Hi there,

This is the first of these as a weekly. From now on you'll get one on a Thursday: one essay I've been chewing on, and a few bits of AI news I think are worth your time. Short enough to read over a coffee.

This week's one started on a mountain in the Alps, with a decision to turn back. I've been trying to work out what made it the right call, and whether it's the same thing we're now trying to build into AI.

Sam

The essay

When Should You Turn Back?

On wisdom, and whether a machine can know when to stop.

A few years ago I was in the Swiss Alps with my climbing partner, going to do a big mountaineering day out on the Joderhorn. We’d hiked in for about two or three hours and were nearly at the bottom of the route, about to start. Clouds came overhead, and it started hailing, only lightly.

I turned to my climbing partner and said, “I think we should turn back.”

We did. I just listened to my intuition. It felt like the right thing to do, even though at the time it wasn’t glaringly obvious that it was the call we should make.

Built from my own ideas and stories, with Claude as a drafting partner.

What's moved in AI this week

Three things worth knowing from the past week.

Practical

Google's new Gemini model can keep working while you're away

On 13 October Google released Gemini 4 Argon in the Gemini app for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Google says it answers more directly, and a new tasks mode lets it carry on with longer jobs in the background while you're away from your computer.

Why it matters: If you already pay for Gemini, try handing it one real background task this week before you lean on it for client work.

Source: Google

Australia

Australia wants AI companies to prove their safety works

On 8 October the assistant science and technology minister, Andrew Charlton, set out the government's plan. Rather than banning specific behaviours, it would make AI companies continually test for risks and show they can prevent harm, modelled on how banking and aviation are regulated. He said voluntary codes aren't enough when companies are in a financial race. National standards are due by the end of the year, with laws planned for 2027.

Why it matters: A signal of where the rules are heading here. Nothing changes for your business yet, but the direction is that the big labs carry the burden of proof, not you.

Source: ABC News

Big picture

The IMF calls AI a "slow-moving tsunami" for jobs

At the IMF and World Bank meetings in mid-October, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said AI is hitting the job market like a "slow-moving tsunami", with young people entering work the most exposed. The IMF estimates about 40% of jobs worldwide will be affected, around 60% in advanced economies.

Why it matters: The same force that threatens routine roles is the one you can put to work. For a small team, that's the case for learning to use it yourself rather than waiting to see how it lands.

Source: CNBC, Fortune