Hey there,

As we wrap up 2025 it is still amazing to me how few people are really engaged with AI.

I know that sounds crazy to somebody who's subscribed to an AI newsletter, but just look at this chart:

Shocking
but
true:

MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICANS HAVE HEARD NOTHING OR A LITTLE ABOUT AI!

After three full years of breakneck progress that is pretty wild. And even if it was "only" 25% I'd still be blown away.

And if you look at the rate of change, people who've heard "a lot" is only up from 26% to 47% in the last three years, so I don't think this will hit 75% any time soon.

Imagine what the world was like when...

• Half of Americans had heard "a little" about the internet...
• ... or the Apollo missions ...
• ... or the intercontinental railroad.

I use those comparison points because they're similar in scale to the infrastructure investment that's going into AI right now. (Actually, AI investment far exceeds the entire 11-year Apollo program.)

And yeah, there's a lot of news about AI – including a lot of bad news, which in my view is a mix of serious issues and questionable math. But in practice, it's only really getting through to people who are highly engaged in tech, frequent readers of major newspapers (into politics, breaking news, etc.), or both.

But that's only about half of people.

This is why we're in a very special moment right now. As I mentioned earlier this month, I think the most meaningful way to use AI is to enhance our own lives so that we can, in turn, empower others. That is – free up your brainpower and energy so you can do more for your friends, family, community, co-workers and everyone that matters to you.

Because the truth is that most people are not well-positioned to benefit from AI. The fact that you're here means you're more engaged than the vast majority, and that you have a unique opportunity to use AI in ways that are positive, valuable and ethical for society.

The flip side, of course, is that if the only people paying attention are heartless tech magnates, we end up in a situation where AI is primarily used to extract and rarely used to make the world a better place.

That's why our mission here at IWAI is helping everyone thrive in our AI-powered future.

We have a ton of fun new stuff coming in 2026, and I really appreciate you being here with us. It's been almost three years and we've only just begun.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season,

– Rob
CEO of Innovating with AI