🍜 Netflix donates everything to AI..

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings just dropped $50 million on...

March 25, 2025

Welcome, Noodle Networkers.

FuriosaAI just flexed its independence muscles by rejecting an $800 million buyout offer from Meta 💪. Apparently, they would rather carve their own path than get swallowed by Zuckerberg’s AI empire. Bold move or a missed payday? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings just dropped $50 million on Bowdoin College for a new AI program. Turns out, the guy who changed how we binge-watch also wants to make sure AI does not turn us into mindless zombies. Ethical AI is cool and all, but will it have a “skip intro” button? And in classic Apple fashion, their AI-generated headlines are causing a bit of a mess 📰. Turns out, automation might be good for organizing your photos, but it is not quite ready to handle journalism. If only Siri could learn to fact-check instead of just reminding you to drink more water.

Are we witnessing the rise of smart AI decisions or just proving that tech still needs a human touch? Let’s get into it...

In today’s AI digest:

  • FuriosaAI rejects Meta’s $800M buyout to stay independent đź’Ş

  • Netflix’s Reed Hastings donates $50M to Bowdoin for AI program 🎓

  • Apple’s AI headline fails highlight risks of automation đź“°

Read time: 5 minutes

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY

(source: TechCrunch)

The Digest: FuriosaAI just pulled off the ultimate power move, rejecting Meta’s $800 million buyout and basically saying, “Nah, we’re good.” Instead of getting cozy with Zuckerberg’s empire, they’re choosing to stay independent and keep swinging for the fences. It’s like a startup superhero refusing to join the corporate Avengers, and we’re all here for it.

Key Details:

  • David vs. Goliath (With Chips) – Meta came knocking with $800 million and a very tempting offer, but FuriosaAI just hit them with a “no thanks, we’d rather be the underdog.” Their CEO, June Paik, basically told Zuck to take his check and go back to the metaverse.

  • Renegade Vibes Only – FuriosaAI’s flagship chip, RNGD (pronounced "Renegade"), is designed to take on industry giants like Nvidia. It’s powerful, efficient, and not afraid to cause a little trouble—using just 150 watts of power, compared to Nvidia’s H100 that gulps down 1,200 watts like it’s doing CrossFit.

  • Meta’s Not-So-Happy Meal – Meta wanted to add FuriosaAI to its AI infrastructure buffet to cut down on dependence on Nvidia, but it turns out not every startup is eager to become another cog in the Zucker-machine. With Meta planning to drop $65 billion on AI infrastructure this year, this rejection probably stings a bit.

Why It Matters: FuriosaAI isn’t just making a business decision—they’re making a statement: Big Tech can’t just throw money at every little company and expect them to fold. This shows that independence still holds value, and some startups would rather be scrappy, rebellious innovators than just another cog in the Meta machine.

(source: NYTimes)

The Digest: Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings just dropped $50 million on Bowdoin College like it’s no big deal, setting up the Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity. It’s the biggest donation in the school’s history—probably because not many alumni have “casually redefined entertainment” on their résumé. The goal? Teach students how to navigate a world where AI might be smarter than your average philosophy major.

Key Details:

  • New Professors, New Problems – The donation will fund ten new faculty members, because apparently teaching students to outsmart robots requires a small army of experts. Or maybe Reed just wants someone else to deal with the chaos AI will eventually unleash.

  • AI in Every Class? – Current faculty will get support to incorporate AI concepts into their teaching, so don’t be surprised if your English prof starts talking about how GPT-5 can analyze Shakespeare better than your lit major friend who won’t shut up about Hamlet.

  • Think Before You Code – The initiative will host workshops and symposia to make sure students actually think about what they’re creating, instead of just building AI that accidentally starts ordering pizza for the whole dorm.

Why It Matters: While Big Tech is out here trying to make AI do everything from flipping burgers to composing symphonies, Bowdoin is making sure students don’t accidentally create Skynet while cramming for finals. By focusing on the human side of AI, they’re aiming to produce graduates who can build smarter tech without accidentally dooming humanity.

(source: TechXplore)

The Digest: Apple’s latest attempt at AI-generated news headlines just faceplanted harder than a cat chasing a laser pointer. The Apple Intelligence feature, designed to whip up news notifications, ended up pushing out some truly bizarre and misleading headlines—because apparently, AI hasn’t quite mastered journalism yet. It’s a classic case of “just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

Key Details:

  • Oops, Wrong Headline – One particularly epic fail involved a BBC News notification claiming that Luigi Mangione, a suspect in a high-profile case, had shot himself. Spoiler alert: He’s fine. The headline wasn’t just wrong—it was so off the mark it might as well have been written by an AI that moonlights as a gossip columnist.

  • Feature Goes Bye-Bye – After enough users started going, “Wait, WHAT?”, Apple decided to pull the plug on the AI-generated news notifications while they figure out how to teach the algorithm not to start rumors.

  • Lawsuits Incoming – As if the PR nightmare wasn’t enough, Apple’s also dealing with legal action over false advertising related to its AI capabilities. So, not only did the AI spit out nonsense, but now Apple’s lawyers have to explain why “intelligent” doesn’t necessarily mean “factually accurate.”

Why It Matters: Apple’s AI headline debacle is a big, shiny warning sign for companies thinking about automating journalism. Just because your AI can summarize a news story doesn’t mean it’ll do it without making up a few extra details along the way. If Apple’s AI keeps this up, we might soon see headlines like “Elon Musk Marries AI Robot to Create Superhuman Offspring.”

THE NOODLE LAB

AI Hacks & How-Tos

The Digest: Photomath is a free AI-powered mobile application designed to assist learners in understanding and solving mathematical problems. By simply using your smartphone's camera, Photomath provides step-by-step explanations, making it an effective tutoring tool for students at various levels.​

How-to:

  1. Download and Install Photomath:

    • Visit the Photomath website or your device's app store (available for both iOS and Android).​

    • Download and install the application on your smartphone or tablet.​

  2. Open the Application:

    • Launch Photomath and grant the necessary permissions, such as access to your device's camera.​

  3. Capture the Math Problem:

    • Use the app's camera feature to scan printed or handwritten math problems.​

    • Ensure the problem is well-lit and clearly visible within the camera frame for accurate recognition.​

  4. View Step-by-Step Solutions:

    • After scanning, Photomath will display the solution along with detailed, sequential explanations.​

    • Review each step to understand the methodology and reasoning behind the solution.​

  5. Explore Alternative Methods:

    • For certain problems, Photomath offers multiple solving methods.​

    • Tap on different solution cards to explore various approaches to the same problem.​

  6. Utilize Additional Features:

    • Animated Tutorials: Access dynamic visual explanations that illustrate each step of the solution process.​

    • Interactive Graphs: For applicable problems, engage with graphs to gain a visual understanding of mathematical concepts.​

  7. Scientific Calculator: Use the built-in calculator for manual calculations and to input custom problems.

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 at the top of this email! 🚀

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