This AI short film earned a finalist spot

👋 Good morning/evening (wherever you are). It’s Friday.

In the States, it’s Labor Day Weekend, which means Monday is off and everyone is popping those champagne bottles already.

I only have one thing to say…AI creative is blasting into a new stratosphere.

OK let’s keep going ↓

🔥 Creative pulse

Big News: Lion El Aton is a Gen:48 Finalist!

Out of thousands of entries, only 36 films made the finals. One of them is by Lion El Aton.

His short film ANYWHEN made the finals. You may recall his recent Hailuo demo (Javelin) that sparked a ton of discussions on LinkedIn.

👉 Vote for Lion now. You have 3 votes total, so make them count.

👉 Vote for Lion here. Do one nice thing for the internet today. This is your random act of kindness moment.

Watch the other Gen:48 films too, they’re incredible. I’ve been following this competition from the start, and the jump in quality is obvious. It shows how quickly the tech is evolving and how many more talented artists are willing to experiment with AI.

PS: If you’re passionate (and obsessed) about AI creative…guess what?! I just launched an AI creative club. It’s only $5/month. Skip the Big Mac and use it for this instead. I’m serious, you’ll thank me later. Click here to join.

One piece of advice, tip, or connection here could change your life. Learn more.

💡 Here’s what you should know

• Meta explores Google and OpenAI models for its AI apps

  Leaders at Meta Superintelligence Labs have discussed integrating Gemini or OpenAI tech to power conversational features in Meta AI, its flagship chatbot.

• Alibaba is testing a new AI chip to replace Nvidia in China

  Designed for a broad range of AI inference tasks, the chip marks Alibaba’s shift from TSMC to domestic manufacturing.

• California lawmakers block bills targeting AI-driven price algorithms

  In a secretive appropriations process, legislators killed measures to curb rent and retail price manipulation and to monitor data center energy use, while advancing narrower AI oversight bills.

• AI-powered Wizard of Oz reimagined at Las Vegas Sphere

  The immersive debut features drone-operated monkeys, swirling winds, and AI-driven effects, transforming the 1939 classic into a new kind of cinematic experience.

• White House pushes for xAI’s Grok to be added to federal AI vendor list

  Internal emails show the GSA was directed to approve Grok 3 and 4 for government use, joining ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude on the agency’s marketplace despite recent controversies.

• xAI launches Grok Code Fast 1

  Built for agentic coding workflows, the new model delivers rapid tool calls, strong performance across languages, and low pricing, and is free for a limited time on GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and other partners.

• TIME reveals 2025 TIME100 AI list of top innovators and leaders

  The list spotlights the people shaping AI’s direction and impact across industries and society.

• Reliance unveils AI partnerships with Google and Meta as JioStar surges

  At its annual meeting, Reliance highlighted JioStar’s 300M subscribers, launched new AI streaming features, and announced major AI ventures with Google Cloud and Meta to drive adoption across India.

• AI: Love & Hate animated film in the works

  The 90-minute feature blends traditional animation and generative AI to adapt stories from independent Asian authors, launching a planned multimedia franchise.

• Cédric Jimenez on Dog 51 and creating an AI villain

  The director’s Venice closer imagines a near-future Paris policed by ALMA, an AI antagonist voiced by real AI, as Jimenez doubles down on sci-fi storytelling with human actors at its core.

• Philips showcases AI-powered cardiac care at ESC 2025

  Philips unveiled AI-driven imaging, intervention, and monitoring tools aimed at faster diagnosis, personalized treatment, and improved efficiency in heart care.

💰 The numbers

• Framer raised $100M at a $2B valuation to expand its AI-driven web design platform.

• Deftpower raised €12.5M (~$14.6M) for its AI-powered EV-charging platform.

• Alignmt AI raised $6.5M to build an AI-powered healthcare compliance platform.

• Moxso raised €4.7M (~$5.5M) for AI-driven security-awareness training.

• Artificial Societies raised €4.5M (~$5.25M) to simulate human behavior via AI personas.

• Laborup raised $5.8M for its AI-powered skilled-worker matching platform.

🧠 Thought starters

Nano Banana feels different.

Here’s how you know: the last big wave from GPT was Studio Ghibli memes. Fun, viral, but nothing truly advanced. It was cultural, not technical.

What Google created is different.

Creatives who normally use Photoshop, Figma, and Canva are experimenting with it.

Fashion designers running ad campaigns are experimenting with it.

Game artists are experimenting with it.

This is culture meeting capability, and it’s going global.

Here’s another cool test from Demis ↓

Btw if you want to test it, there’s 3 ways (excluding API):

1. Gemini: Check ‘2.5 Flash’ on the top left. Make sure to select Tools > Create images (or you might see the 🍌 notification at the top!)

2. AI Studio: Select 'Try Nano Banana' on the bottom panel

3. Freepik (non aff): Popular choice because it offers unlimited access to Nano banana. Others are doing the same, such as Higgsfield (non aff).

While we’re at it, here’s additional resources for you:

• Introducing Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, our state-of-the-art image model

• How to prompt Gemini 2.5 Flash Image Generation for the best results

😂 Meme of the day

Thanks for reading,

Eddie

Join the AI Creative Club (you’ll find me there). It’s not only for artists and filmmakers…it’s for anyone who recognizes this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn as much as you can about AI to multiply your impact...to become superhuman. Remember, creativity is just intelligence having fun. This club is for ultra curious people, and if you’ve made it this far…you’re pretty damn curious and probably the smartest one in your circle of friends. It would be my honor to have you in there.

👋 Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (Twitter)

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