Hello, AI Enthusiasts.
Fuel for your weekend conversations.
Sometimes the best tech conversations don’t sound like tech at all. That’s what happens when Rick Rubin joins a16z to talk about The Way of Code—a quiet manifesto on creating with heart, not just hardware.
And while that’s happening, AI avatars are now reporting for Arizona’s highest court
Meanwhile, halfway across the world, UNESCO releases frameworks to make AI more human-centered in education.
Just enough to get you thinking before your next coffee.
Here's another crazy day in AI:
Rick Rubin on creative expression
Arizona Supreme Court uses AI avatars for news updates
UNESCO introduces AI standards for schools
Some AI tools to try out
TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Coding Like a Musician
Image Credit: Wowza (created with Ideogram)
What happens when a legendary music producer rewrites ancient wisdom for the age of code?
In a new episode of The Ben & Marc Show, a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz are joined by renowned music producer and author Rick Rubin for a conversation that blends technology, creativity, and timeless philosophy. They’re also joined by a16z general partners Anjney Midha and Erik Torenberg as the group unpacks Rubin’s unexpected new project, The Way of Code—a reinterpretation of the 3,000-year-old Tao Te Ching through the lens of software, creativity, and intuition.
Originally sparked by a tweet, The Way of Code evolved into a meditation on the act of making—whether it's music, code, or something else entirely. The episode explores how personal vision, not productivity, drives meaningful work, and how tools like AI are changing what it means to “create” in a networked, increasingly automated world.
Some themes from the discussion
Rubin compares coding to making music—both requiring clarity of intention and feel
AI is seen less as a replacement and more as a tool that amplifies creative direction
The idea of “vibe coding” reflects creating through instinct as much as intellect
Wisdom literature, like the Tao Te Ching, continues to offer guidance—especially when reframed in new contexts
There's a shared interest in how people find focus and purpose amid rapidly evolving tools and expectations
The group discusses the importance of slowing down to really hear what the work is asking for
Listening to Rubin discuss his approach to both music and code reveals something interesting about how creative work actually happens. He suggests that whether you're producing an album or building software, the process involves a similar kind of attention: tuning into what feels right rather than following predetermined formulas. This perspective challenges the common assumption that technical fields require purely logical thinking, proposing instead that intuition plays a larger role than we might expect.
The conversation also raises questions about what happens when creative tools become widely accessible. History shows us that when barriers to entry drop, think of how affordable recording equipment changed music or how desktop publishing transformed design, new voices emerge and established conventions get challenged. We're potentially seeing something similar with AI tools that can generate code, write text, or create images. The question becomes what this means for how we think about skill, expertise, and creative ownership. Rubin's "vibe coding" concept suggests that even as tools become more sophisticated, the human element, the ability to sense what's worth making and why, remains irreplaceable.
Watch the Podcast on Youtube here.
Listen on Apple Podcasts here.
Listen on Spotify here.
OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:
Arizona Supreme Court Uses AI Avatars For News Updates
/Kevin Nious (Producer) and Gadi Schwartz (Correspondent), on NBC News
The Arizona Supreme Court has introduced AI-generated avatars, Daniel and Victoria, to deliver public case summaries on its website. These lifelike digital reporters aim to modernize how the court communicates with the public, reducing production time for news videos from hours to minutes. While the avatars speak the words of real judges, communications director Alberto Rodriguez emphasizes that human oversight remains essential. This step reflects the growing but cautious integration of AI into the legal system, amid broader concerns about accuracy, transparency, and professional roles.
Read more here.
UNESCO Introduces AI Standards For Schools
/UNESCO Newsroom
UNESCO has launched two new AI competency frameworks—one for students and one for teachers—to help education systems worldwide navigate the ethical, social, and practical challenges of artificial intelligence. These frameworks emphasize a human-centered, responsible approach to using AI, covering key areas like ethics, system design, and lifelong professional development. As AI continues to shape learning environments, these tools aim to equip educators and learners with the knowledge and values needed to engage meaningfully and safely with emerging technologies. UNESCO urges countries to integrate these frameworks into broader national AI strategies that prioritize inclusion, human rights, and sustainability.
Read more here.
SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:
AssistLoop – Build a custom AI chatbot for your site in minutes.
Clado AI – Search 200M+ profiles for sales, hiring, and more—just type the prompt.
Chiron – AI for handwritten math, on iPad.
That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.
Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉
EXCITING NEWS:
The Another Crazy Day in AI newsletter is on LinkedIn!!!
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