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Afternoon Update · Oct. 20

A text from Dad: what’s happening in ai rn? The reply: DeepMind's Gemini Puts a Periodic Table to Song

The boy says: IT MADE THE PERIODIC TABLE SING

The boy from AI Lately's Sunday Funnies, in glasses, a white T-shirt and black shorts: one palm out, brows lifted in curiosity.

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 · Afternoon Update

DeepMind's Gemini Puts a Periodic Table to Song

Google's newest AI model set a 3D periodic table to a 1959 song, while Nvidia teased its next European keynote.

Number 1, Lab post · Google DeepMind

Google DeepMind @GoogleDeepMind

Oct. 20 · 10:53 a.m. ET

DeepMind's Gemini Builds a Singing Periodic Table

@GoogleDeepMind wroteGemini 4 Argon built a 3D periodic table synced to Tom Lehrer's "The Elements."
766
Likes
On X
114
Replies
On X
509
Tom Lehrer Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 19
Beyond X

The takeaway

DeepMind is pitching Gemini as a teaching tool, on top of an answer machine.

Number 2, Lab post · NVIDIA

NVIDIA @nvidia

Oct. 20 · 11:45 a.m. ET

Nvidia Previews Jensen Huang's Berlin AI Keynote

@nvidia wroteFour cities. One clear message: Europe is building what's next in AI.
132
Likes
On X
34
Replies
On X
7.7K
Jensen Huang Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 18
Beyond X

The takeaway

Nvidia is courting Europe with a month of stops before one Berlin keynote.

You're caught up

That's AI right now.

The posts that drew the most attention in the 4 hours before 12:07 p.m. ET.

A text from Dad: what’s happening in ai rn? The reply: DeepMind's Gemini Puts a Periodic Table to Song

Six times a day: what blew up in AI on X and Reddit, why it caught fire, and what it says about the people building AI.

The boy says: IT MADE THE PERIODIC TABLE SING

The boy from AI Lately's Sunday Funnies, in glasses, a white T-shirt and black shorts: one palm out, brows lifted in curiosity.

Afternoon Update, 12:07 p.m. ETCovers 8:07 a.m. to 12:07 p.m. ET

An earlier update. Read the latest

DeepMind's Gemini Puts a Periodic Table to Song

Google's newest AI model set a 3D periodic table to a 1959 song, while Nvidia teased its next European keynote.

Published 12:07 p.m. ET by AI Lately

Next update in--:--:--Four updates a day, six hours apart

AI RN shows each X post as plain text. X's script loads only when you ask.

Number 1

Lab postGoogle DeepMind

DeepMind's Gemini Builds a Singing Periodic Table

Google DeepMind @GoogleDeepMind on XPosted

Google DeepMind@GoogleDeepMind

Gemini 4 Argon built a 3D periodic table synced to Tom Lehrer’s song, “The Elements.”

Created in @Antigravity, it animates orbiting electrons, atomic data, and light spectra. pic.twitter.com/7fsvsIk6Sv

Open on X (opens a new tab)

By the numbers

Likes
766
On X
As of
Likes: Source: X public data
Replies
114
On X
As of
Replies: Source: X public data
Tom Lehrer Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 19
509
Beyond X
As of
Tom Lehrer Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 19: Source: Wikipedia pageviews
Gemini (chatbot) Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 19
149
Beyond X
As of
Gemini (chatbot) Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 19: Source: Wikipedia pageviews

The take

Google DeepMind posted a new video today. It shows Gemini 4 Argon, the company's newest AI model, building a 3D periodic table. The table syncs to a mid-century Tom Lehrer song called The Elements. That song names every known chemical element in a fast patter. Gemini built the whole scene inside Antigravity. Antigravity is Google's tool for building apps with AI help. The table shows electrons orbiting each atom. It shows atomic data next to each element. It shows the light each element gives off. All of it moves in time with the song.

The post earned 766 likes in about ninety minutes. It drew 114 replies in that same stretch. Those numbers trail Google's biggest launches. They still show a quick, early crowd. The crowd gathered around something playful.

Chemistry teachers have used Tom Lehrer's song for decades. It turns a dry list into something people remember. Pairing it with Gemini marks a shift. Google wants people to see its AI model as a teaching tool. A model that can answer questions is one thing. A model that can build a class demo is another.

The choice says something about how labs show off new models now. A raw benchmark score rarely spreads far on its own. A finished, playful demo spreads faster. DeepMind built something a teacher could show a class tomorrow. That differs from a leaderboard win.

Wikipedia traffic for Tom Lehrer sat at 509 views the day before the post. Traffic for the Gemini chatbot page sat at 149 views that same day. Both pages held steady. The post is still fresh. A mid-century song and a model built this year now share one screen. That pairing carries the whole idea behind the demo.

What it says about the people in AI

DeepMind is pitching Gemini as a teaching tool, on top of an answer machine.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia Tom Lehrer
  2. Wikipedia Gemini (chatbot)

Number 2

Lab postNVIDIA

Nvidia Previews Jensen Huang's Berlin AI Keynote

NVIDIA @nvidia on XPosted

NVIDIA@nvidia

Four cities. One clear message: Europe is building what’s next in AI.

Tomorrow, Jensen takes the stage at #NVIDIAGTC Berlin to continue the conversation.

See you there. pic.twitter.com/tiXhBhnYXs

Open on X (opens a new tab)

By the numbers

Likes
132
On X
As of
Likes: Source: X public data
Replies
34
On X
As of
Replies: Source: X public data
Jensen Huang Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 18
7.7K
Beyond X
As of
Jensen Huang Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 18: Source: Wikipedia pageviews
Jensen Huang Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 19
7.3K
Beyond X
As of
Jensen Huang Wikipedia pageviews, Oct. 19: Source: Wikipedia pageviews

The take

Nvidia posted a short teaser today. It points to a keynote tomorrow from CEO Jensen Huang. Huang speaks at NVIDIA's own conference, called GTC, in Berlin. GTC stands for GPU Technology Conference. Nvidia has run GTC stops in four European cities this month. Each stop built toward the same message. Europe wants to build its own AI infrastructure. Nvidia wants to supply the chips for that build.

The post earned 132 likes in under half an hour. It drew 34 replies in that same stretch. Those numbers are small next to Nvidia's biggest posts. A single teaser rarely draws a crowd on its own. The bigger story sits in the pattern behind it.

Nvidia posted about a partnership with Mercedes-Benz last week. It posted about grid-aware AI factories the same week. It posted about industrial AI work in Germany days later. Each post built toward this week's keynote in Berlin. Together, the posts add up to one message aimed at one audience.

Jensen Huang draws real public interest on his own. His Wikipedia page drew 7,696 views on one October day. It drew 7,313 views the next day. Those numbers hold steady day to day. People already watch Huang closely before he speaks. A CEO with that kind of pull needs fewer ads to fill a room.

The steady run of posts shows a company working one region hard. Nvidia wants Europe to see it as a partner first. It wants Europe to see it as a chip seller second. Chips sell faster when buyers trust the seller. That kind of trust takes more than one post to build.

A four-city tour builds that trust in public. Each stop adds proof before the next one starts. Berlin closes out this month's run. Huang carries four weeks of goodwill onto one stage tomorrow. Europe's AI buyers are watching the whole run. The keynote is just one stop in it.

What it says about the people in AI

Nvidia is courting Europe with a month of stops before one Berlin keynote.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia Jensen Huang

That is AI right now.

The AI posts and threads that drew the most attention in the 4 hours before 12:07 p.m. ET. Newer updates wait in the archive.

Next update in--:--:--Four updates a day, six hours apart

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  1. Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026

  2. Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

  3. Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

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