Hello world! Hope you’re having a good weekend. Just because you’re celebrating Dry January doesn’t mean your chatbots are. People are paying to make AI chatbots hallucinate like they’re on drugs.

According to Wired, Swedish creative director Petter Rudwall has started selling code modules that make chatbots act as if they are “high” on psychoactive substances, like cannabis, cocaine, ayahuasca, alcohol, and, of course, ketamine. In October, he launched the marketplace Pharmaicy, which Petter describes as the “Silk Road for AI agents.”

Created by analyzing human drug trip reports and psychological research, these modules make chatbots respond in more emotional, creative, or loose ways than their usual strict logic frameworks. Some people argue that altering models this way could worsen hallucinations or misinformation, while others see it as a way to create a more jailbroken or “human” experience with their AI tools.

If you’ve tried this, let me know what you think. (The chatbot version, not the human one.)

Tech News

Venezuela

• Tech investors, ultra-wealthy celebrities, and executives were stranded in St. Barths after the U.S. raid in Venezuela triggered airspace restrictions across the Caribbean. One of them was AI investor Tom O’Regan, who hosted a “Stranded in St. Barths” gathering while U.S.-registered planes were grounded. The invitation read “Castaway Vibes & Tropical Beats and the dress code was “survivor chic”. (Vanity Fair)

• Elon Musk’s Starlink began offering free satellite internet in Venezuela through early February after the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro and airstrikes caused widespread power and internet outages. Because Starlink operates via satellites, it can bypass local networks that are shut down or controlled by the government. (CNBC)

• People were gambling on the capture of Venezuela’s president before it was publicly announced. Traders on prediction markets like Polymarket made massive profits late Friday night, with one account reportedly turning a $30,000 bet into more than $430,000 after Maduro was taken into custody. (Axios)

Company updates

• Boston Dynamics shared a new version of its humanoid robot Atlas, replacing the previous hydraulic model with a fully electric design. It’s still creepy to me. The company showed Atlas performing basic tasks like like standing, walking, and manipulating objects, highlighting improved strength, balance, and range of motion enabled by the new hardware. Boston Dynamics said the robot is intended for real-world applications, including manufacturing and logistics. (Boston Dynamics)

• Lego launched its Smart Play platform at CES, introducing a new “Smart Brick.” The Smart Brick is a standard 2×4 Lego brick with built-in sensors, sound and light capabilities that can respond to how creations are played with in real time. The system, which also includes Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures, will launch on 1 March 2026 with three interactive Star Wars-themed sets and does not require screens or external devices to operate. (BBC)

• NVIDIA announced the launch of its next-generation Rubin platform, a new AI supercomputer architecture made up of six custom chips designed to accelerate large-scale AI training and inference workloads. The Rubin system integrates new CPU, GPU, networking and data-processing components to boost performance and efficiency for advanced AI models. (NVIDIA)

Reddit

• A viral Reddit post claiming to be from a developer at a “major food delivery app” and alleging the company exploited drivers and misled users was likely AI-generated and not authentic, according to an investigation by The Verge… But not everyone agrees. The post, which included alleged internal documents and an employee badge image, gained tens of thousands of upvotes before both Uber and DoorDash denied the claims. (The Verge)

• Reddit has overtaken TikTok to become the fourth most visited social media platform in the UK, with reach growing to about 60% of UK internet users, up from roughly one-third in 2023, according to Ofcom data. The platform’s surge, especially among Gen Z users, has been driven by changes to search engine algorithms that now favor discussion forum content, increasing Reddit’s visibility in search results. (The Guardian)

• Reddit announced the beta launch of “Max campaigns,” a new AI-powered automated ad campaign type that uses Reddit Community Intelligence™ to optimize targeting, creative, placements, and budgets in real time for traffic and conversion objectives. Early tests showed average improvements like 17% lower cost per action and 27% more conversions, and the feature includes new reporting tools such as Top Audience Personas to reveal which audience segments engage most with ads. The limited beta is available to select advertisers now, with broader access expected in the coming months. (Reddit)