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SPECIAL NOTE:
Since we have so many new subscribers, and since this topic is so important, we’re sharing the full newsletter with all our non-members to give you a taste of what you’ll get as a member. Enjoy!

The AI Ecosystem
As you might already know, AI has been around for a long time. That’s because there are different areas of AI. And many of these areas have been around for many years – like Robotics, Speech Recognition, Machine Learning, etc. You’ve seen these out in the world in robot vacuums, Netflix recommendations, the autocomplete on your iPhone texts, and social media feeds (yep, what you see on Facebook, Instagram, etc., is powered by AI).

We also have newer areas of AI like Large Language Models, Generative AI, and Neural Networks. These are mostly the culprits of all the hype, and you’ve seen them out in the world in ChatGPT, deep fakes, and image generators.

I’ll get into the definitions of these terms in “Let’s Learn Something”, but for now I simply want to show that AI is made up of many things that work together to help us do stuff.

This visual isn’t scientific, and if you’re very technical, you might be annoyed by the over-simplification of it, but for the rest of us, here’s what I want you to take away from this moving image:

1. The more you understand that there’s a full ecosystem at work, the more prepared you’ll be when it’s more ingrained in more of your life.

2. Humans have created breakthrough technology within many of these areas – and that’s been going on for a long time.

3. Most of the recent hype lies within one area of AI, Large Language Models (e.g. ChatGPT).

Large Language Models
That begs the question, “What the heck is a Large Language Model?” LLMs (for short) are a prime example of AI technology trying to mimic human intelligence, specifically in the realm of understanding and generating natural language.

Here’s how they work:

• LLMs are a type of AI software that processes and generates words.

• They are created by analyzing enormous amounts of written material, like books and websites, to recognize patterns in language.

• When you ask an LLM a question or give it a task, it uses patterns it has observed to create its response. It is quite literally predicting the most likely next words.

• They don’t truly understand meaning, but boy can they produce seemingly intelligent responses. They do this by recognizing patterns in language.

• The more they analyze stuff, the better they get at predicting and generating useful text.

It’s important to reiterate and clarify that LLMs don’t actually understand language in the way humans do, but they can perform tasks that seem intelligent by leveraging their training and sophisticated calculations. And in fact, they are incredibly capable of performing certain tasks, some even better than humans. More on that next week.

Let me also say that some people might think everything I’ve shared is an absurd reduction of what the technology is and can do. I don’t disagree. One step at a time here. This is AI for the Rest of Us, not AI for Experts.

Why does this matter?
OK, that was a lot to throw at you. Why am I sharing all of this technical stuff?

I want us to understand that we are talking about technology here, not human intelligence. Yes, it’s impressive technology – the most capable we’ve ever had. And it’s only getting more capable.

But it’s not sentient. It can’t relate to you. It doesn’t want fresh air or crave ice cream. It doesn’t know you in the truest sense of the word. But it sure can act like it.

I’ve thrown several heady words at you already, and at the risk of losing you with too much tech jargon in one week, I do think it’s important to leave you with a list of terms you should know.

Quick heads up: the text is purposefully small because that entire thing is an image you can save to your phone or desktop for handy reference. You’re also welcome to share it with others.

For those with more time
If you want to dig deeper into the definition of AI and what the technology can do, you should watch this brilliant explainer video (18 minutes, but the first 9 minutes are the best).

You can still join us!

AI in the Wild

From search engines to hospital wards, AI is stepping out of the lab and into our everyday lives at an unprecedented rate. Here’s a look at three recent developments that show how AI is reshaping the world around us.

Google Overhauls Search with “AI Mode” [Free to read]
This one’s a big shift. At its annual I/O conference this week, Google announced a sweeping revamp of Search called “AI Overviews,” powered by its Gemini 2.5 model. Instead of just serving up links, the new AI Mode delivers full responses to questions, summarizing the web, offering insights, and even making suggestions. Want to know the best hiking spots near you? Instead of a list of sites, it gives you a full itinerary. Google says it’s the future of search, and it starts rolling out this year. The big question for the rest of us: If the AI summarizes all the links for us and we rarely click through to websites... what happens to the world wide web? 🤯 

UK Military Backs AI for Future Warfare [Free to read]
In a recent speech, the UK’s Defense Secretary John Healey made it clear: AI is no longer optional for the British military. As part of the UK’s strategic defence review, he stressed the importance of integrating artificial intelligence into national security—everything from logistics and strategy to frontline decision-making. The military sees AI as key to staying competitive in modern warfare. It’s not just hype; it’s policy. Of course, that opens the door to a new kind of arms race, one where algorithms and data may matter more than soldiers or missiles.

Robot Nurses Hit the Hospital Floor in Taiwan [Free to read/watch]
This one’s either a feel-good twist on AI-in-healthcare or a freaky reality we might be facing soon. Hospitals in Taiwan are now using an AI-powered nurse robot, dubbed Nurabot, to help with everything from guiding visitors to delivering meds and checking vitals. Built by Foxconn and powered by NVIDIA tech, these friendly hallway roamers are designed to reduce nurses’ workloads by as much as 30%. That means human staff can focus more on critical care while Nurabot handles the routine stuff. Future versions are expected to offer even more support – like lifting patients and speaking multiple languages. It’s not replacing nurses; it’s helping them breathe a little easier?

It’s Play Time

Newcomers [AI is new to me]

Special note to our new members: if you have never used ChatGPT and/or do not have access to it, then I highly recommend you read the Play Time section in Edition #1 and follow the steps laid out there before moving forward with this activity.

I saw this prompt in another newsletter I really like (The Neuron) and thought it was too good not to share with y’all. It’s a great one to try when you’re wrestling with a tricky idea, or when you’re trying to explain something to people at different levels of understanding. Whether you’re prepping for a meeting, building a deck, or just wanna make sure you actually get the thing... this one delivers.

PROMPT
Explain [complex concept] three times: 
(a) to a 5-year-old 
(b) to a college student 
(c) to a domain expert who wants edge-case caveats

Why it’s worth trying:
It helps you stress-test your own understanding, makes your communication sharper, and doubles as ready-to-go content if you’re making a presentation or teaching others. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Explorers [I’m comfortable with AI]

Instead of a prompt this time, I wanted to share a peek at my current AI stack. These are tools I use almost daily to write, research, make stuff, and think through hard problems.

I try out a lot of products, and there are plenty I use here and there. But these six? They’ve earned a spot in regular rotation. If you’re looking to up your own AI workflow, these are all worth checking out.

Let me know what tools you’re using – because I’m always looking to expand the stack.

One last chance to join!

That’s all for Edition #21. We’ll be back in your inbox in two weeks with Part II of “What the heck is AI, anyway?”

Until then, let us know if you have any questions or feedback for us – just reply to this email, we’d love to hear from you.