🍜 Google Meet gets bossy..

Google Meet’s AI note taker just got a to do list upgrade meaning your meeting recaps now come with...

February 19, 2025

Welcome, Noodle Networkers.

Elon Musk just unveiled Grok 3 🤖, boldly claiming it outperforms ChatGPT and DeepSeek. Whether this is a true AI breakthrough or just another chapter in the Musk hype playbook remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Cohere is aiming to win the AI race without burning piles of money 💰, which in Silicon Valley is basically an act of rebellion. Over in the talent wars, Mira Murati’s new AI startup has already poached 20 OpenAI researchers 🔍, proving that the AI brain drain is very real. And Google Meet’s note-taking AI now suggests to-dos 📝, but there is a catch. If past AI tools are any indication, your action items might range from “prepare report” to “start a llama farm.”

Are we witnessing the dawn of smarter AI competition or just the latest round of ambitious claims? Let’s break it all down...

In today’s AI digest:

  • Elon Musk unveils Grok 3, claiming it outperforms ChatGPT and DeepSeek 🤖

  • Cohere plans to win the AI race without burning piles of money đź’°

  • Mira Murati's new AI startup poaches 20 OpenAI researchers 🔍

  • Google Meet’s note-taking AI suggests to-dos but with a catch đź“ť

Read time: 6 minutes

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WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY

Grok 3

The Digest: Musk’s AI company xAI just dropped Grok 3 and in true Elon fashion it is being hyped as the best thing since self driving cars. According to Musk it outshines OpenAI’s GPT 4o and China’s DeepSeek. Whether that is true or just marketing wizardry remains to be seen.

Key Details:

  • Grok 3 reportedly beats GPT 4o and DeepSeek in math science and coding. No word on its ability to write love poems or summarize your emails.

  • Uses ten times more computing power than Grok 2 meaning it is either really smart or just really power hungry.

  • Available on X for Premium Plus subscribers and through xAI’s new SuperGrok tier because apparently branding is everything.

  • xAI also launched DeepSearch an AI search tool that explains its reasoning which hopefully means fewer frustrating I do not know responses from chatbots.

Why It Matters: Musk throwing down the AI gauntlet means the industry will have to keep innovating and fast. But with all these premium AI subscriptions popping up the real question is how long before we need a bundled AI streaming service just to afford all of them.

Cohere

The Digest: While OpenAI and Anthropic are lighting up venture capital cash like bonfires Canadian AI startup Cohere is taking a different approach. Instead of going big on general AI models it is focusing on custom AI solutions for businesses that actually pay the bills. Revolutionary right

Key Details:

  • Raised 500 million dollars in funding hitting a 5.5 billion dollar valuation with backing from Cisco AMD and Fujitsu.

  • Rather than building massive AI models for the sake of it Cohere is prioritizing industry specific AI tools that solve actual business problems.

  • The goal is to keep costs down by making AI efficient and useful instead of competing in the who has the biggest model contest.

  • By focusing on tailored AI solutions Cohere aims to be the IKEA of AI affordable functional and hopefully without confusing instructions.

Why It Matters: In an industry obsessed with size and hype Cohere is taking the work smarter not harder approach. If they pull this off it could shift the AI arms race away from just throwing money at bigger models and toward practical profitable applications. That is a rare move in tech where burning cash is usually the business model.

AI startup

The Digest: OpenAI’s former Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati just launched her own AI startup Thinking Machines Lab and she is not wasting any time. She has already hired 20 of OpenAI’s top researchers and if Sam Altman is feeling nervous well he probably should be.

Key Details:

  • The new company’s focus is human AI collaboration which hopefully means fewer rogue AIs deciding to ignore human input.

  • Recruits include co founder John Schulman and AI researcher Barret Zoph meaning Murati is not just building a team she is assembling an AI Avengers squad.

  • Thinking Machines Lab plans to publish research openly a refreshing change from the secretive approach most AI companies take.

  • The startup aims to make AI tools that are more transparent customizable and user friendly.

Why It Matters: In an AI world where companies are hoarding talent and locking down research Murati is betting on openness and collaboration. If her approach takes off it could push AI development in a direction that benefits more than just Big Tech and its shareholders. Plus if OpenAI loses more employees at this rate Altman might need to start sending gift baskets.

Google

The Digest: Google Meet’s AI note taker just got a to do list upgrade meaning your meeting recaps now come with action items deadlines and a slightly judgmental tone. While it sounds useful some users are already wondering if they signed up for a helpful AI or a micromanaging boss.

Key Details:

  • The AI automatically generates action items based on meeting conversations assigning tasks to participants like a digital project manager.

  • Summaries and to dos are saved in a Google Doc and sent to all attendees meaning no more I did not hear that part excuses.

  • Still in gradual rollout only available in English for now.

  • Potential privacy concerns because AI remembering everything you say in meetings could be a blessing or a curse.

Why It Matters: If AI can automate note taking does that mean we will finally have fewer pointless meetings Probably not but it does mean fewer follow up emails and forgotten tasks which is a win. Just be careful your AI assistant might soon start reminding you about things you never agreed to do.

THE NOODLE LAB

AI Hacks & How-Tos

Beginner's Guide to Coding with AI Assistance đź’»

The Digest: Embarking on your coding journey is now more accessible with AI-powered tools designed to assist beginners. Platforms like GitHub Copilot and Cursor offer real-time code suggestions and guidance, streamlining the learning process.

How-to:

  1. Set Up Your Development Environment:

    • Install a Code Editor:

    • Sign Up for GitHub Copilot:

      • Visit GitHub Copilot and subscribe to the service.

      • Install the GitHub Copilot extension in VS Code following the provided instructions.

  2. Begin Coding with AI Assistance:

    • Start a New Project:

      • Open VS Code and create a new file with the appropriate extension (e.g., .py for Python, .js for JavaScript).

    • Utilize AI Suggestions:

      • As you write code, GitHub Copilot will offer real-time suggestions and autocompletions.

      • For example, type a comment describing a function, and Copilot will generate the corresponding code.

  3. Explore Alternative AI-Powered Editors:

    • Cursor:

      • Download and install Cursor, an AI-powered code editor.

      • Cursor provides features like code generation, intelligent autocompletion, and codebase understanding to enhance your coding experience.

  4. Practice and Learn:

    • Engage with Interactive Tutorials:

      • Participate in coding exercises and projects to apply what you've learned.

    • Seek Community Support:

      • Join forums and communities to ask questions, share knowledge, and learn from others.

Explore More: Use Follow-up Mode to dive deeper into a specific industry and fine-tune your niche selection. We just covered AI-powered niche discovery in a workshop—access it here! 🚀

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