Welcome to The Daily AI Show Newsletter, your deeper dive into AI that goes beyond the latest news. In this issue:

• Veterans Healthcare Reimagined: How AI is Saving Lives and Rebuilding Trust

• Are Entry-Level Jobs Disappearing? How AI is Changing the Workforce

• Taking the Tension Out of Big Decisions—With a Little AI Help

Plus, we discuss AI’s impact on email, the true value of AI (hint: it isn’t now), HeyGen’s latest product release creating avatars from your photos, Gemini’s resistance to talking politics, the value of human creation in film, and all the new stories that caught our eyes and ears this past week.

It’s Sunday morning.

Let’s see if AI has finally figured out why your Wi-Fi is always slow.

The DAS Crew

Veterans Healthcare Reimagined: How AI is Saving Lives and Rebuilding Trust

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is pioneering the use of AI in healthcare, creating what may be the most comprehensive and ethically guided AI program in the field. From predictive analytics to personalized care, the VA is leveraging its vast data resources—spanning 9 million patients, 120,000 clinicians, and 10 billion medical images—to improve care quality and accessibility for veterans.

Programs like Reach Vet identify veterans in need of crisis support before they even reach out for help, while initiatives like Mission Daybreak foster collaborative, AI-driven solutions to reduce veteran suicides.

The VA’s approach is guided by a six-point ethical framework emphasizing transparency, accountability, and equity. AI isn’t just improving medical outcomes; it’s helping rebuild trust and access within a population historically underserved by healthcare systems. By combining data, innovation, and an ethical foundation, the VA is setting a benchmark for how AI can transform public health systems.

WHY IT MATTERS

Proactive Crisis Prevention: AI tools like Reach Vet allow the VA to intervene before crises escalate, saving lives and providing timely care.

Enhanced Personalization: AI-powered tools help customize treatment plans and interactions, improving outcomes for veterans with diverse backgrounds and needs.

Streamlined Efficiency: Administrative AI systems reduce inefficiencies, enabling healthcare providers to focus more on patient care rather than bureaucratic tasks.

Ethically Driven Innovation: The VA’s six-point framework demonstrates how AI can be implemented responsibly, serving as a model for other healthcare organizations.

Broader Implications for Public Health: By harnessing AI for large-scale public healthcare, the VA provides a blueprint for integrating AI into systems that serve millions while maintaining ethical standards.

Are Entry-Level Jobs Disappearing? How AI is Changing the Workforce

The rise of AI is fundamentally altering the job market, and nowhere is this more evident than in entry-level positions. Traditionally, these roles have been stepping stones for recent graduates, providing hands-on experience, mentorship, and a chance to build professional networks.

Now, AI tools are automating tasks that once defined these positions—customer service, data entry, and even junior analyst roles—leaving fewer opportunities for new workers to gain their footing in the workforce.

This shift has profound implications not just for individuals but for businesses and society at large. Without entry-level jobs, new graduates may struggle to develop critical workplace skills and connections. Organizations also risk losing a pipeline of fresh talent and the long-term benefits of mentorship and knowledge transfer.

The challenge is clear: How do we prepare future generations for a workforce where AI has automated many of the traditional “first jobs”?

WHY IT MATTERS

Redefining Early Career Paths: Without traditional entry-level roles, individuals must focus on building portfolios, skills, and networks before they even enter the workforce.

Mentorship Loss: AI-driven roles reduce the chances for new workers to learn from experienced colleagues, which could stunt professional growth and industry knowledge transfer.

Rise of Entrepreneurship: For those who can adapt, AI lowers barriers to starting businesses, offering tools for young professionals to carve out their own paths.

Shift to Skills-Based Hiring: Companies may prioritize candidates with specific skills over degrees, pushing job seekers to focus on certifications, portfolios, and demonstrated abilities.

Looming Inequality: Without a clear pathway for entry-level talent, the gap between those with access to resources and connections and those without could widen significantly.

Taking the Tension Out of Big Decisions—With a Little AI Help

Goal setting has long been a manual process, often guided by gut instincts, brainstorming sessions, or time-consuming research. Now, AI is transforming how we approach this critical task, offering powerful tools to not only plan our goals but also track progress, adapt to challenges, and perform retrospective analyses.

Whether it’s personal aspirations like improving fitness or professional objectives like hitting quarterly sales targets, AI-driven planning tools provide clarity, accountability, and actionable insights.

By using AI to assist with goals, individuals and organizations can create comprehensive action plans that consider potential obstacles, streamline execution, and deliver real-time progress updates. Features like custom GPTs enable users to focus on specific milestones while tracking changes in external circumstances, ensuring goals remain relevant even in rapidly shifting environments.

WHY IT MATTERS

Personalized Planning: AI tailors action plans to your unique circumstances, breaking down long-term goals into achievable, time-bound steps.

Proactive Problem-Solving: AI can analyze your objectives, identify potential roadblocks, and offer strategies to overcome them before they become issues.

Continuous Improvement: Retrospective analysis with AI allows you to learn from missed milestones, refine your approach, and make better decisions for future goals.

Enhanced Collaboration: Teams can align objectives across departments or individuals, using AI to track progress and adjust strategies as needed.

Scalability for Business: AI streamlines goal-setting for organizations by helping define OKRs, forecast outcomes, and optimize resources—all while maintaining flexibility in response to market shifts.

Just Jokes

The True Value of AI

Karl shared a recent article from Tomsguide.com and said it was worth a read.

He pointed out this quote:

“The true value isn’t in what it can do now (although it is useful if you write code), but in what it means for the future. Imagine having a Zoom meeting and ChatGPT being able to see the contents of the call and offer live tips on how to respond or interact meaningfully.

Another potentially useful area is in gaming.

Picture the scenario: You are in a game of Fortnite and ChatGPT is running in the background. It watches your gameplay and can alert you, in real-time, to any potential threats or offer tips on what to build.”

HeyGen Is Speeding Up

Eran shared the following with the crew after trying out HeyGen’s latest feature.

“Holy moly! HeyGen is getting better by the month now. Check this new feature out. It allows you to upload up to 20 photos of you in different outfits and different poses, and it then creates 4 "Looks" of you, which are essentially an amalgam of all your pics. You can then add motion to the photo avatar and turn it into a video.

This is SUPER impressive. I can see how this could revolutionize the creation of video avatars. You might not need 2 min training videos soon.”

Google Gemini Refuses to Talk Politics

Andy pointed out the difference between using Google’s Gemini and Perplexity to analyze a recent video transcript from President Elect Trump.

Where Gemini seemed resistant to summarize the content and even deleted previous results from the conversation thread, Perplexity had no issue and provided an outline of the transcript.

Beth noted Gemini refuses anything that could be construed as political and wondered what might happen if Andy has run the transcript through NotebookLM’s podcast feature.

Beth also said there are settings in Google AI Studio that might help Gemini with what types of topics it will discuss.

Did you know?

The rise of email wasn’t just about communication—it was about innovation that disrupted entire industries. AOL, for instance, didn’t just connect users; it built a community with its chatrooms and was instrumental in introducing the concept of "bundled internet" through CDs distributed to millions. At its peak, AOL accounted for nearly 50% of all U.S. internet traffic.

Meanwhile, Yahoo Mail was more than an offer of convenience to its followers; it was part of Yahoo’s strategy to lock users into its ecosystem, paving the way for early personalization with its My Yahoo! dashboard. Interestingly, Yahoo Mail introduced disposable email addresses in 2000, a feature designed to combat spam before most people even knew what spam was.

Gmail’s free 1GB storage at launch in 2004 wasn’t just generous—it was revolutionary. At the time, email storage limits from competitors were typically 2MB to 10MB.

And now, AI is transforming email once again. 

AI-driven tools like smart compose, auto-replies, and advanced spam filters are making inboxes smarter and more efficient. AI assistants can prioritize emails based on importance, schedule responses, and even summarize long threads. Generative AI is also enabling hyper-personalized communication for businesses, while fraud-detection algorithms are identifying phishing attempts in real time.

Email is no longer just a tool for messages—it’s becoming an AI-powered productivity hub, changing the way we work and communicate.

This Week’s Conundrum
A difficult problem or question that doesn't have a clear or easy solution.

The AI-Only Cinema Conundrum:

Advances in AI have made it possible to create entire movies without human actors. AI can generate hyper-realistic characters, voice performances, and even improvisational dialogue that feels authentic. Studios could cut costs, avoid scheduling conflicts, and create films faster than ever. Fans might enjoy limitless content tailored to their tastes, and beloved actors could even "star" in new films decades after their deaths. However, this shift raises profound questions about artistry, human creativity, and the role of actors in storytelling.

The conundrum: If AI can create movies without actors, offering limitless possibilities and preserving performances forever, should it become the dominant form of filmmaking? Or does this devalue the uniquely human element of acting, undermining the craft and connection that actors bring to cinema?

WalkON Exoskeleton for Paraplegics

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), has introduced the WalkON Suit FI exoskeleton, enabling paraplegics to stand and walk unaided. The autonomous device lifts users into a standing position and supports them as they begin to walk. Though currently limited to straight-line walking, the technology offers hope for future enhancements in mobility for paraplegics.

PanoRadar’s Superhuman Vision for Robots

PanoRadar, a new AI-powered tool, uses radio waves to give robots superhuman vision. This technology can create detailed 3D views of the surrounding environment, enabling robots to perform tasks requiring precise spatial awareness. Applications range from industrial inspection to advanced robotics with adaptive field-of-vision capabilities.

Johns Hopkins’ AI-Driven Surgical Robots

Johns Hopkins University has developed an imitation learning system for surgical robots, enabling them to learn procedures by watching videos. Using footage from the da Vinci surgical robot, this AI system can perform surgeries with precision after training on a relatively small number of videos, potentially revolutionizing surgical assistance and precision medicine.

AlphaFold 3 Goes Open Source

AlphaFold 3, the latest version of the protein-folding AI developed by DeepMind, is now open source. This version extends its capabilities to interactions with RNA and other biological systems, making it a powerful tool for drug discovery and biomedical research. The open-source release includes weights and training data, enabling researchers to customize the system for specific needs.

Particle Launches AI News App to Support Publishers

Particle has launched an AI-powered news app designed to enhance news consumption while supporting publishers financially. By curating content and providing a seamless reading experience, Particle ensures that users stay informed while traffic and revenue flow back to the original content creators.

DeepL Voice Real-Time Translation

DeepL has introduced a real-time voice translation tool supporting 33 languages. The system converts spoken input into text translations, allowing for seamless communication across language barriers. While currently text-based, future updates are expected to include voice-to-voice translation.

Waymo Expands Driverless Taxi Service in LA

Waymo has removed its waitlist for driverless taxis in Los Angeles, allowing 24/7 rides across 80 square miles, including Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. This expansion follows Waymo’s proven track record of safety and reliability in other cities like Phoenix, where it is also expanding highway capabilities.

Writer Raises $200 Million for Enterprise AI Solutions

Writer, an enterprise AI platform, raised $200 million at a $2 billion valuation. The platform is tailored for corporate writing tasks and integrates with companies like Accenture, Spotify, and Hilton. Its Palmyra models enable businesses to execute workflows and maintain brand consistency through AI-driven solutions.

Mount Sinai’s Pose AI Monitors NICU Babies

Mount Sinai Hospital has developed an AI system called Pose AI to monitor movements of babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). The AI interprets video footage to detect neurological and health changes, potentially improving response times and care outcomes for vulnerable infants.

Amazon’s Trainium 2 Chips for AI Inference

Amazon is testing its Trainium 2 chips, designed for AI inference, with a fourfold performance improvement over the first generation. Already used by companies like Anthropic and Databricks, Trainium chips provide a cost-effective alternative to NVIDIA GPUs. Amazon is also funding academic research through its Build on Trainium initiative, granting universities credits for model training.

YouTube Beta Tests AI Song Remixing

YouTube is testing an AI feature that allows users to remix songs into different styles, enabling more creative expression for content creators. This follows similar advancements in AI-generated music, expanding opportunities for artists and creators to reimagine music.

Jerry Garcia’s Voice Revived by AI

The estate of Jerry Garcia has partnered with Eleven Labs to bring the late musician’s voice to life. Fans of the Grateful Dead can now enjoy audiobooks and articles narrated by an AI recreation of Garcia’s voice, offering a unique way to connect with the legendary artist.

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