Alex Banks

Building a better future with AI

Alex Banks is a founder, creator and investor. He reaches over 1 million people on social media each week with insights into the world of artificial intelligence (AI).

He is the founder and writer of The Signal, a weekly newsletter that cuts through the AI noise to over 55,000+ readers.

Alex is also an active early-stage investor and advisor to startups across the AI and technology landscape.

👉 All partnerships, enquiries and speaking engagements: contact@noisemedia.ai

Writer

This should be illegal.

We’re entering a world where nothing can be trusted online:

I recently came across this video using Kling Motion Control.

It takes your movements and puts them in anyone's body.

Here's how it works:

→ Record yourself doing any movement
→ Use AI to generate a character image
→ Kling 2.6 merges the two seamlessly
→ Your moves, their face

We've now hit the threshold where it's impossible to discern whether someone is human in the digital world.

My takeaways:

The implications are huge in Hollywood:

→ Using someone's likeness without them present
→ Character swapping cost trends to near-zero
→ Reshooting scenes without actors on set

I also see new markets emerging:

→ Individuals renting out their identity
→ Licensing your likeness for content creation
→ Actors selling "performance rights" to their digital twin

Finally, proof of authenticity will become essential infrastructure, not just a nice-to-have.

Sam Altman is already building a global identity verification system using iris scans to fight against fraud and bots.

I believe we'll see identity become the next great asset class.

Follow me Alex Banks for daily AI highlights and insights.

P.S. If you liked this post, you'll love the newsletter.

I help you learn AI each week.
↳ Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ePSZP6KF

Video credit: ederxavier3d on Instagram

OpenAI lost 22% market share in 12 months.

Gemini is eating their lunch.

The first Global AI Tracker of 2026 just dropped.

Here's what caught my attention.

Market share as of Jan 2nd:

→ ChatGPT: 64.5%
→ Gemini: 21.5%
→ DeepSeek: 3.7%
→ Grok: 3.4%
→ Perplexity: 2.0%
→ Claude: 2.0%
→ Copilot: 1.1%

12-month transformation:

→ ChatGPT dropped from 86.7% to 64.5%
→ Gemini exploded from 5.7% to 21.5%
→ Grok didn't exist and is now approaching DeepSeek

12-week data change:

→ OpenAI: -22% (their worst period on record)
→ Gemini: +49% (relentless momentum)
→ Claude: -14% (stable but dipping)
→ Grok: +52% (fastest growing)

Driven by the winter break, daily visits dropped to August-September levels across all tools.

But the underlying trends are unmistakable.

My takeaway:

This is OpenAI's make or break year.

It will take an incredible model (GPT-6+) from them to restore faith.

Claude Opus 4.5 with extended thinking is now my go-to model for practically every task. I rarely use GPT-5.2 as Opus 4.5 is faster, better, and more consistent across my daily work.

If Anthropic keeps shipping at this pace, they could overtake OpenAI by the end of the year.

The AI race has never been more competitive.

Follow me Alex Banks for daily AI highlights and insights.

I cover the most important AI developments each week in my newsletter.

Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ePSZP6KF

NEWS: Okta just exposed AI's biggest blind spot.

Most companies aren't ready.

I sat down with Shiven Ramji, President of Auth0 at Okta, to find out what's being missed.

The problem is bigger than you think:

→ 80% of breaches already involve compromised identity
→ 91% of organisations are deploying AI agents
→ Only 10% have a governance strategy for managing them

Traditional security was built for deterministic apps.

AI agents are anything but.

They access sensitive data at machine speed, far faster than any human ever could.

4 things developers need to get right from day one:

1. Authentication 
↳ Verify the agent is working on behalf of who it claims

2. Human in the loop
↳ Sensitive transactions need async authorisation

3. Fine-grained permissions
↳ Ephemeral access that expires when the task is done

4. Secure connections
↳ No more static API keys scattered everywhere

The future Shiv predicts:

Memory will become tied to identity.

Right now, your context is locked inside each platform.

Eventually, you'll want to take your AI memory with you across tools.

My takeaway:

AI security is identity security.

You can't have one without the other.

The AI agent market is projected to hit $250 billion by 2034.

The companies racing to deploy without solving identity will learn this the hard way.

Follow me Alex Banks for daily AI highlights and insights.

Google's best learning tool is free.

This is how I learn anything fast.

NotebookLM lets you:

→ Upload any sources (docs, websites, research papers)
→ Use Deep Research mode to auto-pull 40+ cited sources on any topic
→ Transform everything into multiple learning formats

The 10 outputs it generates:

1. Chat Q&A → Plain-English answers with citations
2. Audio Overviews → Podcast-style explainers for commutes
3. Video Explainers → AI-narrated with custom visuals
4. Mind Maps → Explore concepts from first principles
5. Reports → Study guides, briefing docs, blog posts
6. Flashcards → Spaced repetition for terminology
7. Quizzes → Test what you actually retained
8. Infographics → Visual summaries in one click
9. Slide Decks → Presentation-ready in minutes
10. Data Tables → Structured comparisons automatically

Real-world business applications:

• Sales teams: Turn product docs into client-ready slide decks
• Onboarding: Create video overviews new hires can watch on day one
• Documentation: Generate infographics that replace 10-page guides nobody reads
• Training: Build quizzes that test whether your team actually retained the material
• Executive briefings: Summarise 50-page reports into 2-minute briefing docs

The people who win in 2026 are those who can learn anything quickly and apply it immediately.

NotebookLM is how I do that.

I wrote a full breakdown with video walkthroughs in my newsletter this week.

Read it here: https://lnkd.in/exymi6vU

Google just dropped AI into Gmail.

3 billion inboxes are about to change forever.

Gmail is entering the "Gemini era" with features powered by Gemini 3.

Here's what's new:

1. AI Overviews

→ Summarises entire email threads into key points
→ Ask your inbox questions in natural language
→ "Who gave me a plumber quote last year?" to instant answer

2. Help Me Write

→ Polish emails or draft from scratch
→ Rolling out to everyone for free
→ Next month: pulls context from your other Google apps

3. Suggested Replies

→ One-click responses that match YOUR writing style
→ Uses conversation context for relevant suggestions
→ Free for all users

4. Proofread

→ Advanced grammar, tone, and style checks
→ Available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers

5. AI Inbox (coming soon)

→ Filters out clutter automatically
→ Identifies your VIPs based on email patterns
→ Surfaces high-stakes items like bills and reminders

Availability:

• Rolling out today in the U.S.
• English first, more languages coming soon
• Some features require Google AI Pro/Ultra subscription

My takeaway:

Email was revolutionised by Google once in 2004.

They’re now doing it again 22 years later.

Only this time they’re embedding AI where 3 billion people already live.

I hope Google prioritises better phishing detection as part of their AI strategy in Gmail.

I think this could be a really wonderful feature to help educate users on dangerous activity.

AI is no longer a separate tool but is now invisible infrastructure.

Follow me Alex Banks for daily AI highlights and insights.

I’ll be doing a full breakdown in my newsletter this week.

I cover the most important AI developments to keep you ahead.

Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ePSZP6KF

I built an AI version of myself.

It's trained on 100+ editions of my newsletter.

ElevenLabs just made this possible with their Agents platform.

Here's how I built "The Signal Brain" in 5 minutes:

1. Create a blank agent
↳ Head to ElevenLabs
↳ Select “Agents Platform” 
↳ Create a new agent from scratch

2. Upload your knowledge base
↳ I compiled all my newsletter editions into one document
↳ The platform uses RAG to vectorise and store your content
↳ Supports files up to 21MB each

3. Configure the system prompt
↳ Define the agent's role and personality
↳ Set the first message and system prompt
↳ Choose your LLM (I used Gemini 2.5 Flash)

4. Clone your voice
↳ I've already created my voice in ElevenLabs Studio
↳ Now my agent literally speaks like me

5. Publish and share
↳ Get a shareable link instantly
↳ Embed it on your website
↳ Let anyone interact with your knowledge

My takeaway:

What once required a team of engineers can now be done in minutes.
Whether you're a creator, educator, or business owner, you can now build an AI trained on YOUR knowledge that speaks in YOUR voice.

The best part is it’s available 24/7 for anyone to ask questions through text or voice.

This is the democratisation of AI agents in action.

Create your agent here:
https://lnkd.in/ebUgMThi

P.S. I'll be sharing the link to try The Signal Brain in the comments below.

Founder @ Growth Marketing Agency - Single Grain, Podcaster @ Marketing School + Leveling Up

Single Grain is a digital marketing agency focused on driving scalable and predictable revenue growth using Facebook advertising, Google Ads, YouTube advertising, SEO, video production and content marketing. 

We've worked with companies such as Amazon, Uber, Nordstrom and venture-backed startups to create and execute on custom-tailored growth strategies.






-> For those of you that are interesting in marketing and personal growth tips from top entrepreneurs, please visit http://www.levelingup.com for our free podcast. You'll hear from billionaires, authors, and other high performers.

-> For my daily marketing podcast, go listen to Marketing School at https://www.singlegrain.com/marketing-school-podcast



Skills:
SEO
Paid Search (Pay per click advertising)
Affiliate Marketing
Display Advertising
Mobile Advertising
Remarketing/Retargeting
Facebook Marketing
Video Advertising
Twitter Marketing
Google Analytics
Conversion Rate Optimization
Sales
Strategic Partnerships
Content Strategy/Development
Business Development
Social Media
Community Development
Operations
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate program management
Retargeting
Growth Hacking

Eric Siu ✓

$50K of copywriting. 15 minutes. One prompt.

That's what we did with Claude.

Rewrote my agency's homepage from scratch.

Friends rated the old copy 6/10.
New version? 9/10.

The prompt is stupidly simple: "Pull from the top 10 advertising practitioners in history. Score each rewrite 0-100. Don't stop until you hit 90%."

First attempt: 74%.
Final version: 94%.

The copy went from generic agency speak to lines like "The last agency you'll ever fire" and "The cost of mediocre marketing has doubled."

Same week, SEO team said 150 programmatic pages would take a week.

We did it in 20 minutes. $45,000 worth of work at an 8-9/10 level.

Then did 600 pages because why not.

Here's what I'm realizing: the work isn't disappearing. It's compressing.

Tasks that took a week now take an afternoon. Tasks that took a day now take 15 minutes.

We can no longer think about work as doing tasks.

If AI can do it at 90%, your job is to find the 10% that actually matters.

What's the 10% for you?

If “I’m good at ChatGPT” is your company’s AI strategy, you’re already falling behind.

AI proficiency alone at work isn't enough.  It's not just about tools or prompts.

It's about working up the stack - from tasks to strategy, judgment, and client relationships.

We've been driving Claude Code proficiency at Single Grain because we believe it's the future of work. 

Work is going to be more and more focused on strategic thinking and client relationships, not tasks. 

What we've been doing:

- 2-day full-day hackathons where people get into pods and build solutions that actually affect their day-to-day work
- Show and tell demos so ideas don't stay theoretical
- Weekly office hours to unblock people fast
- An internal Slack 'Claude Code help' channel where people can get help
- An 'AI working group channel' where people are sharing the latest news

Most importantly, we've made these mandatory. These take priority over all 'normal' work. That includes client work, sales work, etc.

Initially, I could tell there was resistance to this. Inertia is a very real thing in companies. As a leader, you must do everything to break this inertia. 

My wonderful team handled the logistics, and I just showed up to the show-and-tell section. Because of the initial inertia, I wasn't sure how the demos would turn out.

They turned out amazing. People were sharing real solutions that would save them hours of time each. People also started to connect the dots with their projects being able to combine with other teams' projects. I could see the wheels turning and, more importantly, I could see the excitement.

When demo day came, the results were undeniable:

- 3 hours per task saved on client reporting
- 12 hours per month saved per client on client strategy 
- An ROI calculator that quickly calculates how much revenue we'd drive per client based on the work that we'd do for them. This saved 5 hours per proposal.

But the bigger shift wasn’t the time savings.

People stopped seeing themselves as task executors.
They started seeing themselves as product builders, creating compounding leverage in service of our purpose: helping customers generate more customers.

This is where work is going.

Less execution.
More high-leverage thinking.
More exponential outcomes.

AI skill gaps are now knowledge debt.
The longer you wait to pay it down, the more interest you’ll owe.

I shared a short show-and-tell recap below so you can see how we approached it. This is just a starting point.

What’s one concrete way you’re making AI adoption real, not optional, inside your company?

AI transformation at Single Grain

Ranking in the Age of AI: The Playbook for 2026 and Beyond

The SEO content game is DEAD.
Or is it?

Most SEO teams are still optimizing for a world that doesn't exist anymore.

AI Overviews, Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other answer engines are completely rewriting the rules of search. The marketers who aren't optimizing for these platforms are getting left behind.

The winners? They're building AI-first content systems, scaling without sacrificing quality, and driving real revenue in 2026 and beyond.

In this live session, I'm breaking down:
• If the SEO content game is dead
• Where to allocate your SEO budget today
• The new levers that actually move traffic and conversions in an AI-first world
• The exact playbook to show up in Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and more
• How to future-proof your SEO strategy with scalable systems + AI workflows
• Real examples of what's working (and what's dead)

If you're still relying on 2022 tactics, you'll be invisible in 2026.

Ranking in the Age of AI: The Playbook for 2026 and Beyond

Most teams are "good at ChatGPT."

Very few are actually using AI to change how the business runs.

I'm doing a livestream tomorrow (Weds at 9am PT 1/29/26) to break down exactly how operators are using Claude Code, Remotion, Manus, Moltbot (formerly Clawdbot) and agents to move faster than teams 10× their size.

Not theory. Not prompting tutorials. Here's what we're covering:

- Claude Code for internal tools and agents
- Building workflows that generate real revenue without engineers. We've cut 90+ hours monthly using these systems.
- Remotion for scaled content
- How teams are doubling output without doubling headcount.
- Manus-style agents replacing manual work
- Entire categories of tasks that used to require full-time hires.
- Where AI creates real leverage vs. where it's overhyped
- Most "AI implementations" are just expensive toys. I'll show you the difference.
- What roles break, what roles evolve

This is for founders, CEOs, marketing leaders, and anyone responsible for output or P&L.

If you're still asking "how do we use AI?" you're already behind. Let's fix that.

📅 Live + interactive with Q&A throughout

Link to register in comments.

What's the biggest workflow you've automated with AI so far?

Before the industrial age, 80-90% of people were farmers.

Now it's 2%.

There were 30 years of job displacement in between.

We're entering that transition period again.

But this time it's not about manual labor. It's about tasks vs purpose.

Think about it:

The job of an agency was never "run campaigns." It was driving revenue.

The job of a data analyst was never "make reports." It was surface insights.

The tasks were just the way we delivered the purpose.

Now the tasks are collapsing.

Last week, one person did:

$45K of programmatic SEO in 20 minutes
$50K of expert copywriting in 10 minutes (simulating Ogilvy, Cialdini, April Dunford)
156 unique pSEO pages generated in parallel

No handwritten coding was involved.

The strategic thinkers will thrive. The task-executors will struggle.

I broke down the key workflows in the slides below from the livestream I did earlier this week.

Everything you need is widely available. The true constraint is taste and agency.

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