Why are so many people learning Mandarin for a social media app?

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Hey everyone,

Just a quick heads-up: TikTok is getting banned, and Gen Z is already preparing on how to learn Mandarin, But there’s more

What’s inside today’s newsletter:

• 🌐 Tech Pulse [insert the major news here]

• 📁 Unfold AI Tricks: Automate Summarizing Text Using AI in Google Docs

• 5 New Tools on the Block

• 🔎 Spotlight: Why are so many people learning Mandarin for a social media app?

• 🤝 Who is getting funded?

• ✅ To-dos

🌐 Tech Pulse

• ChatGPT now lets you schedule reminders and recurring tasks

  • The tasks feature signals a shift towards more independent AI models, also called AI agents. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicts that AI agents will become increasingly prevalent, even joining the workforce in 2025. The tasks feature, while still limited, represents an early step in this direction, giving users a glimpse into the future of AI assistants.

  • The tasks feature allows ChatGPT to perform actions that were previously impossible for large language model-based AI assistants. Although simple tasks like setting timers and reminders are standard on smartphones, they posed challenges for AI assistants. The tasks feature is a significant advancement as it demonstrates that AI models are becoming more capable of handling practical, real-world tasks.

• OpenAI appoints BlackRock exec to its board

• Apple pauses AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

• Where is Apple Intelligence on my iPhone?

  • Learn how to set up Apple Intelligence on your iPhone for free 👇

  • Unfold Guide: How to set up and use Apple Intelligence on your iPhone 

📁 Unfold AI Tricks: Automate Summarizing Text Using AI in Google Docs

Overview: Need to quickly summarize text in Google Docs without copying it into another AI tool? Using Google Apps Script, you can automatically generate text summaries directly inside your documents using Google’s built-in AI-powered natural language processing.

Duration: 15-30 minutes

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Set Up Your Google Doc: Create a Google Doc with a section of text you’d like summarized.

Write the Script: Go to Extensions > Apps Script and enter this code to create an automatic text summarizer:

function summarizeText() {
  var doc = DocumentApp.getActiveDocument();
  var body = doc.getBody();
  var text = body.getText();

  // Make a request to Google's NLP API
  var apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY"; // Replace with your Google Cloud API key
  var url = "https://language.googleapis.com/v1/documents:analyzeEntities?key=" + apiKey;
  
  var payload = {
    "document": {
      "type": "PLAIN_TEXT",
      "content": text
    },
    "encodingType": "UTF8"
  };
  
  var options = {
    "method": "post",
    "contentType": "application/json",
    "payload": JSON.stringify(payload)
  };
  
  var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, options);
  var result = JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
  
  var summary = result.entities.map(e => e.name).join(", ");
  
  body.appendParagraph("\n\n**Summary:** " + summary);
}

Automate: Set a trigger to summarize new text automatically when your document is updated.

Customize: You can modify the script to highlight specific keywords or even perform sentiment analysis on the text.

Pro Tip: Combine this with Google Sheets by creating a batch summarizer that processes multiple texts and exports the summaries into Google Sheets for easy reference!

💼 From our Partners

Writer RAG tool: build production-ready RAG apps in minutes

• Writer RAG Tool: build production-ready RAG apps in minutes with simple API calls.

• Knowledge Graph integration for intelligent data retrieval and AI-powered interactions.

• Streamlined full-stack platform eliminates complex setups for scalable, accurate AI workflows.

Learn more about our production ready RAG tooling here.

🔧 New Tools on the Block

1. Persona AI Sales and Voice Agents: Your AI-powered workers driving revenue 24/7

2. Browser Use: We enable AI to control your browser

3. Clemta: Run your business in one place: formation, tax, bookkeeping!

4. SaaS Blueprint: Understand your business through the eyes of a VC

5. Roundups: Generate and monetize product buying guides

🔎 Spotlight: Why are so many people learning Mandarin for a social media app?

Summary: There is a surge in Americans learning Mandarin Chinese due to the impending ban of TikTok. This increase, reflected in a 216% rise in Duolingo Chinese language learners, is directly linked to users migrating to the Chinese alternative, RedNote, which uses Chinese as its default language. The article highlights the irony of users choosing to learn a new language rather than using alternative American social media platforms, suggesting prioritization of app functionality over concerns about data security or government influence. Finally, the piece also touches on the ongoing legal battle surrounding TikTok's potential ban and uncertain future.

Why it matters:

1. Many Americans are learning Mandarin Chinese to use the TikTok alternative RedNote. Duolingo has seen a 216% increase in people learning Chinese since last year. This increase is likely due to the impending TikTok ban in the United States and the desire to use RedNote, a Chinese short-form video app.

2. Downloads of the Duolingo app in the U.S. have increased 36% since January 3rd. This download surge has pushed Duolingo to number 22 on Appfigures' Top Apps list. The increase in Duolingo downloads is likely driven by the potential TikTok ban.

3. RedNote is a Chinese social media app with about 300 million monthly users. The app has features similar to TikTok and Pinterest and also includes live streaming capabilities. Whether RedNote will have long-term success in the U.S. market remains to be seen.

Source: Rolling Stone

🤝 Who is getting funded?

• Synthesia snaps up $180M at a $2.1B valuation for its B2B AI video platform (TechCrunch)

• Accel could raise billions for India, but it’s sticking to $650M (TechCrunch)

 😂 Tech Memes

✅ To-dos

Do you have a topic in mind? We’re always open to suggestions—let us know what you want to learn next!

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That’s a wrap! Catch you in tomorrow’s edition. 👋

—Harman