Artificially Intelligent Friday: Intelligence Almanac, Google's AI Co-Scientist, and JetBrains' Local LLM Support
This week's edition covers the launch of the Intelligence Almanac, Google's AI Co-Scientist solving decade-old research problems, JetBrains' privacy-focused coding tools, and how speaking two languages can delay dementia
This Week in Intelligence: Updates That Matter
🧪 Google's AI 'Co-Scientist' Solves Decade-Long Research Problem in Days
What it is: Scientific research typically requires years of painstaking experimentation and literature review. Google's AI Co-Scientist serves as a digital lab partner that analyzes scientific literature and generates testable hypotheses alongside human researchers.
What's new: In a breakthrough demonstration, Imperial College London scientists studying antibiotic-resistant bacteria gave Google's AI system a problem they had spent a decade solving. The AI proposed the identical solution in just two days. Built on Google's Gemini platform, the system allows researchers to specify goals in plain language and receive detailed research overviews, experimental protocols, and novel hypotheses ready for testing.
Why it matters: For researchers tackling urgent challenges like antibiotic resistance, this technology could compress years of work into days. Dr. José Penadés of Imperial's Department of Infectious Disease notes, "The algorithm analyzed the evidence, designed experiments, and proposed the same hypothesis we reached through years of painstaking research—but in a fraction of the time." The system doesn't replace human expertise but dramatically accelerates the path to breakthroughs by eliminating unproductive research directions. Learn more at Forbes
🖥️ JetBrains Brings AI Coding to Regulated Industries with Local Model Support
What it is: JetBrains is a leading developer of professional software development tools used by millions of programmers worldwide. Their popular integrated development environments (IDEs) like IntelliJ and PyCharm help developers write and manage code more efficiently. JetBrains AI Assistant extends these tools with artificial intelligence capabilities to suggest code completions and solutions to programming challenges.
What's new: JetBrains has introduced support for locally-hosted language models (LLMs) through LM Studio integration. Developers can now run AI models directly on their machines, keeping sensitive code private. The update also adds support for powerful new models including Claude 3.5 and OpenAI's o1 series, specialized for reasoning through complex programming tasks.
Why it matters: For regulated industries like healthcare, finance, and government, local model support means accessing the productivity benefits of AI coding without compromising security requirements. Learn more at SD Times
Intelligence Categories
Cognitive Insights: Speaking Two Languages Delays Dementia by 4+ Years
What it is: Dementia is a condition characterized by declining cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life.
What's new: Research from Concordia University using advanced brain imaging reveals why bilinguals develop dementia symptoms 4-4.5 years later than monolinguals. Three key mechanisms are at work: increased brain reserve (more neural resources), enhanced cognitive reserve (better adaptation to damage), and most critically, brain maintenance. "The hippocampus—our primary memory center—shows significantly less decline in bilinguals once cognitive problems begin," explains psychologist Natalie Phillips. This effect occurs regardless of education level or socioeconomic background.
Why it matters: As psychologist Ellen Bialystok explains, "Bilingualism doesn't prevent dementia; it holds back the flood." For the 7 million Americans with dementia and their families, these findings offer hope through an accessible intervention. While lifelong bilingualism provides strongest protection, starting to learn a second language at any age still strengthens critical brain networks. Bialystok notes there's no evidence that knowing more than two languages offers additional protection, making this a remarkably attainable cognitive health strategy. Read more at the New York Post or the Cambridge Study
Intelligence Enhancement: Mental Models Cut Cognitive Biases by 41%
What it is: Mental models are thinking tools that help us navigate complexity and make better decisions. They provide reliable frameworks for understanding how systems work and avoiding common reasoning pitfalls.
What's new: Fortune 500 companies have begun formally integrating structured mental models into their decision-making processes. Two approaches showing particular promise are Inversion (solving problems backward by identifying what to avoid) and Second-Order Thinking (considering consequences beyond immediate outcomes). Companies implementing these frameworks report a 41% reduction in cognitive biases during strategic planning.
Why it matters: Popularized through Shane Parrish's "Great Mental Models" series, these frameworks give teams a common language for addressing complex challenges. As uncertainty and information overload increase across industries, organizations that build systematic thinking processes gain a significant advantage in both strategy development and execution. For individuals, these mental tools offer ways to overcome cognitive blind spots and make more thoughtful decisions in both professional and personal contexts. Detailed analysis at NeuroLaunch
Word of Lore Updates
📚 Introducing Intelligence Almanac: Your Guide to the Future of Intelligence
What it is: The Intelligence Almanac is Word of Lore's new forward-looking resource for tracking upcoming developments across the intelligence landscape.
What's new: We've launched the Intelligence Almanac (https://wordoflore.ai/almanac/) as a comprehensive tracker of future intelligence developments across five key domains:
- Major Tech/AI Company Releases & Updates - Stay informed about upcoming releases from OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Anthropic, and DeepMind
- Academic & Research Events - Track major conferences like NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR, along with research updates on brain-computer interfaces, learning, and memory
With upcoming additions of:
- Industry Implementation Milestones - Follow AI adoption cases across law, healthcare, education, and enterprise settings
- Regulatory & Policy Developments - Monitor progress on the EU AI Act, US AI regulations, and global governance frameworks
- Notable Enhancement Tools - Keep up with developments in brain-computer interfaces, cognitive enhancement technologies, and AI-powered productivity tools
Why it matters: While our newsletter covers present and recent developments in intelligence, the Almanac helps you anticipate what's coming next. This forward-looking resource helps you prepare for emerging opportunities and challenges in both artificial and human intelligence enhancement.
Stay brilliantly human,
Word of Lore.ai