Today’s Highlights

• AI: Google's Gemini 2.0 Lineup Takes the Stage: Now with Pro

• Design: Best UX Design: AI an Ally But the Human Touch Retains

• Science & Tech: Underwater Cities? A Mysterious Millionaire Believes So

• Founding: The Art of Saying No: Specialising > Generalising

• Product: Stand Out or Blend In: Demystifying Product Differentiation

• Today’s AI image: Athletic Machines & Dreams of A Soaked Atlantis

• Quote for the day: The Beauty of Creativity

AI

Google's Gemini 2.0 Lineup Takes the Stage: Now with Pro

Google has rolled out a fresh batch of AI models under its Gemini 2.0 banner, headlined by the powerhouse Pro Experimental and the budget-friendly Flash and Flash Lite.

Alongside these, Google is also making its Flash Thinking reasoning model widely accessible, giving users a front-row seat to real-time AI thought processes.

All You Need To Know

• 2.0 Pro Experimental packs a massive 2M token memory, making it a coding powerhouse with sharper logic and a bigger brain for world knowledge.

• 2.0 Flash Lite may be the budget pick, but it outperforms its predecessor while keeping speed and cost in check.

• Flash Thinking Experimental is now free for all, letting users peek inside AI’s thought process as it tackles tricky prompts.

• Multimodal today, more tomorrow—text, image, and speech inputs now, with image generation and text-to-speech on the way.

Why is this a big deal?

Google’s latest AI lineup signals an ambitious expansion, but the excitement is tempered by less-than-groundbreaking benchmarks for the Pro model.

Unlike its December drop, which left rivals scrambling, 2.0 Pro’s performance looks closer to a lateral move rather than a game-changer.

Meanwhile, OpenAI continues to dominate the AI buzz, making it clear the battle for supremacy is far from over.

Read More

Also in AI

• Nvidia’s AI Shows Robots How to Flex Like Pro Athletes

• OpenAI’s Latest Move—From Chatbots to Gadgets?

• Google Loosens AI Rules – Tech giant quietly drops bans on AI for weapons and surveillance

• OpenAI’s Sales Bot Debuts – AI takes on lead qualification and meeting scheduling in Tokyo demo

• Amazon’s AI Alexa Incoming – February 26 event set to unveil Alexa’s long-awaited AI makeover

• Workday Slashes Jobs for AI – 1,750 roles cut as company shifts focus to automation

• MIT’s AI Turbocharger – New tool slashes redundant calculations, boosting AI speeds by up to 30x

Design

Best UX Design: AI an Ally But the Human Touch Retains

Generative AI is shaking up UX design, promising to fast-track tedious tasks and streamline workflows. Tools like Semanttic, Figma, and Adobe’s AI features are redefining how designers operate.

But with this influx of automation, the big question is:

Does AI make UX design genuinely better? The answer is a mix of yes and no.

Where AI Shines in UX

• AI can whip up wireframes, user flows, and design drafts in minutes, cutting down what used to take hours or days.

• By tapping into vast libraries of existing UI patterns, AI removes the grunt work of assembling standard layouts.

• Designers can quickly test multiple variations without manually redrawing everything.

• AI helps teams get from zero to a working prototype almost instantly.

• Faster workflows mean more time for designers to focus on strategy, creativity, and user empathy.

But AI Can’t Do It All

• AI excels at automation, but it lacks the human touch needed to craft experiences that feel unique, engaging, and brand-specific.

• AI can follow prompts, but it doesn’t understand business goals, customer pain points, or emotional nuances.

• AI-generated designs tend to be functional but generic—a recipe for blending in, not standing out.

• Designing for real human needs requires insight, intuition, and emotional intelligence—things AI can’t replicate.

Why This Matters

The UX world is at a crossroads. AI is not here to replace designers, but rather to amplify their abilities.

Businesses that treat AI as a shortcut to replace human creativity risk producing bland, forgettable experiences. The real winners will be those who balance AI’s efficiency with human insight, using AI to accelerate workflows while keeping innovation and differentiation firmly in human hands.

Read More

Also in Design

• OpenAI’s Facelift: New Logo, New Font, Same Big Brain

• Snap’s AI Text-to-Image Model Turns Your Words into Pics—Fast

• Adobe Acrobat AI Now Your Personal Contract Lawyer (Sort Of)

• Nietzsche, AI, and the Future of Creativity—No, Really

• Cursors: Quite Underrated in UX, Now Getting Smarter

• Can AI Really Read Your Emotions?

Science & Tech

Underwater Cities? A Mysterious Millionaire Is Building One

A nondescript quarry on the Welsh border is the unexpected launchpad for an audacious underwater living experiment.

Backed by an elusive billionaire, Deep aims to create fully operational, long-term human habitats beneath the sea.

If successful, it could redefine how humanity interacts with the ocean, unlocking scientific, ecological, and even commercial opportunities beneath the waves.

A Quarry-Turned-Underwater Lab

• A flooded former limestone quarry in Gloucestershire is being converted into Deep’s testing and training ground.

• The 50-acre site will house full-scale mock-ups of underwater living spaces, a training school, and a launch platform for mini-submarines.

• These habitats—dubbed “sentinels”—are designed to function at depths of up to 200 metres, where the ocean transitions into its darker, largely unexplored twilight zone.

The Grand Vision: Living Below the Surface—Permanently

• The project’s ultimate goal is to establish permanent, self-sufficient human colonies under the sea.

• Initial stays in the sentinels will last up to 28 days, but Deep hopes to extend this to months or even years.

• The modular design allows multiple sentinels to be linked together, potentially forming entire research stations or, eventually, full-fledged underwater communities.

Space Won, But the Ocean Remains Unconquered

• Decades ago, space exploration overshadowed deep-sea ventures, leaving oceanic frontiers largely untouched.

• Despite covering 70% of the planet, the deep sea remains one of the least understood environments on Earth.

• Deep aims to rekindle humanity’s underwater ambitions, using cutting-edge technology to advance marine research and conservation.

While the mysteries of deep space have long captured humanity’s imagination, Deep is betting that our future might lie in the unexplored depths of our own planet.

Whether this is the dawn of a new Atlantis or a wildly ambitious pipe dream, one thing is certain. Deep is diving headfirst into uncharted waters. Quite literally.

Read More

Also in Science & Tech

• Alexa’s Getting a Brain Upgrade (via Claude AI): Amazon is revamping Alexa into a generative AI assistant that actually understands context

• Blue Origin Simulates Lunar Gravity: Without Leaving Earth

• Chinese AI firm DeepSeek, which made waves with its viral chatbot, is reportedly linked to state-owned telecom giant China Mobile

• Massive crowds behave like fluid, say scientists studying Spain’s Running of the Bulls. (No word on whether the bulls read the study)

• A newly discovered 69-million-year-old bird fossil suggests some avian ancestors survived the mass extinction

Founding

The Art of Saying No: Specialising > Generalising?

Superhuman’s success came from knowing exactly who it was for. In contrast, Jawbone tried to appeal to everyone and failed spectacularly.

The key takeaway: Narrow your focus to succeed.

The Risk of Overreaching

Trying to build a “super-product” like Google Wave leads to confusion and failure.

Linear succeeded because it honed in on one thing: speed for developers. Less is more.

The Emotional Struggle of Saying No

Turning down opportunities and features feels tough, but saying yes to everything dilutes your impact.

Great startups, like Evernote, falter when they try to do too much. Focus on what sets you apart.

How to Decide What to Say No To

Use a framework to prioritise decisions:

1. Align with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

2. Prioritise Impact vs. Effort

3. Resist the urge to follow competitors

4. Test ideas before diving in

Examples of Failing by Saying Yes Too Much

Quibi, Jawbone, and Evernote all fell short by trying to be everything to everyone. Clarity and focus would have saved them.

Saying "no" is a strategic move. It defines your identity, sharpens your focus, and sets the path for extraordinary success.

To stand out, start by saying no to the distractions and yes to being exceptional. It’s the key to building something irreplaceable.

Read more

Also in Founding

• Hunter S. Thompson’s Philosophy: Choose the Ninth Path

• The $500 Colour Trick: RemoteOK rakes in extra cash by offering premium job post customisations

• AI Startups: Quality Protein for Portfolios

• Wisdom from History’s Greatest Founders: David Senra distills lessons from entrepreneurial legends

Product

Stand Out or Blend In: Demystifying Product Differentiation

When shaping your positioning, you must answer two critical questions:

Who is your ideal customer? And what makes your offering stand out from the competition?

Understanding Differentiation

Differentiation means clearly defining how your product is distinct and better than alternatives. This involves highlighting four key aspects:

1. What’s the competitive alternative?

2. What’s wrong with it?

3. How is your product different?

4. Why is your approach superior?

Elements of Differentiation

1. Competitive Alternative
   Your competition is what customers would use in your absence. In emerging markets, it could be outdated tools or inefficient processes (e.g. Slack vs email).

2. Problem with the Alternative
   It's crucial to pinpoint the problem you're solving. Slack targeted email’s inefficiency, using that frustration to highlight its strengths. Identifying the right competitor paints your product as the ideal fix.

3. How You Do It Differently
   Once you know your competition, show how you stand out:

• Differentiation by Degree: Offer a similar product, but better (e.g. Superhuman’s faster email client).

• Binary Differentiation: Offer something fundamentally different (e.g. DuckDuckGo’s privacy model).

4. Why Your Way is Better

   
   In a crowded market, differentiation may need a boost—either by enhancing your product or targeting an underserved segment.

   Fathom disrupted call recording with lower prices, while Zoom’s user-friendly model outshone WebEx.

To stand out, differentiation must go beyond just being “different.” It’s about being relevant, valuable, and tailored to your target audience’s needs.

Whether it’s refining your product, adjusting your delivery model, or finding a niche market, the goal is to provide undeniable value.

When executed right, differentiation sets you on the path to success.

Read more

Today’s AI Image

Athletic Machines & Dreams of A Soaked Atlantis

Quote of the Day

The Beauty of Creativity

"You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."

Maya Angelou

What we’re working on

🧞Your wish is my command