🍭 Canvas, Claude, and Critical Thinking 🧠

Good morning. The robots are studying, your phone's a classroom, and Jack Dorsey built a messaging app that ghosts Wi-Fi.

We’re not saying the AI apocalypse is here.
But it is asking if you’ve done your homework…

Let’s dig in.

🍭 What’s Cookin’:

• Anthropic’s raising at a $170B valuation

• Google’s Search AI just became your study partner

• ChatGPT gets passive-aggressive with Study Mode

• 5 brand new AI tools

• Everything Else: layoffs, land grabs, and servers stealing your city's water

Claude
🤖 Anthropic nears $170B valuation

The Bite: Anthropic is reportedly closing in on a $3–5B raise led by Iconiq Capital, pushing its valuation to a casual $170 billion.

Nearly triple what it was just four months ago.

But the money trail might have some questionable names on the list.


Snacks: 

• Iconiq Capital leading the round

• Qatar, Singapore funds also circling

• Valuation jump: $61.5B → $170B

• CEO uneasy about “authoritarian” investors

• Internal memo: ethics ≠ viable strategy

Why it bites: Anthropic preaches alignment, but you can’t pay for GPUs with moral clarity.

Turns out, building safe AI might mean shaking hands with dictatorial regimes.

🍭 Steal This Prompt 🍭
🔮 Retro-Future Utopia

Retro and Future all at the same time.

Set the scene with this series of prompts, optimized for Midjourney.

We used 1 of 4 of @LudovicCreator’s prompts from this post. But you can find the exact prompt he used for each of the 4 images above.

1. Click this link (prompt)

2. Paste into Midjourney

3. Let it cook.

🍭 Try the prompt on Snack Prompt 🍭

Compliance
🖼️ Create designer-grade presentations with AI

Stop spending hours on formatting and start making an impact. Chronicle pairs expert storytelling with AI to elevate your next investor pitch, team update, or client proposal

• Convert ideas or existing content into designer-grade decks

• Edit with pre-built widgets or embed your existing work

• Export PDFs or share interactive links

Check out the right answer from Friday 👇

Search
🔍 Google’s AI Mode: Upgraded

The Bite: Google’s AI Mode is getting serious upgrades including:

• A new “Canvas” feature to build study plans,

• Real-time video Q&A with Lens,

• Desktop file uploads for document-deep dives.

With the rise of AI first browsers, Google’s making search no longer passive.


Snacks: 

• Canvas = a side panel that builds and edits study plans

• Upload PDFs, class notes, or syllabi (soon)

• Search Live uses your camera for real-time, back-and-forth Q&A

• “Ask Google about this page” now works on desktop

• PDF and image uploads now supported in AI Mode

Why it bites: Google’ blurring the line between search engine and AI assistant.

The only thing it hasn’t indexed yet is your dreams (but give it until Q4…).

OpenAI
🔍 ChatGPT Releases Study Mode

The Bite: OpenAI just dropped Study Mode, a new ChatGPT feature designed to make students think harder instead of just copy-pasting answers.

Instead of solving the problem, ChatGPT now asks you questions back like an annoying but well-meaning TA.

Remember that Texas teacher that walked out on the job because of ChatGPT?
Think she’ll come back now?

Snacks: 

• Rolls out to Free, Plus, Pro, and Team users today

• Edu accounts (aka school-wide plans) coming soon

• ChatGPT may withhold answers unless students engage

• No admin controls to enforce it (yet)

• Study = brain use; essay = brain off, per June study

Why it bites: Study Mode wants to be your tutor.

But let’s be real…

If students can toggle it off, they will.

Until there’s a “No Escape” button, critical thinking is still extra credit.

Tool Box 
🧰 Trending AI Tools

🖌️ Cuty AI
→ Chat your way to stunning images or edits—skip the Photoshop night classes, make weird art in seconds.

🗣️ WalletGPT
→ Log expenses just by talking. Voice-first, hands-off, judgment-free—even when you say “Pumpkin Spice everything.”

🩺 SelfDDx
→ Symptom checker that thinks like a doctor. Actually asks questions, doesn’t just WebMD you into an existential crisis.

🔎 Google Search Web Guide
→ AI-organized search results. Finally, Google that sorts links like your brain wants (instead of the SEO goblins).

🍫 Snack it
→ Save anything, auto-moodboard it, then turn inspo into AI prompts for Midjourney or Gemini. The “Pinterest for chaos brains.”

🗺️ Guidde*
→ Guidde’s AI creates video guides in seconds, 11x faster. 100% Free.

Everything Else
🧠 You Need to Know

📶 Bitchat hits the App Store
→ Jack Dorsey dropped a Bluetooth-only chat app with no login.

🌍 Google bets $37M on African AI
→ Grants for food security, education, and 40 local languages. AI meets real-world impact.

📉 Atlassian layoffs go full Black Mirror
→ Workers got fired by auto-generated video.

💧 AI’s power + water problem
→ VA Tech says data centers guzzle juice and water like frat bros in July. Blackouts incoming?

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