Happy December! It's time to drink hot chocolate out of kitschy mugs shaped like reindeer while watching the greatest Christmas movies ever made (Home Alone 1 and 2, of course). Before winding down 2025, I wanted to, for a few brief minutes, reflect on some updates on how the mood around AI has changed. If you stick around until the end, I'll even share my hot chocolate recipe as a treat. Machine Learning is Everywhere I wrote my take on Apple's tepid approach to AI/ML last year in June and August , where I established my belief that Apple was preparing for a world where: 1) AI LLMs (Large Language Models) weren't premium, 2) AI tools would be a moderate help in daily life but not world-changing, and 3) AI would simply be available for free if you wanted to use it. In the year since, all indications are that this has proven true. I use more AI today than I did in 2020, and almost all of that additional usage has been for boring marginal improvements.…