Let's get this Monday started, friend.In 2019, a college football fan at ESPN's College GameDay had a crisis. His beer supply was running dangerously low. So he did what any rational person with a cardboard sign and a national TV audience would do. He held up a plea for help.
No startup. No nonprofit. Just vibes. Within minutes, money started rolling in. Within days, it snowballed into millions and became one of the most unexpected charity fundraisers of the decade.
🪧 What did this magical sign say? A) "Send me $1, and I'll send you $2 back tomorrow." (Ponzi pitch), B) "I'm crowdfunding my student loans. Every dollar helps." (Sob story), C) "Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished." (Honesty) or D) "I hacked your webcam. Pay $1 or I release the footage." (Digital blackmail). No pour decisions. Answer's at the end.
🔐 Data broker fined for selling Alzheimer's patient lists: A data broker called Datamasters got slapped with a fine for buying and reselling the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of millions of people with Alzheimer's disease, drug addiction and bladder incontinence for targeted advertising. They were literally selling lists of vulnerable people to advertisers. California's privacy agency said this crosses the line from creepy to predatory. If you've ever wondered why you get weirdly specific ads after a medical diagnosis, this is why.Stop being the product they're selling.Use my link to get a massive 60% off.* — Kim
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TODAY'S DEEP DIVE
Roboy meets world
Image: Gemini
⚡ TL;DR (THE SHORT VERSION)
ChatGPT predicts words, world models predicts physics
World models will power robots, phones and more
The missing piece that makes AI actually useful in daily life
Read time: 3 minutes
Let me tell you about something that's about to go mainstream in 2026. I want you ahead of the curve.
You've heard of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and the rest. You know what they do, they predict words. Here's what almost nobody outside Silicon Valley is talking about yet: world models. By the end of this year, you'll be hearing about them everywhere.
🌎 Here's what they are
AI bots learn by reading text. Billions of words. But they have zero understanding of how the actual world works.
Ask ChatGPT what happens if you knock a coffee cup off a table, and it'll describe it perfectly. The cup falls, hits the floor, coffee spills all over and the cup probably breaks. But a chatbot doesn't actually know gravity. It's never seen an object fall. It's really good at predicting what words come next based on all the text it's read about falling cups.
World models are different. They learn by watching videos and understanding 3D space, i.e., how things move, collide, balance and break in the real world. They don't predict the next word. They predict what happens next in reality.
Think of it like this: AI bots read the driver's manual. World models actually get behind the wheel.
🧩 The missing piece
Right now, the biggest names in AI are racing to build world models.
Google released one called Genie 3 that can generate interactive 3D environments from a single image. Wow. Runway launched theirs last month, and Hollywood is using it to generate realistic video for productions. OpenAI is working on one code-named Sora 2 that can simulate entire physics engines.
And Yann LeCun, one of the three godfathers who invented modern AI and won the Turing Award for it, quit his cushy job at Meta to start a world model company called Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI Labs). Investors threw $5 billion at it before they even launched a product.
🏆 Why the gold rush?
The world's about to shift from AI that talks to AI that does.
Figure AI is using them to build humanoid robots that can work in warehouses without destroying everything they touch. Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot can now navigate construction sites and adjust its movements in real time when workers walk in front of it. NVIDIA's using world models to let robots learn new tasks by watching a single demonstration, no programming required.
Even your next phone will have a world model chip inside it. Samsung and Apple are both working on devices that can understand your physical environment in real time.
Imagine pointing your phone at a leaking pipe and having AI walk you through the repair because it actually understands plumbing. Or holding it up to ingredients on the counter and watching it simulate how the dish will look before you start cooking. Your phone could watch you assemble IKEA furniture and tell you "that piece is upside down" before you screw it in wrong.
Video games are about to get insane, too. Instead of pre-programmed worlds, world models will generate realistic environments on the fly based on physics. Kick a virtual rock, and it bounces exactly how it would in real life.
That's where we're headed. And you heard it here first.
📊 Know someone who loves being ahead of tech trends? Forward this to them. In six months, world models will be everywhere, news headlines, product launches, dinner party conversations. Be the one who saw it coming.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
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It slaps bikinis on anyone. Including children. Gross. Then I talk to Kimberly from Los Angeles, who's in an online relationship with a military man. Or is she? Plus, Google's Play Store settlement, ChatGPT wants your health data and Jeff Bezos gets hacked.
🎧 Or search "Komando" wherever you get your podcasts. I'm everywhere.
WEB WATERCOOLER
🛩️ Robot wingmen: You know that movie moment where the pilot yells, "I need cover"? The Marines are making it real with pilotless drones. Northrop Grumman and Kratos Defense are building autonomous fighter jets called Valkyries that fly wingman to human pilots. They take the suicide missions, draw enemy fire and pull g-forces that would turn a human into paste. Here's the wild part: The drone chooses its own tactics mid-flight. It's not remote-controlled. It's making split-second combat decisions at 600 mph next to an $80 million F-35. Welcome to war where your backup doesn't have a family to go home to.
Apple's executive exodus continues: Apple's having a brutal start to 2026. The company's stock is down 5% year-to-date as executives keep heading for the exits. AI chief John Giannandrea retired, design VP Alan Dye left for Meta, General Counsel Kate Adams is retiring, and COO Jeff Williams already left. Meanwhile, Google's Gemini 3 is eating Apple's lunch in AI. Tim Cook is supposedly training his replacement for an early 2026 handover. When your top talent is fleeing to Meta, you know something's broken.
Chat checkout era: Imagine asking a chatbot for a lamp under $50 and instead of sending you to a website, it sells you the lamp. Right there. That's the shift happening now. Microsoft's Copilot Checkout lets you ask, compare and buy without ever leaving the chat. Shopify's AI Brand Agents guide you from browsing to checkout in one conversation. Microsoft says it boosts conversions. Of course it does, the AI never gets tired, never gets awkward and never forgets to upsell you.
🌿 Beat the mid-January slump: This is the week most New Year's resolutions die. Energy crashes, cravings hit and suddenly that couch looks better than the gym. I use ImproveLife's GLP-1 Support to stay on track. It curbs appetite and keeps energy steady without caffeine jitters. Don't let week two be your breaking point. Get 30% off plus free shipping and a free gift.**
👶 Name games: Elon Musk popped up online to explain the thinking behind two of his kids' names, Strider Sekhar and Comet Azure, and it was peak Elon. He said his twins' names were inspired by The Lord of the Rings, a famous physicist and a powerful spell from a video game. The twins are two of Musk's 14 children, spread across four different relationships. He's joked about building a "legion" of kids before the apocalypse. Or maybe not joked. I can't tell anymore.
DIGITAL LIFE HACK
Your guide to NotebookLM
Don't have time to read that 40-page report? Turn that dry PDF into an engaging podcast. Here's how.
Thirteen pieces = flexibility without clutter. You get a chef's knife, a slicing knife, steak knives and more. They're dishwasher-safe, and the anti-rust coating helps them last a long time. Plus, blade guards stop accidental stabbings.
Image: Astercook
🥫 Can-do attitude: One touch and this electric can opener(55% off, $18) handles almost any lid. A help for seniors and safer than old-school openers.
Mind the gap: These heat-resistant stove gap covers(33% off, $20) stop food from falling into annoying cracks. They work for washing machines, too.
🍴 Smarter silverware: Tidy up forks, knives and spoons with an expandable drawer organizer(38% off, $8). Simple upgrade, daily payoff.
Smooth sips only: Grab some protein shaker bottles(26% off, $20, four-pack) that blend powders fast. The lids seal tight, so no gym bag disasters.
Prices and deals were accurate at the time of publication.
DEVICE ADVICE
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Out of outlets? Your TV's USB ports can charge your phone or tablet. Just plug in the cable and ignore any pop-up asking for data access. It'll keep charging anyway. I've used this trick more times than I'd like to admit when every wall outlet is taken.
Text from your computer: Stop reaching for your phone every 30 seconds. Windows 11's Phone Link lets you text, view photos and take calls straight from your PC. Search "Phone Link," choose Android or iPhone, and scan the QR code to pair..
🚫 Clean up your X feed: X's loose moderation means NSFW content slips through constantly. You can filter most of it out. On mobile, go to Settings > Privacy and safety > Content you see. Under Sensitive media, set both Graphic violence and Adult content to Never show this. Your timeline got a lot less horrifying.
Stop overpaying for earbuds: I've tested the most expensive audio brands on the market. I still grab my Raycon Everyday Earbuds for the gym and calls. They fit perfectly, the battery lasts all day and the bass is booming. Get premium sound without the premium price tag. Take 20% off sitewide with my link.*
Logitech mouse acting weird on Mac? It's probably not broken. Logitech forgot to renew an Apple developer certificate, which caused their mouse software to stop working properly. Cue scrolling and button issues out of nowhere. The fix is manual: If you're using Logi Options+, download the patch installer. Do the same for G HUB if you have gaming gear.
📹 Make iPad how-to videos: Need to show a family member how to do something on their iPad? Swipe down to open Control Center and tap Screen Recording. Want to include your voice? Press and hold the icon first and turn on Microphone. Don't see the record option? Open Control Center, long-press and tap Add a Control. Lovely. I used to do this for my mom and it really helped her out.
WHAT THE TECH?
Image: NO ID
🏰 Medieval mansion marketing
Selling a $70M mansion is hard when your buyer pool fits in a Sprinter van and already owns six homes, 12 cars, a private jet and three helicopters.
This one stopped pretending it was just a home and went full straight-to-Blu-ray fantasy.
Instead of another whispery piano walk-through, the agents commissioned a cinematic AI trailer (paywall link) with knights, dragons and zero real humans. It used scanned faces, cloned voices and a $25,000 budget aimed at exactly one buyer: a billionaire with a museum-grade collection of armor and swords.
You're out there.
LOGGING OUT …
📡 Coming tomorrow: Your Wi-Fi router isn't only connecting your Netflix. It's tracking everyone nearby, including strangers walking past your house. Companies like Amazon turned your Echo into a neighborhood surveillance network, and your internet provider might be running a public hotspot out of your living room. Tomorrow, I'm showing you exactly how to shut it all down. If you rent your router from Xfinity, Spectrum or Cox, you need to read this.
🍺 The answer: C) "Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished."
Image: @CarsonKing2 via X
Within minutes, people started sending beer money. Once the tally hit a few hundred bucks, King flipped the script. He'd donate everything (minus one case of Busch Light) to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. That's when the internet lost its mind. The beer turned into a $3 million charity fundraiser. Cheers!
🍔 A hamburger walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender says, "Sorry, we don't serve food here." (lol)
👉 One final step: Do not leave your digital door unlocked. Scammers buy data from brokers to target you with phishing texts and calls. Incogni automates the removal process from hundreds of databases. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have zero risk. Save 60% right now with this link.*
✨ Shine on, you digital diamond. I see you. — Kim
Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily
Photo credit(s):Gemini, Astercook, NO ID, @CarsonKing2 via X
Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein.
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Keep a civil tongue.