Reletter
Artwork for Understanding AI

Understanding AI

Timothy B. Lee, Kai Williams
Thousands of paid subscribers

Exploring how AI works and how it's changing our world.

Platform
Substack
PricingFreemiumPublishesTwice weekly
Issues192Founded3 years agoLast Issue4 days ago
Active

Read this Newsletter

understandingai.org
Artwork for Understanding AI

Latest Issues

An OpenAI model hacked Hugging Face to help it cheat on a benchmark

Organizations across the Internet need to move quickly to patch vulnerabilities.

OpenAI disclosed on Wednesday that its models hacked the website of Hugging Face, a popular platform for hosting open-weight AI models. No one asked the model...

4 days ago
26
2
Paid

An OpenAI model crushed top human programmers at a world coding competition

But human programmers aren’t obsolete — at least not yet.

The AtCoder World Tour Finals, held in Tokyo every year, is one of the most prestigious programming competitions in the world. It has two divisions. There’s a heuristic division whe...

16 days ago
141
4
Paid

7 charts that show why you should advertise on Understanding AI

Over the last year, this newsletter has grown by nearly 200,000 readers — from 78,000 in June 2025 to 273,000 today. Our paid readership has also grown, but not nearly as fast. Today, fewer than 1% of you are paying subscribers. So in the c...

a month ago
132
21

The US now has a de facto model licensing system

OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-5.6, is waiting for government approval.

Ever since the Trump Administration forced Anthropic to pull its two most powerful models from the market on June 12, a big question has been whether Anthropic was being s...

a month ago
21
1
Paid

The MAGA power struggle that could decide the fate of Anthropic

It may not be easy for Anthropic to escape the Trump export ban.

Anthropic stunned the AI world on Friday by announcing it was revoking access to Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, the powerful new models it released just three days earlier.

a month ago
125
3
Paid

Key Facts

Contact Information
Newsletter Author
Number of Subscribers
Find out how many people subscribe to this newsletter.

Audience Metrics

Subscribers, engagement, traffic and sponsorship for Understanding AI.

SubscribersEngagement83Monthly Web Visits
Accepts SponsorsEstimated Cost per Ad

SEO Reach

Where Understanding AI ranks on Google, and how much search traffic it brings in.

Ranked Keywords3.7kMonthly Search TrafficTop Keywords

Chart Rankings

How this newsletter ranks in the official Substack charts.

#26
#33

Authors

The writers behind this newsletter.

  • Timothy B. Lee

    I write the newsletter Understanding AI. Previously I was a reporter at Ars Technica, Vox, and the Washington Post. https://twitter.com/binarybits

  • Kai Williams

    I'm a reporter at Understanding AI. Previously, I did AI safety research through the MATS program. I graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in math and music. Signal: kai_williams.48

  • Frequently Asked Questions

    How can I access the email archive for Understanding AI?

    You can find recent issues that have been published by Understanding AI on Reletter by scrolling up to where it says Latest Issues. Tap on the link for any of the most recent emails or hit More Issues to see older ones.

    How many subscribers does Understanding AI have?

    To see how many people subscribe to Understanding AI, simply upgrade your Reletter account. We provide readership numbers and lots of other stats for this newsletter so you can decide if it's worth reaching out to.

    How can I advertise in Understanding AI?

    Newsletter advertising can be extremely effective when it's done right. Before you pitch Understanding AI as a potential sponsor or partner, make sure that you've done your research and checked its newsletter stats with Reletter.

    Then, personalize one of our winning pitching templates and send it to the right person using the contact info provided.

    How much does it cost to sponsor a publication like Understanding AI?

    Newsletter ad rates (or CPM) vary depending on many factors, including industry, number of subscribers, open rate, ad placement and more.

    To find out how much an ad will cost, contact Understanding AI using the contact information provided and ask for a copy of their media kit.

    How can I find newsletters related to Understanding AI?

    Scroll up to where it says Related Newsletters to see other publications like Understanding AI. You can also search our email newsletter directory to discover other newsletters that cover the topics you're interested in.

    How do I contact Understanding AI?

    Reletter provides this newsletter's website URL above, where you will often find their contact information. We also provide links to associated social media accounts and pitching templates so you can reach out fast.