Welcome to Monday’s Newsletter

In today’s scoop 🍨 

• Veo 2: AI Video but Hollywood Prices

• Majorana 1: Microsoft’s Quantum Bet

• Sonny the Chatbot: AI Lifeline or Risk?

• 3 Trending AI Tools

🎥 Veo 2: AI Video but Hollywood Prices

Google just dropped the price tag for its latest AI video-generation model, Veo 2, and let’s just say—this one’s not for your casual TikTok edits. At 50 cents per second, Veo 2 will cost $30 per minute or a staggering $1,800 per hour. That’s right, your AI-generated short film could set you back as much as a decent used car.

So, who exactly is this for? Spoiler: Not your average hobbyist.

💰 Breaking Down the Cost

• 50 cents per second → Sounds small, but it stacks up fast.

• $30 per minute → Good for short, high-quality clips.

• $1,800 per hour → Definitely a tool for deep-pocketed professionals.

Google’s pricing puts Veo 2 firmly in the premium, professional market, where filmmakers, brands, and advertisers can justify the cost. Unlike OpenAI’s Sora, which is available to ChatGPT Pro users for $200 a month, Veo 2’s per-second pricing means you’re paying for exactly what you generate—no more, no less.

🎬 How It Compares to Hollywood

For context, Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame had a $356 million budget, averaging $32,000 per second of footage. That makes Veo 2 look like a bargain... if you’re comparing AI clips to Hollywood blockbusters.

👨‍🎨 Who’s It Really For?

• Marketing teams crafting high-end promotional videos

• Filmmakers experimenting with AI-generated scenes

• Enterprise clients using AI for advertising or product showcases

If you’re a YouTuber looking to spice up your content? Stick to free or lower-cost alternatives.

🔍 The Big Picture

Veo 2’s pricing makes one thing clear: AI video is no longer just a playground for tech enthusiasts. Google is targeting serious professionals who need high-quality AI-generated clips without the blockbuster budget of traditional filmmaking.

For everyone else? Maybe wait until prices drop. Or just keep scrolling through those free stock video sites.

Would you pay $30 per minute for AI-generated videos, or is this just another tool for corporate giants? Let us know! 💬

💡 Majorana 1: Microsoft’s Quantum Bet

Ever heard of a computer so powerful it could crack codes, design drugs, and revolutionize AI? Microsoft just took a giant leap in that direction with Majorana 1, a quantum processor using topological qubits, built from a never-before-seen state of matter. Yep, they basically invented new physics.

⚛️ Qubits? Sounds Fancy—What Are They?

Think of a regular computer as flipping tiny light switches—on (1) or off (0). Qubits, the heart of quantum computing, can be both at the same time (thanks, physics!). This means quantum computers can process insane amounts of information all at once.

But here’s the problem: Qubits are delicate divas. They break easily, making quantum computing hard to scale. Microsoft’s topological qubits are built differently—more stable and less prone to errors. That’s why Majorana 1 is a big deal.

🔍 Why Should You Care?

Quantum computing has always been a “someday” technology, but Microsoft says we’re looking at years, not decades before it starts changing the game.

• 🎯 More Reliable Qubits → Traditional qubits are unstable. Microsoft’s version is like upgrading from a glass cannon to a titanium tank.

• 🛠️ A Million Qubits on a Chip → That’s the scale needed to unlock game-changing applications.

• 🏆 DARPA’s Stamp of Approval → The U.S. defense research agency backs this, signaling big potential.

🤯 What This Means for AI

AI is already reshaping industries, but quantum computing could supercharge it:

• 🤖 Faster AI training → Think of AI that doesn’t just recognize patterns but understands them at a molecular level.

• 🌍 Solving impossible problems → From climate modeling to drug discovery, quantum AI could make the impossible possible.

⚠️ The Catch?

Quantum computing isn’t plug-and-play yet. Microsoft still has to prove Majorana 1 can scale beyond the lab. But if they pull it off? Quantum AI, cryptographic breakthroughs, and materials science could skyrocket into the future.

For now, we wait—but the quantum revolution is officially underway.

🤖 Sonny the Chatbot: AI Lifeline or Risk?

America’s school counselors are stretched thin—so thin that 17% of high schools don’t even have one. Enter Sonny, the AI-human hybrid chatbot stepping in where traditional mental health services fall short. But is a chatbot really the best way to help students in crisis? Let’s break it down.

💡 What is Sonny?

Sonny, developed by Sonar Mental Health, is a hybrid AI-human chatbot deployed in 4,500+ schools across the U.S. Here’s how it works:

• 👤 Students text Sonny with their thoughts and feelings.

• 🤖 AI suggests responses, but trained human staff (psychologists, social workers, crisis counselors) monitor and edit the messages.

• ⚡ If a student expresses self-harm or violent thoughts, Sonar alerts school officials, parents, and even law enforcement.

🚫 AI Support or a Dangerous Crutch?

While some students say Sonny feels like a judgment-free, always-available friend, the concerns are real:

• 💥 Chatbots aren’t therapists – They can’t read body language, tone, or hidden distress signals.

• 🤔 False sense of security? Schools may lean on AI instead of investing in real, trained counselors.

• ⏰ Limited hours – Sonny’s chat is only open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time. What about after-school crises?

• 🤦🏼‍♂️ Privacy concerns – While chats aren’t shared (except in crisis situations), Sonar keeps student data for 60 days.

🔍 So, is Sonny the answer?

Sonny is a band-aid solution in an underfunded system that desperately needs more trained counselors, not chatbots. It’s better than nothing for students with nowhere else to turn, but it shouldn’t replace human interaction.

Would you trust an AI chatbot with your mental health? Or is this a step in the wrong direction? 

🔧3 Trending AI Tools

• 💼 Career Dreamer - Explore your career potential with Google AI, analyzing your skills to suggest personalized career paths and opportunities.

• 🧐 Perplexity Deep Research - Conducts in-depth research and analysis by performing dozens of searches, reading hundreds of sources, and generating expert-level reports in minutes.

• 📸 Chance AI - Advanced visual search engine that lets you snap a photo of anything—art, architecture, nature—and instantly uncover its history, meaning, and hidden connections.

Thank you for reading!

Here’s a question for you: If AI could automate one annoying task in your life, what would it be? Hit reply and let us know—we’d love to hear your ideas!

And if you know someone who’d enjoy this, pass it along and help grow the community! 🚀

Until tomorrow—stay curious! 👋