The Friday AI Dive

Good evening, AI enthusiasts. Microsoft is experiencing internal unrest as employees protest the company's AI and cloud computing contracts with the Israeli military amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Demonstrations have disrupted company events, with employees expressing ethical concerns over the use of Microsoft's technology in military operations.

The protests have led to firings and resignations, highlighting tensions between corporate actions and employee values. The Guardian

THE WEEK’S DEEP DIVE

• NEWS: Unlocking great potential: Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash brings hybrid reasoning to your apps – find out why this is huge.

• THE GOLD RUSH: 10 high-paying AI side hustles you can start today with zero tech skills.

• SPOTLIGHT: Finding validated startup ideas using Reddit + AI

• ELSEWHERE: More from the web

• AI TOOL OF THE WEEK: Jasper AI

• HOW TO GET INTO AI: weekly free courses for beginners—Google AI essentials course Here

NEWS Unlocking Great Potential: Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Brings Hybrid Reasoning to Your Apps

Google introduces Gemini 2.5 Flash, enhancing reasoning capabilities while maintaining speed and cost efficiency.

• Gemini 2.5 Flash is now available in preview via Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, building on the foundation of 2.0 Flash.

• The new model offers a strong performance-to-cost ratio and is the first fully hybrid reasoning model, allowing developers to optimise quality, cost, and latency.

• Available to all users in the Gemini app, with new features like Canvas for document and code refinement.

Why it may be important to you:

Imagine having the ability to fine-tune the balance between performance, cost, and speed in your applications. Gemini 2.5 Flash brings this flexibility, allowing developers to set thinking budgets and toggle reasoning capabilities. Whether you're looking to enhance user experiences or optimise operational efficiency, this upgrade could be a significant step forward in how you approach development and could be a curious step towards building trust and understanding in AI interactions. Read more

THE GOLD RUSH 10 high-paying AI side hustles you can start with zero tech skills.

Discover the top 10 best-paying AI side hustles to boost your income outside your regular job.

• Over half of U.S. adults use AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini, highlighting rapid adoption.

• AI tools enable new income opportunities, with some gigs offering higher earning potential.

• NetCredit identifies these 10 most lucrative AI side hustles based on Fiverr data.

Why it may be important to you:

In today's economy, finding ways to supplement your income can be crucial. AI opens up new avenues for side hustles that are not only accessible but also potentially lucrative. Whether you're looking to leverage your skills or explore new opportunities, understanding which AI gigs offer the best pay can help you make informed decisions. With the right tools and strategies, you could turn a side hustle into a significant source of additional income. Read more

SPOTLIGHT How to Find Validated Startup Ideas on Reddit with the Help of AI

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck trying to come up with a startup idea that actually matters to real people — this edition is for you.
In today’s dive, I’ll guide you through a 4-step framework for discovering genuinely validated business ideas using Reddit, AI tools, and some strategic thinking.

Let’s get straight to it 👇

1️⃣ Identify Emerging Subreddits Using Gummy Search.

The smartest way to spot rising opportunities? Go where people are already talking. Head over to GummySearch.com/community and search for fast-growing subreddits.

• Focus on communities with around 10,000 to 100,000 members — they’re active, yet not overly saturated. These niche spaces are often a clear answer to the “Why now?” question — a key driver in validating ideas.

• Pro Tip: Keep an eye on growth patterns — daily, weekly, or monthly — to catch early traction.

• Look for spaces where you have an edge — whether that’s personal experience, industry insight, or unique access.

2️⃣ Spot Pain Points and Solution Gaps

Once you've picked your subreddit, it’s time to listen closely to what the community is really saying. Add your chosen subreddit to a Gummy Search “Audience” and explore the following threads:

• Pain & Frustration — what are people struggling with?

• Advice Requests — what do they need help solving?

• Solution Discussions — what are they already trying, and why isn't it working?

• 📝 Jot down recurring complaints, needs, and trends. These are your gold mines — they tell you where demand exists.

3️⃣ Learn from Niche Creators

Understanding your audience starts by observing the creators they follow and engage with. Use Perplexity.ai to locate top creators in your target niche.

• Search for their most-viewed content on YouTube.

• Dive into the comments — this is where raw feedback, unmet needs, and emotional responses live.

• Repeat this process for 20–25 videos to get a real grip on what people care about and how they express it.

• 💡 This step helps you think like your audience, not just about them.

4️⃣ Map Out Your Solution

Now that you’re clearer on the problem, let’s talk about building the solution.

• Use what you’ve learnt to sketch out your product or service.

• Tools like Framer are brilliant for quick wireframes or prototypes.

• Come up with a name that reflects the outcome your audience wants, e.g. DesignScientist.com for a conversion-optimised design consultancy.

• 🚀 It doesn’t need to be perfect — just pointed at the right problem with a clear outcome.

🧩 Summary – The Flow That Works

• Find the right space: Use Reddit to tap into growing, engaged communities.

• Listen before you build: Analyse pain points and existing attempts to solve them.

• Study your market: reverse-engineer what successful creators are doing.

• Prototype fast: Map out your idea and put a name to it.

• Speak their language: Tailor your content to resonate authentically.

ELSEWHERE More from the Web

• Music streaming platform Deezer has revealed that more than 20,000 AI-generated songs are now being uploaded every day, prompting the use of AI filters to manage and moderate content.

• xAI’s Grok chatbot now features memory functionality, enabling it to remember previous user interactions, along with a new Workspaces tab to better manage files and conversations.

• OpenAI’s “o3” model recently scored an impressive 136 (116 offline) on the Mensa Norway IQ test, surpassing Gemini 2.5 Pro to claim the highest score ever recorded by an AI model.

• UC Berkeley’s Chatbot Arena, originally developed as a research project, is now evolving into a full-fledged company named LMArena.

• OpenAI reportedly considered acquiring Anysphere, the creators of the Cursor coding tool, before entering $3 billion negotiations with rival firm Windsurf, which owns an agentic code-generation platform.

• Alibaba has released an open-source model, Wan 2.1-FLF2V-14B, allowing users to submit start and end image frames to produce high-quality, coherent visual outputs.

• Perplexity AI has entered into an agreement with Motorola and is currently in talks with Samsung to become the default AI assistant or app on their smartphones.

AI TOOL OF THE WEEK Jasper AI

Jasper is an AI content platform that helps marketing teams create high-quality content faster. It can generate blog posts, social media content, emails, and more with minimal human input.

Specific Use Cases:

• E-commerce product descriptions: Jasper can generate 50+ unique product descriptions in under an hour, maintaining brand voice and SEO requirements. Shopify stores using Jasper report a 32% increase in conversion rates.

• Marketing agency proposals: Agencies are using Jasper to create customised client proposals in 15 minutes instead of 3 hours, with higher win rates due to faster response times.

• Content repurposing: content teams use Jasper to transform long-form blog posts into Twitter threads, LinkedIn posts, and email newsletters, increasing content ROI by 3-5x.

Quick Implementation Guide:

1. Start with their template library for your specific content needs

2. Create a brand voice guide to maintain consistency

3. Use the Chrome extension to write directly in your favorite tools

Try Jasper (14-day free trial)

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Recommended Resources

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See you Friday!

The Friday AI Dive Team

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