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🤖 Learn AI Or Justify Why Not At Shopify

Plus: Copilot Gets Major Upgrades and Meta Launches Llama 4

April 10, 2025

Hello AI Enthusiast,

This week shows AI becoming less optional and more mandatory in the workplace. Shopify's CEO made it crystal clear. Meanwhile, Microsoft marked its 50th anniversary by transforming Copilot with new features, while Meta launched its Llama 4 family. The message from all sides? AI skills are quickly becoming as essential as email or spreadsheets were a generation ago. Let's dive into what this means for all of us.

The Big Picture 🔊

Shopify CEO’s Internal Memo

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke has mandated that all employees must use AI effectively, calling it a "baseline expectation" at the company. In a memo shared on X, Lütke announced that teams must prove AI can't handle tasks before requesting additional headcount. The company will also add AI usage questions to performance reviews, with Lütke emphasizing that "using AI well is a skill that needs to be carefully learned by using it a lot." He described the technology as "the most rapid shift to how work is done" in his career.

Helin Yontar
Helin YontarCPO and Polyglot

Shopify's AI mandate reflects their startup DNA - move fast or get left behind. The memo has plenty of "what" but little "how," giving employees tools without much guidance. This works for their tech-savvy team but would cause chaos in traditional companies.

We're seeing two AI adoption paths emerge: DIY versus structured training. The truth? Many leaders think exactly like Tobi, they just haven't put it in writing yet. As AI gets baked into workplace tools, these expectations will spread everywhere, ready or not.

How do you feel about Shopify's "use AI or explain why not" policy?

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Microsoft’s Copilot Expansion

Microsoft has celebrated its 50th anniversary by unveiling major Copilot updates. New features include "Memory" for remembering user preferences, "Actions" for completing tasks on partner websites, and Vision for camera-based interactions on mobile and Windows. Additional features include personalized podcasts, content organization through Pages, Deep Research for complex information gathering, and shopping assistance with direct purchase options. The updates will roll out gradually across platforms, markets, and languages.

Andrea Mattiello
Andrea MattielloCM and Board Lover

Microsoft's big Copilot update is more catch-up than breakthrough. Almost every feature announced has been done before by competitors, just packaged nicely within Microsoft's ecosystem.

What Microsoft gets right is integration. By building these AI features directly into tools businesses already use daily, they're lowering the adoption barrier significantly. Their strategy is solid: borrow the best ideas, rely on OpenAI's models for flexibility, and make everything play nicely with existing Microsoft tools.

As Shopify demands employees "use AI or explain why not" and Microsoft floods workplaces with Copilot features, the gap between executive expectations and employee skills grows daily. Our corporate training turns intimidating AI tools into productivity allies by focusing on your actual business challenges. Let's transform overwhelmed employees into confident AI users who see opportunities, not obstacles.

Meta Rolls Out Llama 4

Meta has unveiled its Llama 4 family with three models: Scout (with a massive 10M token window), Maverick (for general tasks), and the upcoming Behemoth. These models handle text, images, and video while being specifically tuned to respond to politically contentious topics more neutrally amid criticism about AI liberal bias. However, researchers discovered Meta used a specially optimized version of Maverick for benchmarks that differs from the public release, raising questions about the company's transparency.

Gioele Mottarlini
Gioele MottarliniCOO and Image Addict

Meta's attempt to "debias" Llama 4 politically misunderstands what bias actually is - what's "neutral" depends entirely on where you're standing. Their benchmark manipulation is even more troubling, using a specially optimized Maverick for testing while releasing something different to developers.

As Trump's influence on AI grows, these supposedly technical decisions are becoming increasingly political. AI is starting to mirror our divided society, whether we like it or not.

Bits and Bobs 🗞️

  • Amazon is testing a new AI feature named "Buy for Me," allowing users to purchase products from external websites without leaving the Amazon app.

  • Cognition AI's Devin 2.0 introduces new features for seamless collaboration between developers and its autonomous agents.

  • Claude for Education is a new version of Claude AI designed for higher education, aimed at enhancing teaching, learning, and administration across universities.

  • OpenAI has introduced PaperBench, a benchmark to evaluate AI systems' ability to independently replicate machine learning research by interpreting papers, developing code, and executing experiments.

From Our Founder’s Channels 🤳

Check out Gianluca's TikTok explaining why we've stopped paying attention to company-published AI benchmarks.

@gianluca.mauro

Is general intelligence, a bluff? #Ai #learnontiktok #artificialintelligence #business #machinelearning #product #ux #entrepreneur

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Catch you next week! 👋