Today’s Highlights

• AI: ChatGPT Gets Vision: Can Now Analyse Videos and Screens

• Design: Web Design For Gen Z Users: How It Is Different From Ordinary

• Science & Tech: Custom Designer Babies: Not Gonna Happen

• Founding: Work to Grab The Sky: Worst Case Outcome, You’ll Have Climbed the Mountain 

• Product: Defining Active Users: Who exactly (actively) uses your product after buying?

• Today’s AI image: “Customising” Babies

• Quote for the day: From Ralph Emerson

AI

ChatGPT Gets Vision: Can Now Analyse Videos and Screens

OpenAI has just dropped a game-changing update to ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, marking Day 6 of its live stream event.

Now, the AI can not only chat but also process live video and screen shares during conversations—talk about next-level interaction!

All You Need To Know

• Users can now share live videos or screens while in Advanced Voice Mode, and ChatGPT will keep up, interpreting and responding to the visual context in real time.

• The new feature is activated through a fresh video icon in the mobile app, with screen sharing tucked away in a separate menu.

• This upgrade is available for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers, while Enterprise and Edu users will get their turn in January.

• Oh, and there’s a cheeky seasonal addition: a new voice option that lets users have a chat with Santa himself, available until early January.

Why is this a big deal?

OpenAI has finally pulled off its promise of visual understanding in conversational AI.

ChatGPT is no longer just about text and voice; it’s diving into full-on multimodal interaction. It’s been a cracking week for AI vision, with both Gemini and ChatGPT Advanced Voice picking up some seriously impressive new skills.

Read More

Also in AI

• Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Haiku Now Generally Available

• Anthropic Analyses Real-World AI Use with Clio: Clio clusters millions of AI conversations to reveal usage patterns

• Google announced Android XR OS for mixed reality, with Samsung launching a compatible headset in 2025

• Amazon Prime Video launched ‘AI Topics’ beta for personalised content recommendations

• Stanford Researchers proposed AI-powered virtual human cells for biological advancements

• Meta’s New Tools: Includes Video Seal, Motivo, and Large Concept Model for language processing

• Microsoft Phi-4: A compact AI model excelling in math and computation

Design

Web Design For Gen Z Users: How It Is Different From Ordinary

As time advances, Gen Z occupies more and more of consumer demographics. To win the market then means winning this generation’s attention and loyalty. Here’s how to achieve that in web design:

Web Design X Gen Z Users

Gen Z is ditching Google for platforms like TikTok and Instagram, preferring visual, social content over text-heavy search results.

Implication? You, as a brand, will have to find them (mobile-friendly social media content) instead of them finding you (traditional Google search.)

Tips to Delight Gen Z

1. Go Visual: Users are drawn to interactive, video-based content. Ditch static images for dynamic, engaging visuals like those on TikTok and Instagram.

2. Mobile-First is a Must: With younger audiences primarily browsing on mobile, responsive, fast-loading designs are non-negotiable.

3. Reinvent Search: Search bars need a facelift. Think voice search, contextual suggestions, and conversational AI for a more interactive experience.

4. Social Media Optimisation: It’s not just about Google anymore. Design with TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest in mind, making your content shareable and engaging.

The Bigger Picture

Google’s battle to stay relevant amidst younger users’ changing habits is a wake-up call for web designers to evolve. The future of search is social, visual, and AI-driven—time to adapt or be left behind.

Read More

Also in Design

• YouTube Kids Redesign: Updated look to align with the main YouTube app

• Figma 2024 Recap: Introduced 180 updates, including UI3 redesign, AI-powered visual search, and developer tools

• iPhone 17 Pro Camera Rumours: Horizontal camera bump with three lenses, similar to Pixel 9 Pro

• Design Literacy & AI: As AI democratises creativity, human intuition and strategic thinking are crucial for meaningful design

• Second Brain Branding: A playful yet professional design for an HR service provider

• Porsche Design Insights: Michael Mauer reflects on 20 years of Porsche design evolution, blending heritage with innovation

• Zone of Genius: Tips for aligning passion and skills for fulfillment

Science & Tech

Custom Designer Babies: Not Gonna Happen

While "designer babies" have been the talk of the town for decades, the reality of choosing traits like intelligence, athleticism, or eye colour remains far from achievable.

The idea of selecting embryos for these traits has been widely speculated since the birth of the first IVF baby in 1978, but it's not happening (at least anytime soon.)

Genetics: Too Complex for Simple Design

DNA mutations (which cause rare diseases) are easier to understand and address than the complex genetic variations that influence traits like intelligence or athletic ability.

Traits result from a mix of multiple genes and environmental factors, making them nearly impossible to "design" through genetic manipulation.

Think of it like trying to control every variable in a car's performance—it's not just about the engine (or DNA), but how the car is driven (lifestyle and environment).

The Pitfalls of Editing DNA for Traits

While mutations can be targeted to eliminate diseases, editing genetic variations for traits like hair colour or intelligence could have unintended consequences.

For example, the gene for red hair is linked to a higher risk of skin cancer. So, selecting for one trait could inadvertently increase susceptibility to others.

Science vs. Fantasy

Despite advances in reproductive tech, the dream of crafting the "perfect" baby remains firmly in the realm of science fiction.

The complexity of human genetics, combined with the unpredictable influence of environment and lifestyle, makes it unlikely that we’ll ever see fully "designed" babies.

Opinion

While the technology to create designer babies may exist in theory, biology is the real barrier. Perhaps this signifies a boundary in customising nature’s setting and systems through technology. Perhaps a sign for us to stop here.

Read More

Also in Science & Tech

• Google's Android XR: A mixed-reality OS powering future headsets like Samsung's Project Moohan, rivaling Apple Vision Pro

• Waymo's Market Growth: Achieved 22% market share in San Francisco, equaling Lyft

• Starbase Town: SpaceX’s Starbase aims to incorporate as a town for streamlined development

• Genetic analysis reveals Neanderthals and humans interbred for 7,000 years starting ~50,000 years ago

• Microrobots successfully treat bladder tumours in mice

Founding

Work to Grab The Sky: Worst Case Outcome, You’ll Have Climbed the Mountain

Direct your teams toward an impossible goal, following which makes you look insane. Keep going and you’ll still achieve things so big neither you nor the rest market players did before. 

Here’s how to grow exceptionally fast: 

• Set Unachievable Goals: Think moonshot, not hilltop. Setting unachievable goals forces you and your team to think outside the box—or better yet, throw the box away entirely. 

  Chasing bare minimum leads to mediocrity, and no one remembers the company that just “did okay.” 

• Speed Up the Process: Create a culture where speed isn’t just valued—it’s expected. Eliminate bottlenecks, play with calculated risks, and move with urgency. 

  Sure, you might stumble along the way, but you’ll be far ahead of anyone still debating whether to take the first step.

• A Growth-Metric-Oriented Culture: Numbers don’t lie, and neither should your priorities. Make them the guiding stars of your strategy.

  When everyone on your team is laser-focused on growth, even the wildest goals start to look doable.

Read more

Also in Founding

• Revenue Retention in 2025: Cloud companies must prioritise Net and Gross Revenue Retention (NRR and GRR) to counter churn and ensure growth

• Topology Ventures Fund: The firm raised $75M to support frontier tech startups in AI, decentralised protocols, and neurotech

• Discarding Metrics: Companies like Basecamp and Notion feel it wise to focus on core goals and not rely on potentially misleading analytics or KPIs

• Growth & Design: A Common Conflict Pair that needs to be resolved

Product

Defining Active Users: Who exactly (actively) uses your product after buying? 

Segregating users from buyers often turns out to be a tricky business. That too, those users who consistently engage with your product. 

And the task of concluding out this number is equally necessary. Why? Because both product and revenue forecasting greatly depend upon the amount of users. 

Counting in categories of buyers who, say, never used your product after buying, lead to false conclusions and hence, faulty decision-making. 

How to Track Active Users and Make Meaningful Use of that Data?

1. Log-in ≠ Active: Sure, they remembered their password (or reset it for the tenth time), but that’s just the start. 

   Real activity involves genuine regular engagement—using the features, exploring the product, and deriving value.

2. Further Classify Active Users: Not all active users are created equal. Some are power users, clicking every button and exploring every feature, while others are casual users, popping in occasionally. 

   Superfans: They’re living and breathing your product.

   Occasionals: They use it, but only when the stars align.

   Bare Minimums: They do just enough to count as active.

   By understanding these groups, you can tailor your strategies to keep the superfans happy, nudge the occasionals into more frequent use, and rescue the bare minimums before they drift away.

3. Induce “Activation Actions” to Turn Users into Active Users: These are the key steps that help users unlock the value of your product. 

   Like completing a tutorial, setting up a profile, or using a specific feature for the first time.

   Guide your users toward these actions until they…get attached. 

Read more

Today’s AI Image

“Customising” Babies

Quote of the Day

From Ralph Emerson

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What we’re working on

🧞Your wish is my command