Training Now the Chokepoint
Wall Street Journal writer Christopher Mims reports that while AI is plenty smart across a wide spectrum of tasks, too few people know how to use AI well.
Observes Mims: “There is a huge gap between what AI can already do today and what most people are actually doing with it.”
In other news and analysis on AI writing:
*Dead Heat: New Study Finds ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude Equally Powerful: A new study finds that ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude essentially deliver the same level of results when it comes to general AI use, agentic use, programming use and scientific reasoning use.
That’s gotta sting for Google, which just a few weeks ago, lunged ahead as the AI chatbot-to-beat across a wide range of benchmarks.
Even so, picking the best AI for your own use boils down to giving all contenders a thorough run-through on how you personally use AI — and then choosing a personal favorite.
For example: For AI-generated writing, I still strongly prefer ChatGPT 4.0, which is still the most creative writer of the bunch to this day.
*ChatGPT Still Most Popular AI – By a Mile: While Google has been coming on strong, ChatGPT still dominates the AI universe.
New analysis from Windows Latest, for example, finds that ChatGPT owns 64.5% of the market, followed by Google’s Gemini at 21%.
Somewhat embarrassing for Microsoft: Its Copilot Chatbot only commands 1% of the AI market.
*Free-for-All: AI Gmail Tools for Writing, Summarizing and Email Drafts Now Gratis: AI users just got a generous present from Google for 2026: Free access to a number of powerful AI tools for Gmail:
–Help Me Write, which helps you draft everyday emails in Gmail
–Suggested Replies, which reads your email and auto-generates a reply that includes context and tone
–AI Emails Summary, which pops-up offering a bulleted summary of key points extracted from an email thread
*ChatGPT for Power Users: A Curated Video Guide: Skill Leap offers an excellent rundown on advanced uses of the chatbot in this 17-minute video.
Among the picks:
–Creating different writing styles with ChatGPT for different use cases
–Scheduling daily or weekly reminders with ChatGPT
–Getting ChatGPT to ‘disappear’ certain chats for privacy reasons
*Microsoft Copilot: Rough Going for Gmail and Outlook Email Users: In an unusual move, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has openly admitted that Microsoft Copilot barely works with Gmail and Outlook Email.
Observes writer Matthias Bastian: “This wasn’t a one-off complaint. Over the past few months, Microsoft’s CEO has essentially become the company’s top product (Copilot) manager.”
“To close the technical gaps, Nadella is personally investing in recruiting. He calls potential hires himself and approves unusually high salaries to poach top talent from OpenAI and Google DeepMind.”
*Brain Rot?: Not Everyone Gung-Ho on AI in the Schools: AI’s push into K-12 and beyond has some educators worried that the tech will diminish critical thinking, cause developmental issues in the young and trigger a widespread cheating culture.
Observes writer Natasha Singer: “Teachers currently have few rigorous studies to guide generative AI use in schools.”
And “researchers are just beginning to follow the long-term effects of AI chatbots on teenagers and schoolchildren,” Singer adds.
*AI and the Law: What to Expect in 2026: Fourteen experts in AI law have released a free eBook serving-up their predictions on how AI will reshape the law in 2026 and beyond.
Key co-authors include:
–Richard Troman, founder, Artificial Lawyer – a media outlet
–Adam Wehler, Director of e-Discovery Strategies and Litigation Technology, Smith Anderson
–Melina Efstathiou, AI Strategic Advisor, Legal Data Intelligence
*Top Five AI Writing Tools for 2026: SSBCrack News has released its list of the top five AI writing tools for the coming year.
All are AI writing pioneers. And all have appeared on many top five and top ten lists for years now.
SSB’s Take: While no tool is perfect, these five tools balance features like content generation, editing and optimization.
*AI Big Picture: Chinese AI Running Seven Months Behind U.S.: Despite releasing head-turning, extremely inexpensive alternatives to top AI, China is still about seven months behind the U.S. in AI development.
The new study, released by Epoch AI, reveals that the trend has persisted since 2023, when Chinese alternatives to ChatGPT and similar began popping up on the market.
One downside to Chinese AI: Researchers have found that some Chinese AI apps include code that can be used to forward your data to the Chinese Communist Party.
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–Joe Dysart is editor of RobotWritersAI.com and a tech journalist with 20+ years experience. His work has appeared in 150+ publications, including The New York Times and the Financial Times of London.
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