Hello AiNews Readers!
Editor’s Note
Last week, we asked for your input on the newsletter format, and the results were clear: most of you like the way we’re delivering the news today. That feedback matters — we’re always working to make AiNews.com better, and your votes help guide the experience.
With that in mind, I’m excited to share a new tagline that captures what we stand for:
“Human journalism in an AI world.”
For those of you who are new here — welcome! My name is Alicia Shapiro, and I’m the CMO & Head of News Reporting at AiNews.com. Every morning, I spend about four hours researching, writing, and editing this newsletter to give you the clearest picture of what’s happening in AI — fast, factual, and without the fluff. While AI is now being used to generate news elsewhere, I want you to know: this newsletter is written by me — not by AI.
What makes us different is how we approach complex AI topics. We break them down so they’re accessible and understandable, while keeping the technical accuracy intact. You can trust our reporting to remain factual and neutral — any of my opinions on article topics or AI trends will be clearly marked as editorial articles.
You’ll also notice an “In Other News” section in every issue. These are important AI stories I’ve curated for you to be aware of, but they’re not articles I’ve written or covered in depth. My reporting and analysis will always appear in the top section of this newsletter.
And if you ever do want to know my personal take on something, I’d love to connect — just reply to this email or find me on LinkedIn. My goal is to bring you journalism that earns your trust, the way anchors like Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters once did. In a landscape full of opinions, spin, and noise, sometimes what people want most is just a trusted source for the news — and that’s exactly what we’re here to deliver.
From time to time, you may also see a special “Breaking News” edition from me — whether it’s a major interview with an industry leader or a significant AI development that can’t wait until the next issue. These won’t happen often, but when they do, you’ll know it’s worth opening right away.
Thank you for your continued support, and if you find our newsletter helpful, please share it with someone who might benefit — and consider subscribing to our YouTube channel so you’ll be notified whenever a new interview is released.
– Alicia
Today’s Headlines:
Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab Launches First Product, Tinker API - Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has announced the first product from her startup Thinking Machines Lab: Tinker, a flexible API for fine-tuning language models. Unlike traditional fine-tuning services, Tinker is designed to give researchers direct control over algorithms and data, while abstracting away the heavy infrastructure challenges of distributed training.
Google Expands AI Mode in Search With Visual Exploration and Shopping - Google has unveiled a major update to AI Mode in Search, enabling users to explore visually, shop conversationally, and refine results with images and natural language. The update enables people to start with an image, a photo, or even a vague idea described conversationally, and then refine results in the most natural way.
San Diego State University Launches First AI and Human Responsibility Degree - San Diego State University (SDSU) has unveiled a new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Human Responsibility, the first degree of its kind in the California State University system. The program was designed not only to teach students about AI systems but also to examine how the technology should be applied responsibly.
Global AI Fellows Join YTILI in San Diego to Strengthen Innovation Ties - San Diego’s entrepreneurial ecosystem welcomed two European AI entrepreneurs this fall through the U.S. Department of State’s Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI). Lorena Billi from Belgium and Constantinos Samuel from Cyprus arrived as part of the program, guided locally by Cheryl K. Goodman, founder of Findgood.tech, an AI integration strategy firm. Their visit highlights how cross-border collaboration is shaping conversations about technology, trust, and the future of work.
In Other News:OpenAI Is World's Top Startup With $500B Valuation After Employee Share Sale - OpenAI has closed a secondary share sale that pushes its valuation to $500 billion — making it, by some measures, the world’s most valuable startup. This move not only lets employees cash out, but signals strong investor confidence in AI as a driving force for future markets.
Samsung and SK join OpenAI’s Stargate initiative to advance global AI infrastructure - Samsung and SK have entered strategic partnerships under OpenAI’s Stargate initiative to bolster AI infrastructure globally — with a particular focus on South Korea. The deal includes ramping up advanced memory chip production and data center capacity, positioning Korea as a key node in the AI supply chain.
Build full-stack AI productivity tools without coding
In this tutorial, you will learn how to build AI-powered productivity apps using Lovable — a platform that handles UI, backend, database, and AI integration through simple prompts with no coding required.
Step-by-step:
Go to lovable.dev, sign up (5 free credits/day), and then prompt: "Build a task tracking app called TaskPrioritizer with a form for task name and description, display tasks as cards with checkboxes, and store in a database"
Add AI integration by prompting: "Add AI using Gemini to automatically prioritize tasks as low/medium/high based on urgency keywords like 'ASAP' or 'today', show colored badges, and include a sort button"
Enable authentication with: "Add user accounts with signup/login so people can save their own tasks privately. Each user only sees their own tasks"
Test your app by creating tasks with different urgency levels, then click "Publish" in the top right to get a live URL
Pro tip: Use Claude or ChatGPT to draft a product spec before building — describe your idea and ask for a requirements doc to help you think through features upfront.
AI Tools:
Please note that AiNews.com does not endorse the following AI tools. We aim to share the tools we come across that you may find helpful in you work or daily lives.
AltTextLab: AI alt text generator for images. Generate high-quality, compliant alt text for images in seconds – accessible content that ranks better, automatically.
Illumi: Context-aware AI Whiteboard for Teams. Illumi enables teams to collaborate more effectively with a context-aware whiteboard that integrates ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and more.
Hedy: Be the Brightest Person in the Room. AI-powered conversation coach to help you speak with clarity, confidence, and impact in every meeting, interview, class, or pitch.
ChatFeatured: What are LLMs saying about your brand? Customers are now asking AI for product recommendations, not Google. Stay ahead of your competitors and get featured.
Our LinkedIn Community is growing - Will you join us? We invite you to join our LinkedIn group to participate in AI discussions and share developments with the rest of the group. Join today!