Hey there!
Duru here from Novus, and I’m excited to bring you the highlights from our April AI newsletters. As Dot officially goes live and AI headlines continue to surprise, this month has been packed with launches, lessons, and a few quirky turns in the world of artificial intelligence.
From our own product launch and new videocast series to a full AI-edited newspaper, I’ve rounded up the most noteworthy moments and insights to keep you in the loop.
If you’d like to stay even more up to date, don’t forget to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter for the latest stories and behind-the-scenes updates from Novus.
Now, let’s dive in!
April 2025 AI News Highlights
Our Beloved All-in-One AI Platform Dot Is Live!
Dot is finally here, and it’s everything we hoped for. Whether you want to let Dot pick the best model for your task or choose from GPT-4, Claude, Mistral, and DeepSeek yourself, it’s all just a click away.
Even better? You can build your own AI agents without writing a single line of code. Connect them into workflows, integrate with tools like HubSpot and Notion, and let them handle the heavy lifting in the background.
Key Point: Dot brings models, agents, and integrations together in one place to make enterprise AI more usable, flexible, and powerful.
Being Polite to ChatGPT Is Costing Millions
Sam Altman recently shared that those extra “please” and “thank you” messages we send to ChatGPT add up, costing OpenAI tens of millions in compute power.
It’s funny, but also a reminder: even small inputs consume real resources. And as AI scales, the environmental impact grows too.
Key Point: OpenAI reports that polite language is driving millions in extra compute costs, prompting questions about AI’s hidden energy footprint.
Novus Launches Açık Kaynak: A New AI Videocast Series
This month, we launched our new videocast, Açık Kaynak. Hosted by our co-founders Egehan and Vorga, it’s all about honest conversations in AI, covering global trends, startup life, and the stories that don’t usually make it to stage.
If you enjoy our newsletter, you’ll probably enjoy Açık Kaynak too.
Key Point: Açık Kaynak is Novus’ new AI-focused videocast series, bringing open, personal, and global conversations to the forefront.
Italian Newspaper Hands Over the Pen to AI
In a bold experiment, Il Foglio handed its entire Friday edition over to GPT-4, complete with witty headlines, fake interviews, and unexpected irony. Readers loved it, and the issue sold 20 percent more than usual.
It’s a glimpse into what editorial workflows might look like in an AI-powered media world.
Key Point: Italy’s Il Foglio let GPT-4 write an entire issue, boosting sales and offering a provocative glimpse at AI in journalism.
Novus Updates
It’s been another busy and inspiring couple of weeks for the Novus team.
INNOMAX '25 Young Entrepreneurs Talent Workshop
We spent a day with the brilliant students of Darüşşafaka Eğitim Kurumları, where our co-founder Vorga gave a keynote on entrepreneurship. Afterwards, we mentored student groups as they developed startup ideas at the intersection of AI and sustainability.
Watching these young minds in action was truly energizing, and Vorga also had the honor of serving on the jury to select the top idea. The future is in good hands.
BAU Future AI Summit
We had an amazing two days at the Future AI Summit, hosted by BAU Hub and BAU Future Campus. From students to investors to leaders from top companies, it was an incredible opportunity to introduce Dot to such a wide audience.
On the second day, we also shared the Novus story during AI Startup Demo Day, thanks to a kind invitation from Lima Ventures.
Events like these remind us why we’re here: not just to build technology, but to shape a future grounded in knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and curiosity.
Educational Insights from Duru’s AI Learning Journey
Why Smarter AI Isn’t Just About the Tech
When people talk about improving AI results, the conversation usually jumps to the model.
Which one are you using? Is it faster? Cheaper? Did you try the new release yet?
But the more time I spend with AI tools, the clearer it becomes:
Better results don’t just come from better technology. They come from better communication.
Enter prompt engineering.
It’s not about coding, it’s about crafting the right instruction to get the AI to respond more accurately, creatively, or reliably. You’re steering the model with your words, not changing its architecture.
This became especially clear when OpenAI’s GPT-3 paper Language Models are Few-Shot Learners showed how small tweaks to input transformed model behavior. Then came Chain of Thought prompting from Google, proving that simply asking a model to “think step-by-step” could significantly improve reasoning.
Today, prompt engineering is a real skill set.
A few things I’ve learned that really help:
- Be specific. Tone, format, goal—spell it out.
- Give examples. Show what you want. It helps guide the model.
- Break it down. Use steps or structure to guide longer tasks.
- Experiment. Rewording a prompt can change everything.
Bottom line:
In a world where everyone has access to the same models, your advantage comes from how you use them.
And that begins with the questions you ask.
Looking Ahead
As AI evolves, so should the way we work with it. Whether it’s building smarter workflows or asking better questions, there’s always something new to learn.
If you’d like to keep following along—and maybe get a few ideas for your own AI journey—make sure to subscribe to our newsletter. You’ll get updates, insights, and behind-the-scenes stories from our team, straight to your inbox.
