Generative AI 101

Google's Gemini 2.5

Google’s Gemini 2.5 just set a new standard on Humanity’s Last Exam and flexed hard in the AI Fight Club, outpacing GPT-4.5 and Grok-3. It reasons, codes, remembers a million tokens of context, and handles text, audio, images, and video like it’s born for chaos. In this episode, we unpack why Gemini 2.5 isn’t just smart, it’s scary good.Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about Gemini 2.5 than you did before!
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Humanity's Last Exam

Standardized tests are getting torched like marshmallows at a bonfire, and AI's top students are flunking the new final. In this episode, Emily unpacks Humanity’s Last Exam, a brutal, brain-bending test designed to humble even the cockiest language model. Forget multiple choice; we’re talking diagrams, logic puzzles, and cross-disciplinary chaos that left most AIs confidently clueless. Hear how this monster exam aims to reset the curve, why benchmark saturation is a real buzzkill, and what it says about how far AI has to go before it stops giving you medical advice with the swagger of a drunk Jeopardy contestant.Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about Humanity's Last Exam than you did before!
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a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: Big Money & Big Scams

Mobile AI apps are raking in cash—or at least convincing you that your fern obsession is worth $20 a month. This episode dissects the Andreessen Horowitz Top Gen AI Apps report, revealing why popularity doesn’t equal profit (looking at you, TikTok editors) and why niche apps (hello, dictation and nutrition coaches) are the real hidden gems. We explore how ChatGPT dominates while its shameless clones play whack-a-mole in app stores. Who’s winning, who's grifting, and who's quietly printing money? Buckle up—AI is scaling faster than your ex stalking your Instagram, and the market is just getting started.Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about the Andreessen Horowitz Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps report than you did before!
 
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a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: The VibeCoder Revolution

Forget dark-mode IDEs and midnight debugging crises—AI tools are ushering in a vibecoder revolution. This episode unpacks the surge in agentic IDEs like Cursor (think Jarvis meets Clippy, but actually helpful) and text-to-web platforms (just say, “Airbnb for iguanas,” and poof, it's live). From Bolt’s explosive growth to the surprising overlap between coders and no-code builders, we explore how AI is blurring the line between developers and dreamers. Whether you're coding hardcore or just vibing your next startup into existence, the future is here—and apparently, it's a vibe.Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about the Andreessen Horowitz Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps report than you did before!
 
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a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: Reverage of the Video Gen Models

AI video generation isn't awkwardly fumbling anymore—it's making Hollywood sweat. This episode explores the meteoric rise of Gen AI video apps like Hailuo and Kling AI, exploring how specialization (think ultra-precise visuals and deepfake-level features) is reshaping content creation. OpenAI’s hyped release, Sora, faces fierce competition, and AI-powered video editing tools are transforming tedious tasks like captioning and clipping. But with powerful new models like Google's Veo 2 emerging—complete with impressive visuals and steep pricing—is AI video finally going mainstream, or still stuck behind a paywall? Either way, get ready: your next viral video might be AI-made.Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about the Andreessen Horowitz Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps report than you did before!
 
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a16z Top Gen AI Consumer Apps Report: ChatGPT & Deepseek

AI moves fast—one minute you're on top, the next, you're a footnote. In this episode of Generative AI 101, we break down the latest Andreessen Horowitz Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps report. Spoiler: ChatGPT is still king, but DeepSeek just crashed the party. We're taking the week to examine the report but this episode focuses on ChatGPT, the Kleenex of AI, and the new kid on the block, DeepSeek.Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about the Andreessen Horowitz Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps report than you did before!
 
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Alibaba’s QwQ-32B-Preview: Qw... Q... the Future?

Alibaba’s QwQ-32B-Preview is here, and it’s not just another chatbot—it’s an AI reasoning machine that can handle complex math, coding, and logic like a pro. And the best part? You don’t need a data center the size of a city to run it. In this episode, we break down why this model is a game-changer, how it stacks up against the competition, and whether it’s the budget-friendly AI powerhouse we’ve been waiting for. Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about Alibaba’s QwQ-32B-Preview than you did before!
 
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Llama 3.3 70B: A lean, mean, useful AI

Let's chat Meta's Llama 3.3 70B. This lean, mean AI machine can generate text, write code, and even produce synthetic data—all without needing a supercomputer the size of Texas. It’s faster, cheaper, and packed with innovations like Grouped-Query Attention (think AI on Red Bull). But what’s the catch? We break down its strengths, its limits (sorry, no Kardashian updates past 2023), and what it means for the future of AI. Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about Llama 3.3 70B than you did before!
 
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Claude 3.7 Sonnet: The AI That Codes & Computes

Claude 3.7 Sonnet isn’t just another AI—it’s Anthropic’s latest and smartest yet, balancing speed and deep reasoning like a human flipping between Twitter and a textbook. With a massive 200,000-token memory and sharper problem-solving, it’s a powerhouse for coding, research, and crunching complex data. But is it worth the price? And does it actually feel smarter? We break down the strengths, quirks, and real-world impact of Claude 3.7—plus, the one reason I finally caved and got a Claude Pro account.Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about Claude 3.7 Sonnett than you did before!
 
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ChatGPT 4.5: The Wildcard of AI

ChatGPT 4.5 isn’t your typical AI—it’s the Marlon Brando of chatbots, rebellious, intuitive, and full of surprises. In this episode, we break down what makes 4.5 tick, from its refined storytelling skills to its creative genius (and occasional logic stumbles). We’ll also talk about its real-world uses, price tag, and the ethical quirks that come with the territory. Connect with Us: If you enjoyed this episode or have questions, reach out to Emily Laird on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more insights into the evolving world of generative AI. And remember, you now know more about ChatGPT 4.5 than you did before!
 
Connect with Emily Laird on LinkedIn