Morning Edition

The Futurist

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
AI & Technology Markets & Crypto Ideas Worth Keeping
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01

AI & Technology

404 Media

Streamer Realtime Deepfakes Himself into Mr. Beast, Says He Loves 'Touching Little Boys'

New software called Delulu lets streamers transform into anyone in real-time, including controversial figures like George Floyd and Jeffrey Epstein. One streamer used it to impersonate Mr. Beast while making disturbing statements about children.

404 Media

The FBI Wants to Buy Nationwide Access to License Plate Readers

The FBI is seeking to purchase nationwide license plate tracking capabilities, with only Flock and Motorola positioned to fulfill the contract. This represents a massive expansion of federal surveillance infrastructure.

404 Media

Researchers Wanted Preschool Teachers to Wear Cameras to Train AI

Academic researchers proposed having preschool teachers wear first-person cameras to capture classroom interactions for AI training. The study would record children's activities from the teacher's perspective to develop educational AI systems.

Simon Willison

Gemini 3.5 Flash: more expensive, but Google plan to use it for everything

Google released Gemini 3.5 Flash without a preview phase, deploying it across billions of users immediately. Despite higher costs, Google is betting this model will power their core products and services.

a16z

Why Physical AI Is the Next Big Opportunity

A16z explores how AI is moving from software into physical systems, automating construction and electronics design. The discussion covers manufacturing constraints and what it takes to bridge digital intelligence with real-world applications.

02

X / Twitter Signal

Andrej Karpathy announced he's joining Anthropic, calling the next few years at the frontier of LLMs "especially formative." This is a massive talent acquisition for Anthropic, bringing one of AI's most respected voices to their team just as the field enters its most critical phase.

Meta has begun cutting 8,000 jobs globally, starting with employees in Singapore. This marks another round of tech layoffs as companies continue optimizing for efficiency in an AI-driven transformation of their operations.

Miles Deutscher points out that most people hate AI, making it easier for early adopters to win. This contrarian take highlights the opportunity gap between AI skeptics and those embracing the technology for competitive advantage.

OpenAI now allows U.S. ChatGPT Pro users to connect bank accounts through Plaid, enabling AI analysis of spending, subscriptions, and cash flow. This represents a significant step toward AI becoming a personal financial assistant with real banking integration.

03

The Thread

The convergence of surveillance technology and AI is accelerating beyond what most anticipated. The FBI's nationwide license plate reader procurement signals that federal agencies see mass surveillance as essential infrastructure, not optional capability. Meanwhile, academic researchers wanting to camera-monitor preschoolers shows how normalized invasive data collection has become in the name of AI advancement. But the most telling development is Karpathy joining Anthropic—a move that validates their approach to AI safety while highlighting the talent war heating up between frontier labs. His departure from independence to join Claude's makers suggests the window for solo AI research is closing as capabilities require institutional scale.
"The next few years at the frontier of LLMs will be especially formative"
The deepfake streaming incident reveals how quickly AI tools democratize both creativity and chaos. When anyone can become anyone in real-time, the implications stretch far beyond pranks into identity, trust, and authenticity. Google's immediate deployment of Gemini 3.5 Flash to billions shows tech giants are moving faster than regulatory frameworks can adapt. Physical AI represents the next battleground, where software intelligence meets manufacturing reality. As AI moves from chatbots to construction sites, the companies that crack the physical world will own the next decade. The question isn't whether AI will transform everything—it's whether we're building guardrails fast enough to contain the transformation.