models.
AI-Generated Code Has 1.7x More Bugs Than Human Code – A CodeRabbit analysis of 470 code submissions found AI-generated code averaged 10.83 issues per request compared to 6.45 for human-written code. AI code had higher rates of critical errors and security vulnerabilities.
How to Protect Your Privacy When Using AI Assistants – Most AI companies use your conversations to train future models unless you opt out. Users can protect themselves by adjusting privacy settings, using temporary chat modes, and reading terms of service carefully.
TRY THIS PROMPT (copy and paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini)
Founder-Cofounder Compatibility Check: Assess partnership fit before you commit, covering values, skills, money, and conflict resolution
Build me an interactive Founder-Cofounder Compatibility Check as a React artifact that evaluates partnership potential across critical dimensions before you commit.
The console should include these sections:
1. **Setup** - Who's involved:
• Number of cofounders, roles, stage
• How long you've known each other
• "Start Assessment" button
2. **Value Alignment** - Do you want the same thing?:
• Both answer separately:
- Vision: Lifestyle vs. Unicorn
- Timeline: Quick exit vs. Long-term build
- Risk tolerance: All-in vs. Safety first
- Work pace: Sprint vs. Sustainable
• Alignment score with mismatches flagged
• "Can you live with gaps?" prompts
3. **Skills & Roles** - Who brings what:
• Rate strengths (1-10): Tech, Sales, Ops, Finance, Leadership
• Visual radar chart showing coverage
• Gap analysis (missing critical skills)
• Suggested role division
4. **Equity & Money** - The hard talk:
• Equity split factors (idea, full-time, capital, work done)
• Vesting schedule builder (4-year standard)
• Founder agreement checklist (IP, exits, buyouts)
• "Get this in writing" templates
5. **Conflict Resolution** - How you fight:
• Conflict style quiz (Avoider, Competitor, Collaborator, etc.)
• Compatibility between styles
• Protocol builder: Cool-down period, tie-breaker process
• Disagreement scenarios
6. **Red Flags & Tough Questions**:
• Warning signs scanner:
⚠️ Unequal commitment
⚠️ Unclear roles
⚠️ Money not discussed
⚠️ Different risk tolerance
• 12 critical questions to discuss:
- "What if one wants to quit?"
- "What if we get acquired?"
- "Who makes final decisions?"
- "What if we run out of money?"
• Track which you've discussed
7. **Compatibility Score** - Final verdict:
• Overall rating (1-100)
• Breakdown: Values, Skills, Equity clarity, Conflict readiness
• Verdict: Strong (80+), Workable (60-79), Concerns (40-59), Reconsider (<40)
• Top 3 strengths and areas to address
• Action plan with timeline
Make it look like a professional assessment tool with:
• Clean, serious business aesthetic
• Compatibility meter (relationship-style gauge)
• Radar charts for skills
• Traffic light indicators (green/yellow/red)
• Professional color scheme (navy, gray, accent colors)
• Checklist progress tracking
• Side-by-side comparison views
• "Partnership health" dashboard
• Trustworthy, startup-focused design
When I click "Search Cofounder Advice," use web search to find founder breakup stories, cofounder agreement templates, equity split frameworks, and partnership best practices from successful startups.What this does: Prevents the #1 startup killer (cofounder breakups) by systematically assessing compatibility across values, skills, equity, and conflict resolution—forcing hard conversations early and creating agreements before problems emerge.
What this looks like:
WHERE WE STAND
✅ AI Can Now: Power conversational assistants inside self-driving cars that control cabin features and answer passenger questions in real time.
❌ Still Can't: Make driving decisions or explain why the vehicle took a specific action—those systems remain completely separate.
✅ AI Can Now: Generate playable video game assets, dialogue, and environments fast enough that one in five new Steam games uses some form of AI-generated content.
❌ Still Can't: Produce assets that consistently match human quality—players and reviewers often spot AI-generated images by their visual flaws.
✅ AI Can Now: Write functional code quickly enough that 90% of software developers use AI tools on the job.
❌ Still Can't: Write reliable code—AI-generated code currently produces 1.7 times more bugs and security vulnerabilities than code written by humans.
FROM THE WEB
RECOMMENDED LISTENING/READING/WATCHING
Speaking of robots that can go anywhere. Earth has been abandoned after environmental collapse, and a small waste-collecting robot named WALL-E has been cleaning up for 700 years. Then another robot named EVE arrives, and WALL-E follows her into space on a journey that might save humanity.
Pixar makes the first half of this film almost wordless with just WALL-E going about his routine, collecting treasures from the trash, watching old musicals. When he falls for EVE, you believe it completely even though they barely speak. The second half on the spaceship gets more conventional, but it's still Pixar's most ambitious film. WALL-E is lonely without being depressing, hopeful without being naive.
Six resources. One skill you'll use forever
Smart Brevity is the methodology behind Axios — designed to make every message memorable, clear, and impossible to ignore. Our free toolkit includes the checklist, workbooks, and frameworks to start using it today.
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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