Brief

The Washington Post has launched a new opinion podcast, "Make It Make Sense," with an apparent investment of $80,000 in new audio and video equipment. Despite the investment and a remodeled studio, the podcast's video content is being criticized for being poorly produced and lacking engagement. The author compares the new podcast videos unfavorably to their own early, unsuccessful attempts at video content creation years ago, suggesting a disconnect between media executives and effective online content strategies. AI

A recent survey by Girl Scouts of the USA reveals that a significant majority of girls aged 5-13 view AI-powered voice assistants and chatbots as friends, often turning to them for emotional support and homework help. Many girls perceive AI as superior to their parents for entertainment, recommendations, and academic assistance, a trend largely underestimated by parents. While most parents acknowledge AI's potential benefits, a substantial portion express concern about their children's ability to discern AI-generated information and a lack of preparedness to teach safe AI usage. AI

GitLab has announced a strategic shift towards integrating AI into its core operations, a move that has drawn significant criticism from its long-time users. The company's "GitLab Act 2" initiative aims to leverage AI for planning, coding, reviewing, and deploying software. This pivot has led some users to reconsider their use of the platform, with several expressing disappointment and a desire to explore alternatives. AI

Simon Willison's blog posts discuss the evolving landscape of AI agents and developer tools. One post critiques the term "11 AI agents" as lacking specific meaning, comparing it to generic counts of spreadsheets or browser tabs. Another post introduces "GitHub Repo Stats," a browser-based tool that uses the GitHub API to display repository metrics like commit counts and stars, addressing a gap in GitHub's mobile interface. AI