The AI Daily Brief (Formerly The AI Breakdown): Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

A daily news analysis show on all things artificial intelligence. NLW looks at AI from multiple angles, from the explosion of creativity brought on by new tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT to the potential disruptions to work and industries as we know them to the great philosophical, ethical and practical questions of advanced general intelligence, alignment and x-risk.
Website : https://sites.libsyn.com/468519
Last Episode : August 20, 2025 11:12pm
Last Scanned : 3.3 hours ago



Episodes
Episodes currently hosted on IPFS.

Are we really witnessing the "most expensive flop in tech history" with AI, or is something else going on? While headlines scream about failed AI pilots and wasted billions, there's a massive disconnect between public narratives and what's actually happening in AI development. This episode dives into the recent wave of AI pessimism following GPT-5's launch, explores why 95% of corporate AI pilots are reportedly failing, and examines the growing divide between Silicon Valley's AGI obsession and practical AI applications that could transform daily life. But here's the real story: while markets panic and media declares AI dead, builders are making breakthrough progress on memory systems, world models like Genie 3, and mysterious new models like "Nano Banana" that are quietly revolutionizing what's possible. Brought to you by:KPMG – Discover how AI is transforming possibility into reality. Tune into the new KPMG 'You Can with AI' podcast and unlock insights that will inform smarter decisions inside your enterprise. Listen now and start shaping your future with every episode. https://www.kpmg.us/AIpodcastsBlitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Interested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Expires in 39 hours
Published Wednesday

Confirmed 5
A breakthrough benchmark is testing whether AI can actually predict future events by analyzing real-world data. Researchers at the University of Chicago just launched Profit Arena, a new AI evaluation platform that measures "predictive intelligence" by having models forecast outcomes on live prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. Early results show AI models like GPT-4 and Claude are already performing as well as or better than human forecasters, with some models finding real market edges - like one AI that correctly predicted a Toronto FC soccer win when the market only gave it 11% odds. This represents a major shift from traditional saturated benchmarks toward dynamic, real-world testing that could reshape how we measure AI progress.Brought to you by:KPMG – Discover how AI is transforming possibility into reality. Tune into the new KPMG 'You Can with AI' podcast and unlock insights that will inform smarter decisions inside your enterprise. Listen now and start shaping your future with every episode. https://www.kpmg.us/AIpodcastsBlitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Interested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Expires in 28 hours
Published Wednesday

Confirmed 4
Sam Altman just had dinner with journalists and spilled details about OpenAI's biggest challenges and future plans. He admitted GPT-5's launch was botched, revealed the company is profitable on inference (minus training costs), and confirmed they're sitting on better models they can't release because of GPU shortages. Altman also discussed OpenAI's plans to spend trillions on data centers, potential IPO timing, upcoming consumer apps including a possible social platform, and that secretive device project with Jony Ive that he promises will create a new computing paradigm. This episode covers all 20+ topics from the conversation that most tech reporters glossed over.Brought to you by:KPMG – Discover how AI is transforming possibility into reality. Tune into the new KPMG 'You Can with AI' podcast and unlock insights that will inform smarter decisions inside your enterprise. Listen now and start shaping your future with every episode. https://www.kpmg.us/AIpodcastsBlitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Interested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Expires in 28 hours
Published Tuesday

Is AI going to destroy education—or completely reinvent it? With millions of students and parents preparing for back-to-school, the debate over AI in classrooms raises a deeper question: is the purpose of education to teach people how to think, or simply how to do economically productive things? This episode explores perspectives on how AI is reshaping both.Sources:David Brooks, Are We Really Willing to Become Dumber?Megan O’Rourke, I Teach Creative Writing. This is What AI is Doing to My Students.John Cracraft, We’re Losing Our Love of Learning and AI Is to BlameBrought to you by:KPMG – Discover how AI is transforming possibility into reality. Tune into the new KPMG 'You Can with AI' podcast and unlock insights that will inform smarter decisions inside your enterprise. Listen now and start shaping your future with every episode. https://www.kpmg.us/AIpodcastsBlitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Interested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Published Sunday

NLW recently collaborated with KPMG on a 7-part enterprise AI-focused series called You can with AI. On this Saturday bonus preview, we share episode 7 of the series, all about the trends shaping the AI-ready organization of the future. Featuring Steve Chase, KMPG Global Head of AI and Digital Innovation.Learn more about the series: https://www.kpmg.us/aipodcasts
Published Saturday

This episode examines how pricing challenges in AI coding platforms like Cursor and Claude Code reveal a fundamental shift in the software industry. While these tools currently struggle with unsustainable economics - where users pay far less than actual compute costs - this mismatch signals AI's inevitable transition from premium software tool to essential utility infrastructure. Through analysis of emerging pricing models and the concept of "intelligence too cheap to meter," the episode explores how AI coding represents the first glimpse of a future where software operates like electricity or water - a commodity utility accessible to everyone rather than a luxury good. Brought to you by:KPMG – Discover how AI is transforming possibility into reality. Tune into the new KPMG 'You Can with AI' podcast and unlock insights that will inform smarter decisions inside your enterprise. Listen now and start shaping your future with every episode. https://www.kpmg.us/AIpodcastsBlitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Join our Discord: https://bit.ly/aibreakdownInterested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Published Saturday

A Northeastern University survey finds AI use has gone mainstream in the U.S., with half of adults using at least one tool and most states above 40% adoption. While many expect AI to reshape their jobs within five years, a third remain unsure about regulation. At the same time, Anthropic’s new Claude Sonnet 4 boosts capacity to 1 million tokens—enough to analyze entire 75,000-line codebases—while matching OpenAI’s $1 government pricing and acquiring Human Loop to enhance enterprise tools, sharpening its edge against OpenAI and Google.Brought to you by:KPMG – Go to https://kpmg.com/ai to learn more about how KPMG can help you drive value with our AI solutions.Blitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Join our Discord: https://bit.ly/aibreakdownInterested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Published Friday

Today's AI Daily Brief covers how GPT-5's launch changed Wall Street's thinking about the AI bubble debate and why old market comparisons might not work anymore. We look at Leopold Aschenbrenner, a 23-year-old former OpenAI researcher who raised $1.5 billion for his hedge fund "Situational Awareness" and beat markets by 47% after fees in just six months. Is it a trend? A bubble? Something new entirely? Plus a look at Nvidia's 15% deal with the White House to sell to China. Brought to you by:Gemini - Find Gemini CLI on GitHub.KPMG – Go to https://kpmg.com/ai to learn more about how KPMG can help you drive value with our AI solutions.Blitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Join our Discord: https://bit.ly/aibreakdownInterested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Published 08/12

When OpenAI replaced GPT-4o with its new GPT-5 rollout, the backlash was immediate and fierce. Power users decried hidden model switching, casual users mourned the loss of a “friend,” and debates erupted over AI’s role as strategic collaborator versus sterile assistant. In this episode, NLW unpacks the revolt that forced OpenAI to restore GPT-4o, the deeper questions it raises about AI integration into daily life, and what it reveals about the next phase of AI adoption.Brought to you by:KPMG – Go to https://kpmg.com/ai to learn more about how KPMG can help you drive value with our AI solutions.Blitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months AGNTCY - The AGNTCY is an open-source collective dedicated to building the Internet of Agents, enabling AI agents to communicate and collaborate seamlessly across frameworks. Join a community of engineers focused on high-quality multi-agent software and support the initiative at agntcy.org Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Join our Discord: https://bit.ly/aibreakdownInterested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Published 08/12

This episode explores ten practical shifts in the AI landscape following GPT-5’s release — from the plateau of raw LLM capability gains to the rise of tool-driven performance, consumer-first design choices, and the explosion of “vibe coding.” NLW breaks down how these changes reshape enterprise competition, open up opportunities for rival labs, drive price wars, and signal a future where multi-agent workflows become the norm.Brought to you by:KPMG – Go to https://kpmg.com/ai to learn more about how KPMG can help you drive value with our AI solutions.Blitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months AGNTCY - The AGNTCY is an open-source collective dedicated to building the Internet of Agents, enabling AI agents to communicate and collaborate seamlessly across frameworks. Join a community of engineers focused on high-quality multi-agent software and support the initiative at agntcy.org Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Join our Discord: https://bit.ly/aibreakdownInterested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Published 08/10

First, a collection of first reactions to GPT-5. This week saw major AI shifts — from web-scraping battles to the brutal economics of AI coding startups. Cloudflare took aim at Perplexity over “stealth crawling,” Google defended AI overviews against claims they hurt web traffic, and reports revealed that coding firms like Windsurf and Replit face severe negative margins despite rapid growth. Also in the mix: Google’s Jules coding agent launch, N8N’s potential $2.3B valuation as the first pure-play agentic company, Microsoft’s talent raids on Google DeepMind, and OpenAI’s $500B secondary talks with $1.5M employee bonuses and $1 government-agency deals. Together, these stories show the fierce power struggles and harsh economics shaping AI’s next era.Brought to you by:KPMG – Go to https://kpmg.com/ai to learn more about how KPMG can help you drive value with our AI solutions.Blitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months AGNTCY - The AGNTCY is an open-source collective dedicated to building the Internet of Agents, enabling AI agents to communicate and collaborate seamlessly across frameworks. Join a community of engineers focused on high-quality multi-agent software and support the initiative at agntcy.org Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Join our Discord: https://bit.ly/aibreakdownInterested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Published 08/09

A day after OpenAI's surprise open source release, we dig into how the model is performing in the wild. Early reactions are mixed—while some praise its speed and efficiency, others describe strange behavior, safety-maxed responses, and limited general knowledge. Is it optimized for coding and STEM? We also cover Eleven Labs’ entry into AI music, Lindy’s new agent-building tools, and Google’s powerful Genie 3 world model.Brought to you by:KPMG – Go to https://kpmg.com/ai to learn more about how KPMG can help you drive value with our AI solutions.Blitzy.com - Go to https://blitzy.com/ to build enterprise software in days, not months AGNTCY - The AGNTCY is an open-source collective dedicated to building the Internet of Agents, enabling AI agents to communicate and collaborate seamlessly across frameworks. Join a community of engineers focused on high-quality multi-agent software and support the initiative at agntcy.org Vanta - Simplify compliance - https://vanta.com/nlwPlumb - The automation platform for AI experts and consultants https://useplumb.com/The Agent Readiness Audit from Superintelligent - Go to https://besuper.ai/ to request your company's agent readiness score.The AI Daily Brief helps you understand the most important news and discussions in AI. Subscribe to the podcast version of The AI Daily Brief wherever you listen: https://pod.link/1680633614Subscribe to the newsletter: https://aidailybrief.beehiiv.com/Join our Discord: https://bit.ly/aibreakdownInterested in sponsoring the show? nlw@breakdown.network
Published 08/07