| | | In 2012 Fiat built an espresso machine into the centre console of the 500L in partnership with Lavazza. It came with matching cups, a spoon holder and a sugar container. Safety groups immediately raised concerns about distracted driving and Fiat spent months explaining that the machine only worked when the car was parked. | It was discontinued within a year. America never got it. Italy looked at the concept of a car that makes coffee and said yes, then changed its mind, while the rest of the world sat there with their sad cup holders wondering what could have been. | What’s in store: | Nvidia's latest headache isn't about AI. Adobe discovers the art of lowering expectations. Mindstream Picks: Sony’s new PlayStation Portal could do more than just stream games. Try HubSpot’s free CRM!
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| | | | | NVIDIA | | | Nvidia has launched an investigation after reports claimed its CEO, Jensen Huang, was targeted by Chinese intelligence. | The allegations involve Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based tech firm Megaspeed, who reportedly had a relationship with Jensen Huang and allegedly passed information to Beijing. | Here's what's happening: | US lawmakers have asked Huang to attend a private briefing on 18 November to discuss national security concerns. Nvidia, worth around $4.5 trillion, makes the powerful chips used by AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The investigation comes as US-China tensions over AI technology continue, with trade restrictions limiting Nvidia's chip sales to China.
| From Silicon Valley to Scandal Valley | Huang has admitted to having an affair and apologised to his family and colleagues. | Nvidia says there is no evidence so far that company secrets or US national security were put at risk. | China has denied the spying claims, while Huang has agreed to cooperate with the investigation. | Who says the AI race isn’t like a soap opera? -MV | Should CEOs' private relationships become boardroom business when security concerns arise? | | Vote for live results + see results and opinions from yesterday at the bottom of the email. |
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| | | | | AI TOOLS | | | HubSpot Smart CRM unifies your data and tools, automates the busywork, and gives every team the context they need to take the next best action. | No more switching between systems or reconciling data across disconnected tools. The intelligent CRM connects your apps, syncs your data, and integrates with your existing tools, so your agents, workflows, and data all work from the same source of truth. | Every tool connected. No data left behind. | |
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| | | | A tiler charges $40 per hour plus $15 per square meter. A kitchen is 12 square meters and takes 5 hours. What’s the total bill? | Find the answer at the bottom of the email! |
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| | | | Sorry, Neuralink is not about to turn your dog into Scooby-Doo | Neuralink is already working on technology that can translate human brain activity into computer commands and, increasingly, speech. That has helped fuel speculation that the same idea could one day be used to communicate with animals. But there’s currently no Neuralink research programme or announced 2028 plan aimed at turning animal brain signals into human language |
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| | | | | ADOBE | | | Adobe’s latest Creators’ Toolkit Report, based on a survey of more than 2,000 US creators, reveals how AI is changing content creation, helping creators grow their audiences and take on bigger projects. | Among creators using creative AI, 78% say it has helped their business or following grow faster, rising to 89% among full-time creators. | However, 68% admit they sometimes settle for AI-generated results that don’t quite match what they had in mind. | Here’s what else the survey found: | 47% of creators who have used AI abandoned it midway through a project in the past three months because getting the results they wanted took too much effort. 34% of full-time creators turned down paid video work in the past three months because they lacked the necessary skills. 77% of surveyed creators believe humans should always have the final say on creative decisions, even when using AI agents.
| A master's degree in prompt negotiation | Video production is another challenge, with creators keen to produce more content but often lacking the technical skills. | Meanwhile, AI agents are opening up opportunities to tackle more complex projects. | Nothing humbles a creative professional faster than typing "NO, THE OTHER ARM" in all caps.- MG |
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| | | | Health: Doctors at the Mayo Clinic have reported promising early results using CAR-T cell therapy to treat stiff person syndrome, the rare condition affecting Céline Dion, with some patients regaining mobility and returning to work.
Gaming: World of Warcraft: Forever has suffered major server outages just days after launch, with Blizzard carrying out emergency maintenance as some players regain access but crashes and instability continue.
Movies: Robert Pattinson is reportedly among five actors who have auditioned to become the next James Bond, with director Denis Villeneuve keeping quiet as a casting announcement is expected by the end of the year. | Don’t Miss: Sony is launching a Japan-exclusive PlayStation Portal with extra internal storage and a new name, PlayStation Portal Player. The changes hint at future features like streaming apps or offline media playback, though Sony hasn't confirmed what the additional storage will be used for. |
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| | | | Image of the Day |  | Artwork submitted by Mindstream reader Martha: “Early gritty 90s style Japanese anime” |
| Daily Image Prompt | Impressionist oil painting showing the head of a black cat peeking out |
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| Submit your artwork to Mindstream → |
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| | | | “Should Congress put new limits on AI development?” | Yes, we needed guardrails yesterday. - 76% ✅ | No, let innovation thrive. 24% | Your Views: | “This is currently private enterprise from which the various companies profit. They should be legally liable for any infraction or interference in any other business. A couple of large settlements will slow the charge!” - jyoun | “Those who want data centers are very quick to change their mind when the data center is going to be built near them. NIMBY.” - rkilroy | “If we don’t push the envelope other countries will to our detriment.” - donny | Submit your opinions in our polls to be featured! |
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| Number Crunch Answer: $380. | #1259
Ugh, you again? | | | | |
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