🧠AI’s Big Cognitive Leap

Today we will discuss:

• AI models show humanlike thinking— New study reveals how ChatGPT and Gemini categorise objects like people do

• Don’t miss this week’s Workflow Wednesday— Build ethical AI workflows using ChatGPT to draft a real ethics policy, SEMrush to automate content responsibly, and GitHub to build a transparent workflow; now available at only $20/month! 

• Google tests talking search results — New AI feature adds audio explainers to certain mobile queries

• In other AI news — Huawei’s AI chip output is reportedly capped at 200,000 units this year, Scale AI investor Accel is set for a $2.5B windfall after the Meta deal, AstraZeneca signs a $5B AI research deal with China’s CSPC, and New York passes a bill targeting disaster-level risks from powerful AI models

• Saved the best for last—9 must-try AI tools

ChatGPT and Gemini show humanlike object recognition in new study

Key Points 

• .Researchers tested AI models using 4.7 million comparisons of real-world objects to uncover patterns in object categorisation.

• The models revealed 66 cognitive-style dimensions, covering features like texture, age relevance, and environmental context.

🤖News - A new study from Chinese researchers suggests that large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini may be developing a very humanlike ability to understand and sort natural objects. 

This kind of categorisation has long been seen as a key part of human cognition. The researchers say their findings add fresh evidence to the ongoing debate about whether AI can truly reflect how we think.

The team ran behavioural and brain-based tests comparing how humans and AI models group everyday objects. Using a task that asked both people and models to pick the odd one out from a group of three objects, they collected 4.7 million decisions across nearly 2,000 real-world items.

ChatGPT worked with text descriptions, while Gemini handled images. The models revealed 66 underlying dimensions, capturing features like texture, temperature, use by age group and even environmental context.

🤔Why is this a big deal? The AI models didn’t just spot visual or functional differences. Their responses showed patterns that closely matched human judgments and even aligned with neural activity in parts of the brain linked to scene recognition. 

While the models still fall short on deeper reasoning, this is a promising sign that AI might be learning to represent the world in ways that feel more human.

Read the full story here.

We’ve just launched the 23rd  edition of Workflow Wednesday for AI-minded professionals like you—actionable AI workflows delivered straight to your inbox.

This week’s topic: AI Ethics

Join us here

Search gets a voice with Google’s new AI audio overview test

Key Points 

• Google is testing an AI feature that creates short podcast-style audio summaries for certain search queries on mobile.

• Audio Overviews feature two AI-generated hosts and appear directly in search results with playback controls and source links.

👨‍💻News - Google is testing a new feature that brings audio summaries to your mobile search results. Through its Labs program, users in the US can now try out Audio Overviews  short, AI-generated audio clips that explain certain topics in a conversational style.

🤓How does it work? If you search for something like How do noise cancellation headphones work?, you might see a “Generate Audio Overview” button just below the People also ask section. Tap it, and after about 40 seconds, an audio player appears right in your search results.

The clip features two AI-generated hosts who talk through the topic in an upbeat, podcast-like format. You can play, pause, mute, or change the playback speed. Below the player, Google also shows links to the sources it pulled from.

Audio Overviews have already appeared in tools like NotebookLM and Gemini, where they help users turn written notes or files into audio explainers. This test brings the format directly into Search. 

🤔 Why it matters - If successful, voice-driven summaries could make it easier to understand complex topics without digging through long articles or videos.

Read the full story here.