Illustration generated via ImageFX (Some rights reserved)
Since our first online steps in 1994, Planeta.com has used the digital tools of the day, including BBedit, Flickr, Gopher, WordPress, YouTube, and starting in 2020s some of the AI-generative adjacent tools in the Googleverse – Google Docs ‘Help me write,’ and more recently in 2026 Gemini, ImageFX (RX), and NotebookLM. And now in 2026 learning how use Gems.
Technically, we are not early adopters, rarely early-ish, and often laggards. But 30 years into this website, it’s given me a digital spine and footprint. We are at the cusp of co-creating whatever comes next, and to show some case examples, here are this year’s attempts of presentations and summaries using these large language models, and in particular, Gemini.
We are keeping track of our experiences and thoughts regarding the pros and cons of AI, language models, and new forms of digital collaboration. It’s important to identify what’s human-generated and what is digitally-generated on a human-curated website. Lessons learned are incorporated in our Digital Literacy Quiz.
Our Re-Solutions
Transparency: What are the proper citations for creations or revisions made by prompt? For texts generated primarily through AI composition, Planeta.com will indicate the source. For images generated through AI, we indicate the source of the illustration.
2026 Reflections
Two videos. This dog looks exactly like you and Dogs explain they are not afraid of death. Interesante. Here’s my serious question for YouTube – why are these not labeled as AI-generated? I certainly enjoy some, particularly Goldie and Frenchie, aka Dog Pack, but I think there needs to be clarification. YouTube creators are asked whether or not the video is AI-generated, but this info is not passed along to the viewer.
YouTube policy as of 2024/2025 requires creators to label “realistic” synthetic content. However, they explicitly exempt content that is “clearly unrealistic,” such as animation or fantasy concepts. Because dogs cannot actually speak English, YouTube likely categorizes these “Dog Pack” videos as fantasy/animation, even if the visuals look photorealistic. This exempts the creator from the mandatory “Altered or Synthetic” label.
Google Gems
Reading: State of AI in Gaming 2026
Google NotebookLM (2025)
Another video generated with Google NotebookLM and then uploaded to YouTube – youtu.be/_AepNR-Ynmw. I was prepared to completely dislike the explainer video of my 20+year old feature on Oaxaca’s splendid radish festival. Instead, I was impressed. Pronunciations were better than expected and as explainer material goes – it’s really good based again on my original feature. One of the advantages of NotebookLM is being able to identify the sources from which it will base its infographics, podcast, or explainer videos.
Infographics can be generated in multiple languages based on a single web page. Take for example my feature about responsible travel in Transitions Abroad. English, French, Spanish, German. I’m not saying that there are no errors. Materials need to be double checked, but I’m not seeing many critical mistakes.
Stray Notes
- We would like to see how others acknowledge what materials are AI-generated or AI-assisted
- Thursday, January 8, 2026 – Learning about analysis prepared for the 2026 Utah State Assembly regarding the Great Salt Lake – gardner.utah.edu/great-salt-lake-strike-team/ This is a report I would like to have read, so we continue our adventures with AI.
Headlines
Taxonomist – Matt Mullenweg
D0g Pack App
dogpackapp.com
Youtube – Death
Facebook – Death
Instagram
Why dogs love the park
DogPack App’s Dov Punski – thesuburban.com
AI Dog Podcasters Are Making a Splash in Hollywood – Business Insider
Education
Columbia Business School professor Dan Wang addressed student AI usage by creating CAiSEY (Classroom Artificial Intelligence Studio for Engaging You), a voice-powered, custom chatbot designed for educational interaction rather than just answering questions. Wang, the Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise, encourages students to use this tool to refine arguments and improve coursework.
kudos cbc and recommended listening: As it happens – CBC – Professor Dan Wang explains that he noticed his students were already heavily using tools like ChatGPT. Rather than fighting it, he developed a specialized tool designed to act more like a tutor than a ghostwriter. The goal of his bot is to guide students through the learning process by asking them questions and helping them refine their ideas, rather than simply providing the final answers for their assignments.
washingtonpost.com
business.columbia.edu – Facebook
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Artificial intelligence
Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing
2026 Spotlight
Features