Generative AI, Trade Disruptions, and More -

Welcome to a new week of curated tech news, insights, and more!

📉 The latest news on Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China.

🤖 Lesson of the week: Reinforcement learning.

🎙️ Lex Fridman’s podcast explores generative AI, semiconductors, NVIDIA’s dominance, and US-China chip restrictions.

📱 Weekly Tech Tip: Protect Your Android’s Privacy & Security.

🚀 What’s New: Expanded API access and improved assignment reporting.

📙 Book of the Week: “Data Science for Business” by Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett.

Get a Quick Lesson In

Trump’s Tariffs Shake Global Trade

President Donald Trump’s newly imposed tariffs—25% on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on Chinese goods—are expected to raise consumer costs and disrupt global trade.

While the administration claims the measures will curb fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration, industries such as tech, automotive, and retail are bracing for financial strain.

China has responded with an antitrust investigation into Google, while Canada and Mexico weigh their own retaliatory actions.

Lesson of the Week

This week’s lesson explores key reinforcement learning themes, including reward optimization, learning strategies, and balancing exploration with exploitation.

Question of the Week:

What best describes reinforcement learning?

Select the answer that best describes how to avoid over-reliance on GenAI:

A) An agent receives rewards based on interactions with a semi-observed environment.

B) An agent finds similarities and differences between data points.

C) An agent takes actions based on known target labels.

See if you’re right–the answer is at the bottom!

Generative AI, Semiconductors, & Global Power Shifts

Lex Fridman’s latest podcast brings together two sharp minds in AI and semiconductors—Dylan Patel, founder of SemiAnalysis, and Nathan Lambert, a research scientist at Ai2.

Across an in-depth five-hour conversation, they explore how cutting-edge generative AI models like DeepSeek are redefining efficiency while massive AI compute clusters reshape the industry.

The discussion covers NVIDIA’s unshakable dominance, the soaring power demands of generative AI, and the mounting tension between open-source collaboration and corporate control.

With US-China chip restrictions, GPU smuggling, and the ever-growing stakes of an AI-driven cold war, this isn’t just a talk about technology—it’s a glimpse into the future of global power.

Weekly Tech Tip

Protect Your Android’s Privacy & Security

Review Security & Privacy Settings
- Go to Settings > Security & Privacy for a security snapshot.
- Check Privacy Controls to manage permissions, ads, and location sharing.
Manage App Permissions
- Regularly audit app permissions: Settings > Apps > See all apps.
- Revoke unnecessary permissions and enable Manage app if unused to auto-remove permissions from dormant apps.
Control Lock Screen Notifications
- Adjust lock screen notifications via Settings > Security & Privacy > More Security & Privacy > Notifications on lockscreen.
- Choose between Show all, Show sensitive when unlocked, or Don’t show notifications.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- Turn on 2FA in Settings > Passwords, passkeys & accounts > Google Account > Security tab > 2-Step Verification.
- Consider using passkeys or security keys for stronger authentication.
Consider Google Advanced Protection
- Recommended for high-risk individuals (journalists, executives, etc.).
- Requires passkey and/or security key for extra protection against phishing.

Stay proactive! Regularly check and update your privacy settings for optimal security.

What's New

New API endpoints provide access to assessment data and skill analysis invitations in addition to educators getting enhanced Scavenger Hunt reports.

Book of the Week

“Data Science for Business” by Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett Data Science for Business” by Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett introduces core data science principles and the “data-analytic thinking” essential for extracting business value from data.

The book, based on Provost’s MBA course at NYU, covers modern data-mining techniques and real-world applications to enhance collaboration between business stakeholders and data scientists.

It also explores how generative AI is transforming business intelligence and decision-making.