AI for Consumers - 20250506

What went on this week with AI, and how it affected (non-)consumers.

May 06, 2025

Society

NBC will use Jim Fagan’s AI-generated voice for NBA coverage
Emma Roth, The Verge
The AI-generated voice of Fagan, who died in 2017, will appear across select NBA promos, openers, and title sequences.

Katy Perry's Met Gala AI-Generated Deep Fake Stumps Fans Again (but Not Her Mom This Time)
Michael Nied, People
This is the second consecutive year that AI-generated images of Perry attending fashion's biggest night have gone viral.

Who is going to be the next pope? We asked AI chatbots and this is who they predict will be elected
Anna Desmarais, Euronews
Cardinals are starting the next conclave to select the next pope on Wednesday. Here’s who AI has pegged as the potential successor to Pope Francis.

If A.I. Systems Become Conscious, Should They Have Rights?
Kevin Roose, The New York Times
As artificial intelligence systems become smarter, one A.I. company is trying to figure out what to do if they become conscious.

Politics

US government is using AI for unprecedented social media surveillance
Jeremy Hsu, New Scientist
Under the Trump administration, multiple US government agencies are using AI and other tools to broadly track the social media of tourists and immigrants – and potentially to watch US citizens as well.

Data centers say Trump’s crackdown on renewables bad for business, AI
Martha Muir, Financial Times via Ars Technica
Without renewables, it's nearly impossible to meet growing power demand from AI. See also AI development's other challenge besides power: minerals.

Technology

If you haven’t been worrying about AI, it’s time to start preparing
Megan McArdle, The Washington Post
Yes, AI will disrupt society and work, but it’s not doomsday. See also AI Companion Chatbots Linked to Rising Reports of Harassment and Harm and The people refusing to use AI.

AI hallucinations are getting worse
Theara Coleman, The Week US
As generative artificial intelligence has become increasingly popular, the tool sometimes fudges the truth. These lies, or hallucinations as they are known in the tech industry, have ameliorated as companies improve the tools' functionality. But the most recent models are bucking that trend by hallucinating more frequently. See also AI hallucination spooks law firms, halts adoption and A.I. Is Getting More Powerful, but Its Hallucinations Are Getting Worse.

International

Israel’s A.I. Experiments in Gaza War Raise Ethical Concerns
Sheera Frenkel and Natan Odenheimer, The New York Times
Israel developed new artificial intelligence tools to gain an advantage in the war. The technologies have sometimes led to fatal consequences.

Argentina hopes to attract Big Tech with nuclear-powered AI data centers
Catherine Cartier and Facundo Iglesia, Rest of World
President Javier Milei’s plan includes a new type of nuclear reactor and even a so-called Nuclear City in Patagonia, but critics question its feasibility.

Apps to check out

AI Bots

Promptimize
Promptimize is a browser extension that gives anyone the powers of an expert prompt engineer. Just write a prompt and click enhance. Promptimize handles the rest. Free for 10/day.

allenai / OLMo-2-0425-1B
Hugging Face’s new model. We introduce OLMo 2 1B, the smallest model in the OLMo 2 family.

Google / Gemini

Windows 11 is getting a new Start menu this month
Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge

Google’s iOS app will use AI to simplify jargon
Jess Weatherbed, The Verge

AI Upgrades Come to Search Ad Campaigns With Google's New AI Max
Kendra Barnett, Adweek

OpenAI / ChatGPT

How To Use ChatGPT For Keyword Research
Daniel Smullen, Search Engine Journal

OpenAI abandons plan to become a for-profit company
Alex Heath, The Verge

Agents

Gumloop
Automate any workflow with AI. No coding required. Start free.

Business

15minuteplan.ai
Fill out simple forms, select language, and get a business plan in under 15 minutes. Try free.

Coding

Preswald
Preswald is the fastest way to turn Python scripts into interactive data apps, dashboards, and internal tools. Develop locally, deploy in one command, and share instantly. Get started for free.

Dance!

AI Hairstyles
With our hairstyle AI, you can virtually try on different styles and colours to find the perfect look for you.

Math

GeoGebra
GeoGebra is more than a set of free tools to do math. It’s a platform to connect enthusiastic teachers and students and offer them a new way to explore and learn about math.

Miscellaneous

Tarot Masters
Astrological precision enhanced by AI.

Castmagic
The fastest way to automate your content workflow with AI. Free trial.

Notes

mem
Jot anything down without organizing. Mem helps you find and use your notes when you need them most.

Researching / Writing

Seamless
Draft your literature review scholarship applications 100x faster with AI.

Search

Lumona
AI-enabled search engine featuring insights from social media.

Science

FutureHouse Platform
Access agents and models to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery. Science is bottlenecked by data. The 38 million papers on PubMed, 500,000+ clinical trials, and thousands of specialized tools have created an information bottleneck that even the most brilliant scientists can’t navigate. At FutureHouse, our mission is to solve this problem by building an AI Scientist. Free.

Text

Tutorial: How To Use AI to Craft and Send Your First Newsletter!
The AI Break, Luis Sousa, and Rui Sousa

Video

Higgsfield
What really sets it apart is the way it gives users real control over camera motion - something that’s been missing in every other GenAI video platform we’ve seen so far. With our tool, creators can generate shots using advanced techniques like crash zooms, dolly moves, overheads, or even boltcam-style angles - all in just minutes, with full creative intent behind every motion.

Writing

5 AI Prompts That Will Transform Your Writing Forever
Bernard Marr

16 Free Title Generator Tools For Writing Better Headlines
Annabelle Nyst, Search Engine Journal

Eskritor
Boost productivity with Eskritor’s AI Writer—edit, optimize, and generate content effortlessly using advanced AI tools. From blog posts to business proposals, achieve professional results in seconds.

AI for Consumers