Four AI Conversation Starters (To Avoid Holiday Small Talk)

If you're reading this, you've likely just emerged from Thanksgiving. The carbs have settled, the awkward conversations are fading, and you're mentally preparing for the next round of holiday obligations.

Work holiday parties. Gift exchanges you didn't agree to. Christmas at your in-laws. The whole thing. And if the thought of Cousin Susie showing you 47 new photos of her toddler in the same sweater makes you want to sprint into traffic… we get it.

So instead of small talk, here are four conversation starters you can use—one for every type of person at the holiday table.

Whether you're stuck next to a lawyer, an engineer, the guy who hates technology, or the cousin who only wants celebrity-level drama, you'll have something smart (or at least entertaining) to say.

You can thank us later.

1. For the Legal Crowd

If you get cornered by someone who still brags about making Law Review, here's what you need to know.

Federal vs. State AI Regulation Is Turning Into a Turf War

Key Facts:

• States have passed 100+ AI laws this year because Congress still hasn't created a federal standard.
• Tech companies are pushing hard for federal preemption, arguing that 50 different sets of rules will slow innovation and make compliance expensive.
• Lawmakers explored adding preemption language into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and a leaked White House executive order proposed an AI Litigation Task Force that could challenge state-level rules.
• More than 200 members of Congress and nearly 40 state attorneys general strongly oppose sweeping preemption unless there are real consumer protections.
• Rep. Ted Lieu's upcoming AI megabill aims to set a federal baseline, but it focuses on narrower consumer protections to keep it bipartisan—and it will take time.

The quick takeaway:

The real battle in AI policy right now isn't what the rules are, it's who gets to write them.

Read the full article here.

2. For the Technical / Product Crowd

If you find yourself next to someone who casually brings up vector databases, this will get you through the conversation.

Opus 4.5 Is a Real Step Toward Dependable AI Autonomy

Key Facts:

• Opus 4.5 is the first model to score above 80% on SWE-Bench verified, meaning it can reliably read real codebases and fix real bugs.
• Anthropic rolled out Claude for Chrome and Claude for Excel, making the model more useful inside everyday workflows instead of only in chat.
• The model got a working memory overhaul, so it stays grounded and consistent over long interactions.
• A new "endless chat" mode automatically compresses older messages so conversations keep flowing without hitting context limits or losing track.
• The system is built for multi-agent work, with Opus acting as the "lead engineer" and Haiku as fast sub-agents that can explore codebases, fetch context, and handle lower-level tasks.

The quick takeaway:

Opus 4.5 isn't trying to be flashy, it's built to be the model you can actually rely on to get real work done, end-to-end.

Read the full article here.

3. For the People Who Want Real-World Topics

If you end up talking to someone who proudly says they're "offline," here's your conversation starter.

AI Is Leaving the Cloud and Showing Up on Construction Sites

Key Facts:

• The construction industry is adopting what experts call "physical AI" — sensors, computer vision, and systems that make real-time decisions on job sites.
• The market is projected to grow from $4.86B in 2025 to $22.68B by 2032, signaling a shift from dashboards to embedded, on-site intelligence.
• These systems can identify materials faster than humans, forecast supply needs, reduce over-ordering, and automatically reroute trucks or trigger pickups.
• Construction and demolition contribute nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, and AI helps companies cut waste and emissions without slowing projects.
• The biggest barrier isn't the technology, it's getting crews to trust the tools and adjusting workflows to make AI part of the daily operating rhythm.

The quick takeaway:

AI isn't just living in spreadsheets anymore—it's optimizing real-world work where time, carbon, and cost actually matter.

Read the full article here.

4. For the Group that Just Wants the Tea

If you need something to instantly derail small talk about someone's kids, use this.

Michael Burry vs. Nvidia Is the Unexpected Holiday Drama

Key Facts:

• Famed "Big Short" investor Michael Burry has taken out over $1B in put options against Nvidia and Palantir, betting the AI boom is overstretched.
• His filings sparked a public feud with Palantir CEO Alex Karp, ending with both men taking shots at each other on TV and X.
• Nvidia issued a seven-page memo pushing back on Burry's claims about its compensation and accounting — an unusually defensive move for a company printing record earnings.
• Burry launched a new Substack, hit 90,000 subscribers in days, and is using it to argue that AI demand is inflated and resembles Cisco's late-'90s bubble.
• His core argument: the AI market is built on optimistic assumptions, and if investor confidence cracks, Nvidia's $4.5T valuation leaves it very exposed.

The quick takeaway:

This is shaping up to be a showdown between "AI is transformative" and "AI is a bubble," and Burry's making sure the drama is public.

Read the full article here.

Survive the holidays, impress a few people, avoid unnecessary conversations. That's the goal. We believe in you.