Christopher Mims
@mims.bsky.social
WSJ tech columnist. Author of How to AI, a bullshit-free guide to how to get actual utility from AI, aimed at the skeptics who are tired of the hype surrounding it.
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A skeptic's guide to AI
Introducing the one book you might want to read about AI -- even, or perhaps especially, if you're not a fan
mimsical.beehiiv.com
A Skeptic's Guide to AI
I wrote "How to AI" both for everyone who is dabbling in AI, or wants to avoid it and know what they're up against.
It's as much about where AI isn't appropriate as where it is.
Out 1/27. Updates and newsletter here:
mimsical.beehiiv.com/p/a-skeptic-...
I wrote "How to AI" both for everyone who is dabbling in AI, or wants to avoid it and know what they're up against.
It's as much about where AI isn't appropriate as where it is.
Out 1/27. Updates and newsletter here:
mimsical.beehiiv.com/p/a-skeptic-...
Reposted by Christopher Mims
The bollard hasn’t moved a single inch. Total domination.
#WorldBollardAssociation
#WorldBollardAssociation
December 28, 2025 at 12:27 PM
The bollard hasn’t moved a single inch. Total domination.
#WorldBollardAssociation
#WorldBollardAssociation
if you're a collector of tales about how the Great AI Stock Market Mega-bubble is gonna pop, Michael Burry (of the Big Short) on Michael Lewis's podcast is quite good:
(Burry never gives interviews, so this is rare)
www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/aga...
(Burry never gives interviews, so this is rare)
www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/aga...
Michael Burry Speaks - Against the Rules with Michael Lewis
Of all the characters in The Big Short, fund manager Michael Burry (depicted by Christian Bale in the movie version) seemed the least likely to grant Michael Lewis a follow-up interview. Burry was one...
www.pushkin.fm
December 28, 2025 at 12:34 PM
if you're a collector of tales about how the Great AI Stock Market Mega-bubble is gonna pop, Michael Burry (of the Big Short) on Michael Lewis's podcast is quite good:
(Burry never gives interviews, so this is rare)
www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/aga...
(Burry never gives interviews, so this is rare)
www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/aga...
you joke about having a large son and then one day you wake up and the kid that just yesterday was practically swimming in a plane seat next to you is six feet tall and taking up all the armrests and it's like, dude
December 28, 2025 at 12:31 PM
you joke about having a large son and then one day you wake up and the kid that just yesterday was practically swimming in a plane seat next to you is six feet tall and taking up all the armrests and it's like, dude
every time I'm using WiFi on a plane I'm like ... so the signal goes ... to space ... and back to a ground station near the Arctic circle ... and from there to the internet ... through the oceans?
shit is wild, man
shit is wild, man
December 28, 2025 at 12:29 PM
every time I'm using WiFi on a plane I'm like ... so the signal goes ... to space ... and back to a ground station near the Arctic circle ... and from there to the internet ... through the oceans?
shit is wild, man
shit is wild, man
I refuse to learn who will stencil is
December 27, 2025 at 9:16 PM
I refuse to learn who will stencil is
Reposted by Christopher Mims
Context you rarely hear: global stocks are up about 30% over the past year. U.S. stocks? Around 18%. That means American investors underperformed the world by about 12 percentage points, even while headlines called it a “fantastic year.”
December 27, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Context you rarely hear: global stocks are up about 30% over the past year. U.S. stocks? Around 18%. That means American investors underperformed the world by about 12 percentage points, even while headlines called it a “fantastic year.”
my book comes out in precisely a month!
it's a practical guide to how to use AI for those who hate the way it's being shoved down everyone's throats but who also know that, every once in a while, it's handy
it's a practical guide to how to use AI for those who hate the way it's being shoved down everyone's throats but who also know that, every once in a while, it's handy
A Skeptic's Guide to AI
I wrote "How to AI" both for everyone who is dabbling in AI, or wants to avoid it and know what they're up against.
It's as much about where AI isn't appropriate as where it is.
Out 1/27. Updates and newsletter here:
mimsical.beehiiv.com/p/a-skeptic-...
I wrote "How to AI" both for everyone who is dabbling in AI, or wants to avoid it and know what they're up against.
It's as much about where AI isn't appropriate as where it is.
Out 1/27. Updates and newsletter here:
mimsical.beehiiv.com/p/a-skeptic-...
A skeptic's guide to AI
Introducing the one book you might want to read about AI -- even, or perhaps especially, if you're not a fan
mimsical.beehiiv.com
December 26, 2025 at 9:43 PM
my book comes out in precisely a month!
it's a practical guide to how to use AI for those who hate the way it's being shoved down everyone's throats but who also know that, every once in a while, it's handy
it's a practical guide to how to use AI for those who hate the way it's being shoved down everyone's throats but who also know that, every once in a while, it's handy
some good climate/energy news:
* 96% of new US power capacity was carbon-free in 2024 (56 gigawatts!)
* 2025 included the first month ever when 51% of power on the U.S. grid was carbon-free
* The golbal trend is overwhelming: The world is now investing more $ in clean energy than fossil fuels
* 96% of new US power capacity was carbon-free in 2024 (56 gigawatts!)
* 2025 included the first month ever when 51% of power on the U.S. grid was carbon-free
* The golbal trend is overwhelming: The world is now investing more $ in clean energy than fossil fuels
Clean energy is going to win. It's just a question of when.
Clean energy is still winning. These 10 charts prove it.
Solar and wind are beating new power demand, steelmaking is slowly getting off coal, and more clean energy victories are clear in these charts.
www.canarymedia.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:09 PM
some good climate/energy news:
* 96% of new US power capacity was carbon-free in 2024 (56 gigawatts!)
* 2025 included the first month ever when 51% of power on the U.S. grid was carbon-free
* The golbal trend is overwhelming: The world is now investing more $ in clean energy than fossil fuels
* 96% of new US power capacity was carbon-free in 2024 (56 gigawatts!)
* 2025 included the first month ever when 51% of power on the U.S. grid was carbon-free
* The golbal trend is overwhelming: The world is now investing more $ in clean energy than fossil fuels
as a person who makes stuff for a living some of my favorite stories are about the endless rejections creators of famous works had to endure, and the ways that great art almost didn't happen even after it got a green light
almost anything you feel an attachment to, it has a crazy backstory
almost anything you feel an attachment to, it has a crazy backstory
December 26, 2025 at 1:58 PM
as a person who makes stuff for a living some of my favorite stories are about the endless rejections creators of famous works had to endure, and the ways that great art almost didn't happen even after it got a green light
almost anything you feel an attachment to, it has a crazy backstory
almost anything you feel an attachment to, it has a crazy backstory
blessed are those who send emails over the holidays, for their messages can be safely ignored
December 25, 2025 at 10:29 PM
blessed are those who send emails over the holidays, for their messages can be safely ignored
Reposted by Christopher Mims
Muppet Christmas Carol is so good, man. Everyone involved just taking it to 100.
December 25, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Muppet Christmas Carol is so good, man. Everyone involved just taking it to 100.
Reposted by Christopher Mims
It's funny how us parochial Americans generally seem to perceive that the EV revolution is stalling or reversing when in fact it's accelerating rapidly worldwide. 25% of cars sold globally in 2025 were EVs!
It's mostly just the US that's being left behind
It's mostly just the US that's being left behind
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
It's funny how us parochial Americans generally seem to perceive that the EV revolution is stalling or reversing when in fact it's accelerating rapidly worldwide. 25% of cars sold globally in 2025 were EVs!
It's mostly just the US that's being left behind
It's mostly just the US that's being left behind
Reposted by Christopher Mims
AI ran into a brick wall trying to control smart home devices this year, which feels like the canary in the coal mine for a lot of things. Excellent @jp2e.bsky.social dive into why and what comes next www.theverge.com/tech/845958/...
December 23, 2025 at 3:22 PM
AI ran into a brick wall trying to control smart home devices this year, which feels like the canary in the coal mine for a lot of things. Excellent @jp2e.bsky.social dive into why and what comes next www.theverge.com/tech/845958/...
Reposted by Christopher Mims
"this could have been slop, but it's not" is rapidly becoming a surefire signifier of premium-ness
Porsche reportedly created their new ad without using any AI.
December 23, 2025 at 3:28 PM
"this could have been slop, but it's not" is rapidly becoming a surefire signifier of premium-ness
Reposted by Christopher Mims
December 23, 2025 at 3:43 PM
everyone I've ever esteemed who posts a lot has at least one post where it's like "ok grandpa..." and that is OK. everyone is trying to make sense of a polluted media environment, no one is immune to emotional reasoning, brains are weird, all posting is preliminary and reasoning iterative
December 22, 2025 at 7:47 PM
everyone I've ever esteemed who posts a lot has at least one post where it's like "ok grandpa..." and that is OK. everyone is trying to make sense of a polluted media environment, no one is immune to emotional reasoning, brains are weird, all posting is preliminary and reasoning iterative
so very true
Wildly different things, tasks, techniques, subspecialties being lumped into "AI" and then being conflated with each other, doesn't help. Different types of models vs the techniques to train them vs the tasks they are supposed to accomplish, all under "AI".
December 22, 2025 at 6:41 PM
so very true
Well deserved. Also one of my all-time favorite newsletters ever, on health and wellness but also about, like, ~everything~
I’m sorry but BOTH my books are bestsellers???
I’m sorry BOTH???
I’m sorry but BOTH??????
bookshop.org/lists/bestse...
I’m sorry BOTH???
I’m sorry but BOTH??????
bookshop.org/lists/bestse...
Bestselling Nonfiction Books of 2025
Checkout out this list on Bookshop
bookshop.org
December 22, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Well deserved. Also one of my all-time favorite newsletters ever, on health and wellness but also about, like, ~everything~
Reposted by Christopher Mims
read CHIPWRECKED here www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
December 22, 2025 at 4:01 PM
read CHIPWRECKED here www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Hark Daily is the thing I listen to first when I'm in the car and want to queue up a podcast.
I have discovered so many unexpected, beautiful, surprising moments (and podcasts!) through it.
Human-curation of human-generated content is such a beautiful thing in our age of algorithmic overreach.
I have discovered so many unexpected, beautiful, surprising moments (and podcasts!) through it.
Human-curation of human-generated content is such a beautiful thing in our age of algorithmic overreach.
HARK DAILY - Today's best podcast moments in one playlist, featuring:
- What 2026 holds for AI @mims.bsky.social
- "I saw a color I've never seen before" @wbur.org
- The Christmas dinner pepper spray incident @armchairexppod.bsky.social
- What 2026 holds for AI @mims.bsky.social
- "I saw a color I've never seen before" @wbur.org
- The Christmas dinner pepper spray incident @armchairexppod.bsky.social
Listen to December 22, 2025 on Hark
A playlist of podcast moments
share.harkaudio.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Hark Daily is the thing I listen to first when I'm in the car and want to queue up a podcast.
I have discovered so many unexpected, beautiful, surprising moments (and podcasts!) through it.
Human-curation of human-generated content is such a beautiful thing in our age of algorithmic overreach.
I have discovered so many unexpected, beautiful, surprising moments (and podcasts!) through it.
Human-curation of human-generated content is such a beautiful thing in our age of algorithmic overreach.
Chatbots were never the right interface / tech for 95% of the use cases for which AI will be handy in the coming decades.
If you want to know what the future of AI is for academic search and retrieval...
scholar.google.com/scholar_labs...
consensus.app
If you want to know what the future of AI is for academic search and retrieval...
scholar.google.com/scholar_labs...
consensus.app
December 21, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Chatbots were never the right interface / tech for 95% of the use cases for which AI will be handy in the coming decades.
If you want to know what the future of AI is for academic search and retrieval...
scholar.google.com/scholar_labs...
consensus.app
If you want to know what the future of AI is for academic search and retrieval...
scholar.google.com/scholar_labs...
consensus.app
the house I live in didn't have indoor plumbing until like the 1930s, we live in an age of wonders
Man, am I grateful for sewers. I cleaned my apartment this morning, took a shower, use the bathroom, I’m currently running the dishwasher and doing several loads of laundry. All that dirty water is being handled by the Northwest Bergen County Utility Authority. Amazing stuff.
December 21, 2025 at 5:04 PM
the house I live in didn't have indoor plumbing until like the 1930s, we live in an age of wonders
This is true. And honestly, in 2026, the best reasons to play around with AI will be:
1. To figure out if you can use it to do less of the most tedious and toilsome work
2. To know its limitations so you can push back when someone says you "have" to use it
1. To figure out if you can use it to do less of the most tedious and toilsome work
2. To know its limitations so you can push back when someone says you "have" to use it
So the “figure out how to use it lest you be left behind” replies about ‘AI’ that have been popping up here strike me as inauthentic but also kind of funny because they grant the point that rather than an automation panacea these technologies are quite difficult to figure out how to use effectively
December 21, 2025 at 4:12 PM
This is true. And honestly, in 2026, the best reasons to play around with AI will be:
1. To figure out if you can use it to do less of the most tedious and toilsome work
2. To know its limitations so you can push back when someone says you "have" to use it
1. To figure out if you can use it to do less of the most tedious and toilsome work
2. To know its limitations so you can push back when someone says you "have" to use it
Reposted by Christopher Mims
BRENNAN: What are you going to do to force DOJ to comply?
MASSIE: The quickest way and most expeditious way to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi. That doesn't require going through the courts. We're drafting that right now.
MASSIE: The quickest way and most expeditious way to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi. That doesn't require going through the courts. We're drafting that right now.
December 21, 2025 at 3:43 PM
BRENNAN: What are you going to do to force DOJ to comply?
MASSIE: The quickest way and most expeditious way to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi. That doesn't require going through the courts. We're drafting that right now.
MASSIE: The quickest way and most expeditious way to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi. That doesn't require going through the courts. We're drafting that right now.
this is so true -- one of my challenges is when I buy an ebook from Bookshop.org is, which of my three (and counting) favorite local Indy bookstores gets the $$ for the sale?
December 21, 2025 at 12:18 PM
this is so true -- one of my challenges is when I buy an ebook from Bookshop.org is, which of my three (and counting) favorite local Indy bookstores gets the $$ for the sale?