AI for Consumers - 20250114
What went on this week with AI, and how it affected (non-)consumers.
Top 10-ish Articles
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Us or Empower Us?
Peter Coy, The New York Times
A day may come when A.I. is so powerful that it’s better at every conceivable human activity, including child-rearing, according to Nick Bostrom, a Swedish-born philosopher whose book I covered in a newsletter last year. [¶] But there’s no reason for humanity to race toward that dystopian outcome. As Brynjolfsson wrote in his 2022 essay: “The future is not preordained.”
Can AI Models Show Us How People Learn? Impossible Languages Point a Way.
Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine
Certain grammatical rules never appear in any known language. By constructing artificial languages that have these rules, linguists can use neural networks to explore how people learn.
How should we test AI for human-level intelligence? OpenAI’s o3 electrifies quest
Nicola Jones, Nature
The technology firm OpenAI made headlines last month when its latest experimental chatbot model, o3, achieved a high score on a test that marks progress towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI’s o3 scored 87.5%, trouncing the previous best score for an artificial intelligence (AI) system of 55.5%.
Q&A: The climate impact of generative AI
Anne McGovern, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
As the use of generative AI continues to grow, Lincoln Laboratory's Vijay Gadepally describes what researchers and consumers can do to help mitigate its environmental impact.
US tightens control on AI chips export drawing pushback
Natalie Sherman, BBC News
The US is moving to impose tough new restrictions on the export of advanced computer chips and other artificial intelligence (AI) technology to dozens of countries - not just the handful it has long identified as adversaries. [¶] Officials say the new rules are intended to make sure "the world's AI runs on American rails" and keep it out of the hands of "malicious actors" who could use it to threaten the United States.
Biden’s final push: Using AI to bolster cybersecurity standards
Gyana Swain, CSO
The upcoming directive is expected to mandate secure software development, AI-driven defense initiatives, and stricter federal security compliance for agencies and contractors.
The Battle for Brilliant Minds from the Nuclear Age to AI
Iskander Rehman, War on the Rocks
In the global competition to develop artificial general intelligence, keeping close track of compute clusters, semiconductor export controls, and large language models will prove critical.
Water shortage fears as Labour’s first AI growth zone sited close to new reservoir
Helena Horton, The Guardian
First datacentre site proposed seven miles from Abingdon reservoir planned for water-stressed south-east England.
Microsoft Cracks Down on Malicious Copilot AI Use
Kristina Beek, Dark Reading
According to the tech giant, it has observed a threat group seeking out vulnerable customer accounts using generative AI, then creating tools to abuse these services.
Articles/Books
5 Self-Paced, Free AI Courses To Study In 2025
Rachel Wells, Forbes
Generative AI Tutorials from ChatGPT Central: ChatGPT's Memory Function,
Stocks
Nvidia stock falls after Biden administration releases updated export rule for AI chips
Laura Bratton, Yahoo Finance
Prediction: This Hypergrowth AI Stock Will Finish 2025 With the Largest Market Cap in the World (Hint: It's Not Nvidia)
Brett Schafer, The Motley Fool
Apps to check out
Train Your Brain to Work Creatively with Gen AI
Brian Solis, HBR
AI Bots
Apple Intelligence
How to turn off Apple Intelligence on your iPhone
David Nield, The Verge
Meta
What does Mark Zuckerberg want from Donald Trump?
Alex Heath, The Verge
OpenAI / ChatGPT
OpenAI Courts Trump With Vision for ‘A.I. in America’
Cade Metz & Cecilia Kang, The New York Times
The maker of ChatGPT hopes to spur investment from the Middle East and avoid strict regulations on the development of new technologies.
Helpful ChatGPT prompts
Genji, GitHub
X / Grok
How Elon Musk’s xAI is quietly taking over X
Kylie Robison, The Verge
Apps & Web
Fenado AI
Fenado AI builds apps and websites in minutes.
Education
Cogent
Unlock your full potential with our innovative study tool, designed to enhance your learning through interactive flashcards, chatbots, and more. Join a community of learners who are transforming their study habits for success.
Furniture
F3d
Virtually stage a room with only a prompt.
Images
Iconik AI
Generate beautiful app icons for free using AI.
Comfy
Experience AI creation locally. Free.
Zizoto
Discover a new way to generate AI images and collaborate with others. Morph and remix images generated by other users. Print high-quality posters directly from Zizoto. Join a community of creators, artists, and innovators. Semi-free. iPhone/Android.
Images / Video
KREA
The easiest way to generate videos and images with AI.
Images / Video / Voice
VoiceGen
You don’t need to jump between multiple platforms to create content. From voice generation and cloning to image and video creation, we bring everything together in one easy-to-use platform, streamlining your workflow and saving you time.
Miscellaneous
Creative Fast Aid
Create campaign ideas for NGOs and brands with generative AI in just minutes!
Web3Summary
Our AI is trained to answer questions about DeFi protocols and DAOs.
Presentations
SlidesPilot
Create or convert to PowerPoint 10X faster with AI CoPilot.
Text
Reddit Scout
Save time sifting through Reddit comments to find the best products to buy. Get a detailed summary in seconds.
Video
How to Use Expand Video in Gen-3 Alpha Turbo
Runway
AI Video Cut
Turn long videos into catchy YouTube Shorts, TikToks, viral ads, and trailers effortlessly. Free with charges for numerous and higher-clarity.