Today’s Highlights

• AI: ByteDance’s AI Clone Factory: OmniHuman-1 Creates Eerily Realistic Deepfakes

• Design: What Feelings Does Each Shape Evoke: Square, Circle, Triangle

• Science & Tech: Brains Are More Plastic As Days Pass

• Founding: 9 Strategies to Close Your First 50 SaaS Customers

• Product: “Fire Bullets, Then Cannonballs”: Test Before You Leap

• Today’s AI image: Ever-Growing Skepticism: Real or Just Deeply Faked? 

• Quote for the day: How to Attract the Good and Repel the Bad

AI

ByteDance’s AI Clone Factory: OmniHuman-1 Creates Eerily Realistic Deepfakes

Researchers from ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, have unveiled OmniHuman-1—an AI system that pushes deepfake technology to an unsettling new level.

With just a single image and an audio clip, it can generate hyper-realistic videos that blur the line between reality and fabrication.

What Makes It Different?

• Generates lifelike videos of any length and format, adjusting body proportions and aspect ratios on the fly.

• Handles everything from cartoonish animations to intricate human movements while maintaining style consistency.

• Trained on a staggering 19,000 hours of video, it can even tweak existing footage to alter motion.

• Works with a diverse range of inputs, including exaggerated poses that typically trip up AI.

• Despite increasing legal pushback—10 U.S. states have laws against AI impersonation—regulation and detection efforts remain patchy at best.

Why Is This a Big Deal?

OmniHuman-1 isn’t publicly available yet, but the demo alone has made one thing clear: we’ve officially entered an era where distinguishing real from AI-generated is near impossible.

As similar technologies inevitably hit the market, verifying authenticity in media is about to become one of society’s biggest headaches.

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Also in AI

• Apple’s AI Party Planner – Invites, an AI-powered event planning app

• Johns Hopkins Develops AbdomenAtlas – A massive AI-powered medical imaging dataset to speed up early cancer detection

• Figure ends its deal with OpenAI, hinting at a game-changing robotics breakthrough coming soon

• Kanye West confirms AI is a co-producer on his next album—because autotune wasn’t futuristic enough

• Google updates its Responsible AI Framework, doubling down on AI safety

• Adobe upgrades Acrobat’s AI Assistant to help users decipher legal contracts

• Snapchat’s AI can now generate high-res images in 1.4 seconds—so your filters might get a serious AI glow-up

Design

What Feelings Does Each Shape Evoke: Square, Circle, Triangle

Shapes shape (pun intended) how people interact with and feel about a design. Whether it's a minimalist website or a bold ad, using geometric forms with intent can amplify impact.

Understanding their psychological pull helps designers craft visuals that guide users, stir emotions, and reinforce brand identity.

Why Shapes Matter in Design

• They Direct Attention – Strategic placement of shapes can subtly steer users' eyes toward key content, calls to action, or brand messages.

• They Trigger Emotions – Squares convey stability, circles feel inclusive, and triangles suggest movement or hierarchy. Every shape has an unspoken meaning.

• They Strengthen Branding – Many iconic logos rely on geometry—think Nike’s swoosh (a curved line) or Apple’s bitten circle.

• They Enhance Readability – Proper use of shapes can break up text-heavy layouts, making content more digestible and visually appealing.

• They Build Visual Harmony – Patterns, repetition, and symmetry in geometric design create a sense of cohesion that keeps users engaged.

Choosing the Right Shapes

• Squares & Rectangles – Reliable and structured, these convey stability and order. Ideal for corporate branding, real estate, and construction firms.

• Circles – Continuous and harmonious, they evoke unity, warmth, and completeness. Frequently used in logos and UI elements.

• Triangles – Directional and dynamic, they suggest progress, energy, and movement. Upward triangles inspire confidence, while downward ones can indicate instability.

In a digital world where thousands of websites and graphics compete for attention daily, mastering geometric design gives you an edge.

Whether you’re creating a logo, a web page, or an ad campaign, using shapes intentionally can make your user think what you want them to.

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Also in Design

• Apple’s New Party Trick: Invites App – Templates, Apple Pencil support and iCloud syncing

• Marvel Swats Away AI Accusations – Fans suspect AI foul play in the Fantastic Four teaser poster

• US Copyright Office: No Human, No Copyright

• Blank Page Syndrome? Too Bad, Design is Work

• What Copywriters Wish Designers Knew – Involve writers early, refine briefs, and avoid last-minute text drops

• AI Still Can’t Paint Like Picasso – A deep dive into why AI-generated content lacks human intent

Science & Tech

Brains Are More Plastic As Days Pass

Microplastics—those minuscule polymer fragments polluting our air, water, and soil—are now infiltrating human brains at alarming rates.

A Nature Medicine study found they accumulate in brain tissue far more than in other organs, but the health risks remain unclear.

All You Need To Know

• Microplastic levels in the brain have surged by 50% in the past eight years, keeping pace with global plastic waste.

• Some fragments are only a few times larger than a virus, making them more likely to infiltrate biological barriers.

• Brain tissue from dementia patients contained up to ten times more plastic, though causation remains uncertain.

• Tiny particles can breach the brain’s protective shield, raising concerns about neurological impact.

• Implants like stents and artificial joints might contribute, but their role is still unknown.

• Scientists extracted plastic from autopsied brain samples, identifying 12 polymer types, with polyethylene (found in packaging) being the most common.

Why is this a big deal?

The discovery of plastic in the brain isn’t just unsettling—it could have serious neurological consequences.

Researchers suspect microplastics might disrupt blood flow, interfere with neural connections, or contribute to protein build-ups linked to dementia.

While the full impact remains unknown, one thing is certain: plastic pollution is no longer just an environmental issue—it’s a potential threat to our brains.

Read More

Also in Science & Tech

• AI Speeds Up Genomic 3D Mapping – MIT’s AI model predicts thousands of genome structures in minutes

• Scientists Develop Treatment to Halt Brain Tumours in Kids

• Early North American Civilisations Saw a Mysterious 30% Population Decline

• Alzheimer’s Study Kicks Off with 18-Year-Olds – Scientists launch a 25-year study to track Alzheimer’s from young adulthood

Founding

9 Strategies to Close Your First 50 SaaS Customers

1️⃣ Tap into Your Network
Reach out to people you already know—it's the easiest way to start.

2️⃣ Warm Introductions
Ask your investors, friends, or advisors for introductions.

3️⃣ Referral Requests
Encourage your early adopters to refer you to others—be specific in your asks to make it easy for them.

4️⃣ Partner with Influencers
Team up with 3-5 relevant influencers who can promote your product to their audience.

5️⃣ Founder-Led LinkedIn
Post and engage daily to build your thought leadership and trust in your industry.

6️⃣ Social Selling
Track intent signals like profile views and likes, then reach out to potential customers.

7️⃣ BOFU Content
Create comparison pages or alternative options for your product to attract customers from crowded markets.

8️⃣ Paid Search
Target high-intent keywords on Google for quick visibility and traction.

9️⃣ Niche Newsletter Sponsorships
Sponsor newsletters with an audience that matches your ideal customer profile (ICP).

The trick is staying agile—testing various tactics, learning from what doesn’t work, and doubling down on what does.

Read more

Also in Founding

• Tariffs: Not Always the Bad Guy

• 2025 IPO Contenders: Stripe, Klarna, Canva, and more could hit the stock market if conditions improve

• Startup Life: Dream or 10-Year Slog?

• Pre-IPO Shares: Why to know the liquidity traps and transparency issues Before investing in pre-IPO shares

Product

“Fire Bullets, Then Cannonballs”: Test Before You Leap

What is Strategy Refinement?

Test smaller parts of a larger strategy using tools like Wardley mapping or systems modelling before going all-in. Think of it as a "test drive" for your strategy.

Why Refinement Matters

Refining helps you focus on high-impact areas, saving time and resources by catching issues early.

Testing small aspects of your strategy before committing to the full roll-out lets you course-correct early, saving time and resources.

Why It’s Often Skipped

Executives prioritise ambitious moves over refinement to impress stakeholders, risking poor results later.

Building Your Toolkit

Master techniques like strategy testing, systems modelling, and Wardley mapping. Start with one and expand as you go.

Key Techniques to Master

• Strategy Testing: Tackle unclear problems by testing and adjusting.

• Systems Modelling: Find leverage points in complex systems.

• Wardley Mapping: Visualise ecosystem changes and their impact.

Refining your strategy ensures smarter, more impactful decisions.

Test, adjust, and only commit when you’ve got the data to back it up. Small wins lead to big victories.

Read more

Today’s AI Image

Ever-Growing Skepticism: Real or Just Deeply Faked?

Quote of the Day

How to Attract the Good and Repel the Bad

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you."

Walt Whitman

What we’re working on

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