💡 Premium Supporter recap + fact-based optimistic news
🌾 Food prices expected to fall. 🧬 New AI model predicts cellular responses to drugs and treatments. 👁️ Contact lenses that give humans infrared vision.
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There’s clearly a lot of frustration among many that Sweden is falling behind in the AI transition.
In the last newsletter, I wrote that I’ve personally grown tired of how slowly things are moving and that I intend to do something about it (and we plan to export the concept to other countries, if successful.)
I’ve received tons of tips and contacts, and I’ve started pulling some strings myself. For example, on Friday we have a meeting with one of Sweden’s largest companies.
I’ll keep you updated – and please keep the tips and contacts coming.
🧠 Fried brain
On Monday, I handed in the second part of the first draft of my book manuscript (on AI) to my editor at Mondial. About 40,000 words, which translates to roughly 160 book pages written over the past month.
I’ve never written so much text in such a short time. My brain is completely fried. The quality probably reflects that, but now I have a couple of months to fix it.
The planned publication is the first week of November.
❌ Correction
Last week, we wrote about a study showing that AI teachers significantly improved students’ academic performance. Criticism has emerged regarding the study, mainly pointing out that the AI-assisted teaching took place as additional instruction outside of regular school hours. The control group, which did not receive AI support, was not given any extra instruction. This makes it harder to determine the specific impact of the AI itself.
The news has been updated with this information.
Mathias Sundin
The Angry Optimist
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📚 The Angry Optimist's summer book tips
From a scolded monk to the story of The Godfather. A handful of book recommendations from me to you.
💡 Fact-based optimistic news of the week
👁️ Contact lenses that give humans infrared vision
Researchers have created contact lenses that convert infrared light into visible light. The lenses contain nanoparticles of gold and rare earth metals that enable night vision.
🏭 South America the first continent without planned new coal power plants
South America has become the first continent in the world without planned new coal power plants, after having 18 projects on the drawing board in 2015. Renewable energy sources have become economically superior to coal across the continent.
🌊 Record number of river barriers removed in Europe during 2024
Europe removed 542 dams, weirs and sluices that blocked the flow in waterways during 2024. The number of removals increased by 11 percent compared to the year before according to a report from Dam Removal Europe.
🌾 Global grain supplies set to reach record levels – food prices expected to fall
Global grain supplies are expected to reach a record level of 3.6 billion tons during the 2025-26 season. World Bank food prices are expected to decrease by 7 percent during 2025.
🧒 Bangladesh has reduced child mortality from 21% to 3%
Child mortality in Bangladesh has dropped from 211 per 1,000 births in 1979 to 31 per 1,000 today. Vaccination coverage has increased from 2 percent to 98 percent for basic vaccines. The country now finances 39 percent of its vaccination program and will become completely self-sufficient by 2030.
🔙 Beaver returns to Portugal after 500 years
Beaver has returned to Portugal after being extinct since the end of the 1400s, confirmed through camera traps and gnaw marks. The species functions as a natural ecosystem engineer that creates wetlands and improves water quality without human cost.
🚗 Tesla starts driverless taxi service in Austin
Tesla has launched its Robotaxi service without drivers in Austin, Texas, where the public can for the first time order driverless rides. This is the first step in a rollout that Elon Musk has said will make autonomous ride-sharing ubiquitous.
🧬 New AI model predicts cellular responses to drugs and treatments
Arc releases State, a virtual cell model trained on data from nearly 170 million cells to predict how different cell types react to drugs and genetic perturbations.
🎙️ AI talk or master class?
I'm giving a lot of talks and master classes on AI in several different countries. Happy to come to your organization.
Learn more at mathiassundin.org.
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