Good morning! Who knew the future of spirituality might hinge less on profound insights and more on good cybersecurity practices? Churches across the US are sounding alarms as AI scammers impersonate pastors in shockingly realistic deepfake videos. Popular Catholic priest and podcaster Father Schmitz warned his 1.2 million YouTube subscribers after his voice and likeness were used to deliver fake sermons and solicit urgent donations. Apparently, it’s a lot easier to fleece a flock when your shepherd already asks for money.
Meet your new coworker. Amid all the CES 2026 hype about AI wearables and smart bras, Boston Dynamics dropped its biggest flex yet. The next-gen humanoid robot Atlas took the stage with a jaunty human-like walk and a brand new brain powered by Google DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics. It’s the first robot equipped with this AI, enabling it to understand context, adapt on the fly, and collaborate naturally with people. Team building is so much easier with coworkers that have zero empathy and unlimited stamina.
Lego’s new Smart Bricks pack a tiny computer and sensors inside. Unveiled at CES, the Smart Play system lets creations detect movement, respond to sound, and communicate with each other over Bluetooth. There’s no AI or cameras, but the 2 x 4 bricks have a microphone and speakers. Using sensors hidden in Lego Smart Tags and Minifigures, Smart Bricks can trigger humming lightsabers, roaring engines, and even music like Star War’s Imperial March. Firmware updates hint at endless possibilities, maybe even integration with your apps or home automations. It’s about to get a whole lot easier to write off your Lego obsession.
Post Training Launch
Nebius Token Factory just launched Post-training — the missing layer for teams building production-grade Al on open-source models.
You can now fine-tune frontier models like DeepSeek V3, GPT-OSS 20B & 120B, and Qwen3 Coder across multi-node GPU clusters with stability up to 131k context.
Models become deeply adapted to your domain, your tone, your structure, your workflows. Deployment is one click: dedicated endpoints, SLAs, and zero-retention privacy.
And for launch, fine-tuning GPT-OSS 20B & 120B (Full FT + LoRA FT) is free until Jan 9.
This is the shift from generic base models to custom production engines.
Nvidia’s new AI chips make reality optional. Jensen Huang surprised everyone at CES by unveiling Nvidia’s newest AI servers, Vera Rubin, months ahead of schedule. These next gen chips are designed to train AI models inside fully simulated environments, allowing tech like autonomous vehicles to master driving without ever touching real asphalt. Vera Rubin can handle immense computational tasks, training AI models 4x faster than Blackwell while slashing inference costs by 10x. Welcome to Nvidia’s omniverse, where the line between simulation and reality just vanished.
Crispr wants to stop the “super flu” at its source. Scientists figured out how to use gene editing tech as a weapon against sick days. The idea is to deliver instructions straight to your cells via a nasal spray or injection. Once inside, they prep your body to produce enzymes that hunt down and shred the flu’s genetic material, stopping infection. Unlike typical flu meds, Crispr targets parts of the virus that are universal so it could work on all strains, even future ones. Think of it as hacking the flu before the flu hacks you.
An AI bot made $75k tracking insider bets on Polymarket. Hours before Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested by US forces, someone placed a suspiciously timed $30k bet predicting it would happen. The trader’s account was barely a week old and only wagered on Maduro’s removal. With odds below 6%, the sketchy bet turned into a $400k payday. While the press yelled insider trading, one programmer quietly cashed in. He built an AI bot that flagged unusual bets and suspicious new accounts, placed a quick $2k wager, and woke up $75k richer. When degens have better intel than Congress, its democracy 2.0.
The real winners of the AI boom are fossil fuel execs and monopoly utilities. They’re cashing in on AI’s insane electricity demands, winning regulatory approval for a staggering $1.1 trillion in infrastructure spending. Projects previously blocked by environmental opposition suddenly got greenlit just by slapping an “AI essential” label on them. The best part? You’ll see these costs baked into your electric bill for decades, long after today’s shiny new AI models hit the scrap heap.
fun stats
🏥 40 million+. People who turn to ChatGPT for health care. How accurate, reliable and safe this is TBD.
🔋 $4.75 billion. Google’s cash deal to acquire data center and clean energy developer Intersect to power AI.
🚗 96%. Share of new car sales in Norway that were electric vehicles in 2025.
🦾 30,000. Atlas humanoid robots Boston Dynamics and Hyundai plan to produce in 2028.