Nuclear Power, Eyeball Scans, Apple Tax, Language Learning, and Unanswerable Questions
Weekly Review of News in Technology, UX and AI
Here’s the latest news, resources, and use cases from the world of product, UX, AI and technology. Let’s go:
📊 Unstructured Data
☢️ Nuclear Power
👁️ Eyeball Scans
🖥️ Apple Tax
🗣️ Duolingo
🔎 Google Labs
🌑 Inclusive Design
🤔 Unanswerable Questions
🦸♀️ Mother’s Day
Podcast
Structured Thinking for Unstructured Data: A Conversation with Founder Kirk Marple
In this episode of Product by Design, Kyle is joined by Kirk Marple, founder and CEO of Graphlit, to explore the world of unstructured data and how it’s transforming with the rise of LLMs and AI-native tools. Kirk shares his journey from working at Microsoft and General Motors to building Graflit—a platform designed to make unstructured data as usable as structured data.
News and Useful Reads
Project Ludicrous
An outstanding question regarding AI is “where are we going to get the energy to power all of it?” Nuclear energy seems like the best option, but we may still be a long way off.
There is also the resurgent nuclear power industry. Though much smaller than oil and gas, it stands to grow exponentially from all the speculation surrounding AI. But whether the uptick in investment will actually produce functioning reactors is another question.
Sam Altman wants to scan your eyeballs in exchange for crypto... and then make your dating life easier
No, thank you.
Starting this week, Altman’s blockchain project World, part of the Tools of Humanity startup, will enable Americans to have their eyes scanned using “signature NVIDIA-powered Orbs” in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, and San Francisco.
Apple changes US App Store rules to let apps link to external payment systems
No more Apple tax? Yes, please.
Apple has changed its App Store rules in the U.S. to let apps link users to their own websites so they can buy subscriptions or other digital goods.
Duolingo said it just doubled its language courses thanks to AI
The announcement that Duolingo will be “AI first” was met with mixed reviews. Many people are upset that AI will be taking the place of humans, while the stock market seems to think it’s great. Regardless, AI seems to be the path forward for language learning.
Following the CEO’s announcement that Duolingo would be ‘AI-first,’ the company is launching 148 new language courses.
New Google Labs experiments help you learn new languages in 'bite-sized' lessons
It seems like AI will be driving language learning going forward.
Launched on Tuesday as Google Labs experiments, the "Little Language Lessons" are designed to assist you in specific situations, especially when you're traveling in a foreign country. The three tools are powered by Google's Gemini AI to provide the right words and phrases just when you need them.
Inclusive Dark Mode: Designing Accessible Dark Themes For All Users
Accessibility in our products is good for everyone. It shouldn’t be an afterthought, but part of creating experiences that everyone can use.
Dark mode isn’t just a trendy aesthetic. It’s a gateway to more inclusive digital experiences, but only if designed thoughtfully. While its sleek visuals and reduced eye strain appeal to many, poorly implemented dark themes can alienate users with visual impairments, causing readability issues like blurred text or harsh contrasts.
Other Interesting Finds
The hidden power of unanswerable questions
What is a question? A narrow definition might say it is an “information-seeking act,” but many philosophical and spiritual traditions suggest questions are something deeper — a way of opening the mind, not just filling it.
The worst Mother’s Day Gifts
Mother’s Day is a week away. If you haven’t thought about a gift for your mother (or the mothers in your life), now is the time. But try not to do something she’ll hate…