Good Monday Morning!
There are 90 hours remaining until Valentine’s Day if you needed a reminder to buy someone a gift. Also, that’s a 3 day weekend for President’s Day so we’ll be off hunting for markdowns on chocolate candy.
Today’s Spotlight is 1,151 words, about 4 minutes to read.
3 Headlines to Know Now
Google Guts AI Ethics, Labels U.S. a ‘Sensitive’ Country
Google quietly removed its pledge to avoid AI use in weapons and surveillance—four years after dismissing its top AI ethicists.
Meanwhile, it now lists the U.S. as a “sensitive country,” a designation for nations with strict governments and border disputes. In a bizarre twist, Americans will see “Gulf of America” on Google Maps, while the rest of the world sees “Gulf of Mexico.”
Judge Bans Warrantless ‘Backdoor’ Searches of Intel Data on U.S. Citizens
Citing Fourth Amendment protections, Judge LaShann Hall ruled that law enforcement cannot comb through warrantless intelligence data to seek evidence implicating Americans.
OmniHuman Creates Videos from a Single Image and Audio
OmniHuman’s newly published paper—with multiple video demos available here —demonstrates how a single image combined with audio or video motion can generate remarkably lifelike videos of events that never actually occurred.
iCloud & Apple Music Driving Profits
By The Numbers
George’s Data Take
Only 11 companies boast a market capitalization of at least $1 billion, and Apple outpaces its nearest competitor by nearly 10%, achieving a robust 46% profit margin on tens of billions in quarterly revenue.
However, some of the luster may be fading—Apple has lost absolute control over its EU Play Store, its encryption practices are under regulatory scrutiny, and some hardware sales are softening. We’ll be taking a deep dive into these issues and more in two weeks.
Brace For Instant and Crowdsourced Disruption
Running Your Business
Amid the Trump Administration’s threats to deport millions—including sending some to third countries when their home nations refuse deportees—anonymous platforms like People Over Papers are enabling rapid, crowd-sourced reporting of ICE raids with photos and videos.
Behind The Story
Regardless of your stance on immigration, if a national crowdsourced network can operate for under $20 a month, imagine what a similar system could do to your organization. Now is the time to consult a crisis management expert and prepare your team for a swift response in the first minutes, hour, and day of catastrophe.
Don’t Be a Beta Tester: How to Unplug AI
Our screens are flooded every month with a dizzying array of new AI features. You would have laughed three years ago if someone predicted that people would soon be able to create full videos from a single image, generate photorealistic pictures from text, or produce thousands of words from just one sentence.
Today, generative AI is reshaping the global economy—even as many of us are still struggling to weave it into our daily routines. For a while, it was easy to ignore these innovations, but recently tech giants have taken bold steps by embedding AI deeply into their platforms, devices, and apps. In short, AI is now seamlessly integrated into nearly every corner of our digital lives.
“Spotlight, Help Me Get Rid Of This”
More than one reader has written to me about their distaste for working as beta testers for trillion-dollar companies using technology they don’t want. That’s why we’re showing you how to disable these intrusive features and take back control of your technology.
We’ve rounded up explainers and how-to guides from some of tech’s top writers to help you disable these AI features. Many noted the frustrating number of workarounds required, but everyone eventually got their task done.
Apple iOS (Iphone)
Disable the AI-driven suggestions on your iPhone by navigating to Settings > Siri & Search to turn off personalized features, giving you a more manual experience.
Read More —>
Microsoft 365 Copilot
If you’d rather work without an AI assistant, disable Copilot through your Microsoft 365 account settings to maintain full control over your documents and tasks.
Read More—>
Gmail Gemini AI Summaries
Opt out of Gmail’s AI-generated email summaries by adjusting your account settings for a more traditional inbox experience.
Read More—>
Google Pixel 9 Phone
Disabling the advanced AI features on the Pixel 9 isn’t straightforward, but guides are available to help you revert to a simpler, more conventional phone interface.
Read More—>
Resisters vs. Zealots
Big Tech has acted as Big Tech usually does—they moved fast, broke things, and forced people to interact with AI. As with all innovation, there’s a group eager to try every new feature, a group (the resisters) who fight against it, and an indifferent majority that simply doesn’t care enough to get involved.
Right now, you can still make changes and opt out of these intrusive systems—but much like buying a car with a carburetor or without catalytic converters or seatbelts, the window for choice may soon vanish as AI technologies become the new standard.
Using ChatGPT Search For Free
Practical AI
ChatGPT’s search functionality is now available to everyone without an OpenAI account. Visiting ChatGPT.com lets users tap into advanced AI services that were unavailable just weeks ago—but the standard caveats apply. Unless you’re paying for proprietary features, remember that you are the product, just as with Google, so avoid sharing personal information.
Deleted Federal Data Recovered
Protip
When the Trump Administration ordered agencies like the CDC, Census Bureau, and FDA to remove data from their websites, scientists, journalists, and activists sprang into action. A Lifehacker feature now reveals how you can access many of the thousands of pages that were deleted.
Google’s Sweet Dream Job
Screening Room
AI Model to Forecast Heart Attacks
Science Fiction World
It’s not a Starfleet medical tricorder yet, but researchers from three universities are developing an AI model that uses calcium-scoring CT scans along with key factors—such as heart shape, body composition, bone density, and visceral fat—to accurately predict heart attacks.
Glasgow Engineers Unveil Eco-Friendly RFID Alternative
Tech For Good
University of Glasgow engineers have developed an RFID Tag Replacement that uses sustainable coils and PDMS materials, offering an eco-friendly solution to reduce electronic waste and cut costs. These innovative tags can be read by wireless handheld devices costing less than £100.
One Million vs. One Billion
Coffee Break
Jason Zhang may have created the best interactive to reveal how our minds fool us into underestimating scale. Take a minute to explore it and see the astonishing difference for yourself.
Sign of the Times
