📰 AI Blog Daily Digest — 2026-02-04

AI-curated Top 9 from 92 leading tech blogs

Today’s Highlights

Today’s tech highlights spotlight the growing influence of AI-driven development tools, with advancements like Xcode’s agentic coding and OpenAI’s Codex app streamlining programming workflows. Security remains a critical focus, as discussions around potential breaches and global cybercrime efforts underscore the need for vigilance. Meanwhile, reflections on industry milestones, such as the evolution of New York’s tech scene and Nvidia’s shifting dominance, reveal the dynamic nature of the tech landscape.

Editor’s Top Picks

🥇 Writing an LLM from Scratch, Part 32a: Interventions - Training a Baseline Model

Writing an LLM from scratch, part 32a — Interventions: training a baseline model — gilesthomas.com · 2026-02-04 · 🤖 AI / ML

The author concludes a series on building a large language model (LLM) from scratch, inspired by Sebastian Raschka’s book. Using an RTX 3090 GPU, they trained a baseline model in two days, which performed decently but fell short of GPT-2 small in both test dataset loss and instruction-following capabilities after fine-tuning. The post details the challenges and limitations of training competitive LLMs on personal hardware. It emphasizes the gap between DIY efforts and state-of-the-art models, highlighting the need for more resources and optimization.

💡 Why read this: This is worth reading to understand the practical challenges and limitations of training LLMs independently on consumer-grade hardware.

🏷️ LLM, training, baseline model, RTX 3090

🥈 Xcode 26.3 ‘Unlocks the Power of Agentic Coding’

Xcode 26.3 ‘Unlocks the Power of Agentic Coding’ — daringfireball.net · 2026-02-04 · ⚙️ Engineering

Xcode 26.3 introduces ‘agentic coding,’ enabling developers to use coding agents like Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s Codex directly within the IDE. These agents autonomously assist with tasks such as project architecture decisions and task breakdowns, streamlining development workflows. The update integrates these tools with Xcode’s existing features, offering a more seamless and intelligent coding experience. This marks a significant step in integrating AI-driven development into mainstream tools.

💡 Why read this: This article is essential for developers interested in leveraging AI agents to enhance productivity and streamline coding processes within Xcode.

🏷️ Xcode, agentic coding, Codex, Claude

🥉 OpenAI’s Codex

OpenAI’s Codex — daringfireball.net · 2026-02-04 · 🤖 AI / ML

OpenAI has launched a new macOS app for its Codex coding agent, providing a user-friendly interface and new features. The app introduces ‘Skills’ for modular functionality and ‘Automations’ for scheduled task execution, enhancing the Codex CLI’s capabilities. The author shares their impressions after previewing the app, highlighting its potential to simplify and expand the use of AI in coding workflows. While not groundbreaking, the app is a solid step forward in making Codex more accessible.

💡 Why read this: This is worth reading to explore how OpenAI’s Codex app simplifies AI-assisted coding with new features like Skills and Automations.

🏷️ Codex, OpenAI, macOS, Skills

Data Overview

Category Distribution

Top Keywords

⚙️ Engineering

1. Xcode 26.3 ‘Unlocks the Power of Agentic Coding’

Xcode 26.3 ‘Unlocks the Power of Agentic Coding’ — daringfireball.net · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 25/30

Xcode 26.3 introduces ‘agentic coding,’ enabling developers to use coding agents like Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s Codex directly within the IDE. These agents autonomously assist with tasks such as project architecture decisions and task breakdowns, streamlining development workflows. The update integrates these tools with Xcode’s existing features, offering a more seamless and intelligent coding experience. This marks a significant step in integrating AI-driven development into mainstream tools.

🏷️ Xcode, agentic coding, Codex, Claude

2. Logic for Programmers New Release and Next Steps

Logic for Programmers New Release and Next Steps — buttondown.com/hillelwayne · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 21/30

The latest release of ‘Logic for Programmers’ (v0.13) is now available, featuring over 50,000 words and significant updates. Every chapter has been rewritten, with 11,000 words removed and major structural improvements made. The author outlines the biggest changes, including enhanced clarity and expanded content. This release marks a milestone in the project’s development, setting the stage for future iterations.

🏷️ logic, programming, release notes

3. Date Arithmetic in Bash

Date Arithmetic in Bash — miguelgrinberg.com · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 19/30

The article addresses the challenges of performing date arithmetic in bash scripts, often overlooked in favor of more robust libraries in languages like Python or JavaScript. It provides practical examples and techniques for handling date calculations in bash, such as adding or subtracting days and formatting dates. The author shares their experience implementing these solutions in a backup rotation script. This serves as a concise guide for developers working with bash scripts.

🏷️ date arithmetic, Bash, datetime

🤖 AI / ML

4. Writing an LLM from Scratch, Part 32a: Interventions - Training a Baseline Model

Writing an LLM from scratch, part 32a — Interventions: training a baseline model — gilesthomas.com · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 26/30

The author concludes a series on building a large language model (LLM) from scratch, inspired by Sebastian Raschka’s book. Using an RTX 3090 GPU, they trained a baseline model in two days, which performed decently but fell short of GPT-2 small in both test dataset loss and instruction-following capabilities after fine-tuning. The post details the challenges and limitations of training competitive LLMs on personal hardware. It emphasizes the gap between DIY efforts and state-of-the-art models, highlighting the need for more resources and optimization.

🏷️ LLM, training, baseline model, RTX 3090

5. OpenAI’s Codex

OpenAI’s Codex — daringfireball.net · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 24/30

OpenAI has launched a new macOS app for its Codex coding agent, providing a user-friendly interface and new features. The app introduces ‘Skills’ for modular functionality and ‘Automations’ for scheduled task execution, enhancing the Codex CLI’s capabilities. The author shares their impressions after previewing the app, highlighting its potential to simplify and expand the use of AI in coding workflows. While not groundbreaking, the app is a solid step forward in making Codex more accessible.

🏷️ Codex, OpenAI, macOS, Skills

💡 Opinion

6. Sam Altman and the Day Nvidia’s Meteoric Rise Came to an End

Sam Altman and the day Nvidia’s meteoric rise came to an end — garymarcus.substack.com · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 22/30

The article reflects on the tech industry dynamics surrounding Sam Altman and Nvidia’s dominance in AI hardware. It discusses the potential turning points for Nvidia’s growth trajectory, including competition, market saturation, and shifts in AI infrastructure. The narrative intertwines with broader industry trends, suggesting that Nvidia’s leadership may face challenges as the AI landscape evolves. The author provides a critical perspective on the sustainability of Nvidia’s meteoric rise.

🏷️ Sam Altman, Nvidia, GPT-5

7. New York Tech at 30: The Crossroads

New York Tech at 30: the Crossroads — anildash.com · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 18/30

The New York tech community celebrates 30 years of ‘Silicon Alley,’ reflecting on its evolution and future. The events highlighted the diverse ecosystem of creators, investors, and innovators shaping the city’s tech landscape. Discussions ranged from past achievements to current challenges and opportunities for growth. The milestone underscores New York’s unique position as a hub for technology and culture.

🏷️ New York tech, Silicon Alley, anniversary

🔒 Security

8. Weekly Update 489

Weekly Update 489 — troyhunt.com · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 19/30

Troy Hunt shares insights from his week in Hong Kong, including his talk at INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Expert Group. He expands on key takeaways from the event, focusing on cybercrime trends and collaborative efforts to combat them. The update also includes reflections on personal experiences and professional engagements during the week. It provides a snapshot of ongoing cybersecurity discussions at a global level.

🏷️ cybercrime, INTERPOL, weekly update

9. Did Zendesk Get Popped?

Did Zendesk get popped? — xeiaso.net · 2026-02-04 · ⭐ 18/30

The author recounts receiving an unusual volume of emails from Zendesk customers, suggesting a potential security incident. While details are sparse, the situation raises questions about Zendesk’s account activation process and possible vulnerabilities. The post highlights the importance of transparency and communication during such events. It serves as a prompt for further investigation into the matter.

🏷️ Zendesk, breach, emails

Generated at 2026-02-04 12:00 | 92 sources → 9 articles → 9 articles TechBytes — The Signal in the Noise 💡