Kyle Nowak

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, when – if ever – will an AI system achieve artificial general intelligence?

📱 ByteDance, the China-based company that owns TikTok, has quietly launched a new app over the past few months in France, Spain, Japan, and South Korea.

🔥 It’s Thursday, April 18th – and here’s what’s hot, hot, hot.

🤖🧠 A new report found AI systems can exceed human performance in several basic tasks, signaling that artificial general intelligence – AI that’s as capable as humans in all cognitive tasks – could soon emerge.

🖱📰 Click to see a list of bite-sized stories you should know for today.

"The imagination is the secret and marrow of civilization."

–Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

The US House accused China's government of directly funding America’s fentanyl crisis; UK lawmakers gave preliminary approval for a generational smoking ban; and more.

🚗🗳️ Starting today and running through Friday, ~4,000 workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will vote on whether to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), in a key election that could provide a boost – or setback – to the union’s stated growth efforts in the automotive industry.

🔥 It’s Wednesday, April 17th – and here’s what’s hot, hot, hot.

💤 For the first time in Gallup polling history dating back to 2001, a majority of US adults (57%) say they would feel better if they got more sleep, while less than half (42%) say they get as much sleep as they need.

Here are five stats from this past week that made our team go “whoa.” Hopefully you will, too.

“Never put off to tomorrow what you can do to-day.”

–Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

🌏 The world’s coral reefs are headed for a record mass bleaching event, per scientists; Sudan’s ongoing civil war passed the one-year mark; and more.

❓ Our question to you: Do you support Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act?

⚖️ The first-ever criminal trial of a former US president officially kicked off yesterday, with Donald Trump appearing in a New York City courtroom for the start of jury selection.

🌌💥 Last week, the US Space Force announced a first-of-its-kind military exercise to test how it might counter “on-orbit” aggression.

🖱📰 Click to see a list of bite-sized stories you should know for today.

🔥 It’s Tuesday, April 16th – and here’s what’s hot, hot, hot.

“Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act on building the life you desire.”

–Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)

📰 On Friday, Google began removing California news websites from some users’ search results, in response to pending legislation that would require the tech giant to pay news orgs for linking to their content.