Weekly Review 30 January 2026

Some interesting links that I Tweeted about in the last week (I also post these on Mastodon, Threads, Newsmast, and Bluesky):

1. Starlink will use your personal data to train AI models unless you opt out: https://www.extremetech.com/internet/psa-starlink-now-uses-customers-personal-data-for-ai-training
2. AI are too prone to hallucination for me to trust them to write review articles: https://spectrum.ieee.org/scientific-research
3. A majority of CEOs aren't seeing any payoff from AI: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/20/pwc_ai_ceo_survey/
4. Plasmons could reduce the power requirements of computing and make AI more energy efficient: https://spectrum.ieee.org/plasmon-computing-device
5. No, AI will not put an end to immigration: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/21/palantir_ceo_karp_claims_ai/
6. Companies are finally starting to consider communities more when they plan AI data centres: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/21/stargate_openai_community_plans/
7. The most significant barrier to adopting AI is a lack of preparedness, but this can be solved: https://www.hpcwire.com/bigdatawire/2026/01/21/new-study-shows-how-to-close-the-ai-readiness-gap-with-trusted-data-and-talent/
8. I wish more people in AI understood more about statistics: https://www.kdnuggets.com/7-statistical-concepts-every-data-scientist-should-master-and-why
9. Delving into the details of why AI switch between helpful and harmful: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/20/ai_demon_vs_assistant/
10. The CIO's role is rolling out AI: https://www.informationweek.com/machine-learning-ai/cio-role-in-unlocking-strategic-value-how-to-determine-and-implement-ai-use-cases
11. MCP is rapidly shaping up to be the standard for inter-model connectivity for AI: https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/366637466/GoodData-launches-MCP-server-to-fuel-AI-powered-analysis
12. After Wikipedia spent years cataloging all of the indicators of AI, one guy releases a plugin that avoids them all: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/new-ai-plugin-uses-wikipedias-ai-writing-detection-rules-to-help-it-sound-human/
13. Which AI is better, Gemini or ChatGPT? https://arstechnica.com/features/2026/01/has-gemini-surpassed-chatgpt-we-put-the-ai-models-to-the-test/
14. Can encryption really protect the institutional data that is embedded in AI? https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/21/nadella_ai_sovereignty_wef/
15. Can AI actually improve students' thinking? https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/career-advice/teaching/2026/01/15/how-ai-exploding-our-illusions-rigor-opinion
16. Why AI are still vulnerable to prompt injection attacks: https://spectrum.ieee.org/prompt-injection-attack
17. AI can help academics publish more papers, but the papers are less innovative: https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-science-research-flattens-discovery
18. AI bubble? What AI bubble? https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/22/future_ai_jobs_tech_bigshots/
19. AI coding agents can do a lot, but they still need experienced developers to get the most out of them: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/01/10-things-i-learned-from-burning-myself-out-with-ai-coding-agents/
20. There needs to be clarity on who is responsible for the harm caused by AI: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/20/treasury_committee_ai/
21. AI agents will continue to pose a security threat: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/21/davos_ai_agents_security/
22. AI is not having a good impact on students: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/teaching/2026/01/21/survey-faculty-say-ai-impactful-not-good-way
23. Most organisations that deploy AI do not see an increase in revenue: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/21/deloitte_enterprises_adopting_ai_revenue_lift/
24. The skills in AI you need to have on entering the job market: https://www.computerworld.com/article/4117602/what-ai-skills-job-seekers-need-to-develop-in-2026.html
25. Critical thinking is an essential skill for students who use AI to summarise literature: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/career-advice/2026/01/21/how-higher-ed-can-adjust-ai-answer-economy-opinion
26. There is still a shortage of workers skilled in AI: https://www.hpcwire.com/bigdatawire/2026/01/20/the-ai-skills-gap-is-not-what-companies-think-it-is/
27. AI chatbots need to engage with learners, not just talk at them: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/online-trending-now/2026/01/21/affective-intelligence-artificial-intelligence
28. Is using AI as a therapist really that bad? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/21/italy-using-ai-therapists-mental-health