Kia ora {{ First name | friend }},
Welcome to Innerstand AI Newsletter. We’re here to help creators & brands do more with less by sharing insights on how to link AI tools together to create efficient workflows, make better decisions, and free up our time. We’re also having real conversations about the light and shadow of mass AI adoption.
To explore this, we’re sending a weekly email on Sundays at 7pm NZT.
Thanks for being here.
Featured Workflow: Google’s No-Code App Builder
Google launched Opal and is officially in the “vibe coding” race. Basically, you can prompt for apps, workflows etc. The real leverage is how it connects in to other Google offerings like Veo3 for video generation, etc.
People are putting it toe-to-toe against other agents like ChatGPT Agents and it seems to be holding up well…
In general, this is still a race for market share between these tech giants. All the bells and whistles are on, with a heavy coat of shiny gloss. While I feel this stuff is super interesting, it’s important to note that principles and real-worl application is what endures in AI. Ask yourself - is this tool actually helping me achieve my business/lifestyle goals? Or is it another butterfly to chase?
As Matthew McConaughey says: “Stop chasing butterflies. Plant your garden so the butterflies come to you.” Take this metaphorically or literally, ideally both.
Anyway, check out Opal, or watch this video here.
Here’s a few interesting AI updates:
Albania has appointed an AI ‘minister’—Diella—to oversee public procurement. Backers call it a bold leap, while critics question oversight, manipulation risks, and who’s accountable. Read more.
MGX (MetaGPT X) is a no-code, multi-agent AI builder that behaves like a 24/7 developer team—letting you “chat” with roles such as team lead, product manager, architect, engineer and data analyst to plan, code and ship websites, apps, dashboards and more from plain-English prompts. Check it out.
This Reddit post is blowing up with simple prompts that make ChatGPT’s answers much sharper—no hacks, just smarter asks. Use cues like ‘walk me through your reasoning’, ‘what’s the contrarian view?’, and ‘what would make this backfire?’ to shift from surface answers to true co-thinking. Very good learning, strongly recommend. Read more.
Chinese company built a speaking mask that translates Mandarin to English in real time.Parents wear it like a face mask, speak Chinese, and it outputs fluent English through a speaker. It’s designed to create at-home language immersion for kids using wearable AI, even when parents aren’t fluent. Outrageous. Check it out.
DuckDuckGo launched a $9.99/month AI browser plan that gives private access to some of the best AI models out there like GPT‑5. Base chat remains no-account and anonymous (chats aren’t saved or used for training). Upgrades include in VPN, Personal Information Removal, and Identity Theft Restoration. Give it a go.
Keen for AI Community Calls?
I’ve been feeling into hosting community calls to discuss the evolution of AI. A place for us to share ideas, get feedback, and generally just surf the “party wave” together. Not for sensationalism or for dystopian imagining, but somewhere in the middle. The sentiment being that we’re all interested in AI, and all have mixed feelings about it — I know I do. So building community on Zoom for an hour or so feels like a good way to walk this path together.
If this is something you’re interested in attending, please reply to this email and let me know two things
What frequency suits best (fortnightly or monthly)
What you feel would be most valuable for you
PS: Brand name change incoming
The name of this project, Innerstand, is changing to Upstream. Funnily enough, I have a friend with the same name for a project and didn’t realise. The next email will come from Upstream AI, and the new website will be hosted at https://theupstream.ai. You’ll stay on the mailing list.
Thanks for tuning in this week. I welcome ideas and feedback if you have any. Feel free to send any interesting things you’re learning or researching too.
Also, if you found this interesting, share it with 1 mate who needs simpler workflows. Hit forward or send them this link.
Stay human,
Billy