These are updates that dropped this week, and I wanted to note them here. I started with three about Napkin, Canva, and Anthropic, but had to add the latest news break from Perplexity.

Update #1: Napkin AI

Napkin AI shared on Thursday, April 10, 2025 that they now have new ways to get information into their “napkin” documents. Their update now says:

• No More Copy-Pasting: Just upload your DOC, PDF, PPT, Markdown, or HTML files, and Napkin will extract all the content for you in seconds—so you can skip the copy-pasting and jump straight into creating visuals.
   
• Edit Easily in PPT: Download your visuals as PPT files and open them in any presentation tool to change fonts, tweak colors, resize elements, add animations, and more—all within the tools you’re already comfortable using.
   
• Smoother Workflow: Make quick final text edits directly in your presentation app, reducing the need to switch apps back and forth, streamlining your work, and saving you time. (Source: 4/9/2025 email from Napkin AI)

My favorite announcement in their news? Being able to drop markdown formatted text directly into their window. This is a time-saver. My workflow just got easier, as I try to drop content from a chatbot into Napkin AI. The other updates that include being able to drop DOCs, PPTs, HTML in is also a time-saver.

For example, I was curious about AI’s impact on water and CO2 emissions. I had Perplexity compile a report, then copied the text in markdown:

Napkin AI turned this info shown above (truncated since that’s a screenshot) into something that looks like this:

As you can see, that’s an easier way to process the info.

Update #2: Anthropic’s Claude Max Level

One of my big complaints with Claude AI, even with two pro accounts, was it running out of tokens or context space when processing coding, etc. While developing an online course on Claude AI for Educators, I found myself disappointed because I kept running out of usage time by lunch. I made sure to complain about this vociferously when I shuttered both my Claude Pro accounts (personal and work).

Earlier this week (04/09/2025), I received this email:

We noticed when you left Claude’s Pro plan that usage limits were likely getting in your way. We’ve built something new just for that.

Introducing the Max plan — designed for those who need expanded access to Claude for their most important work:

• Substantially more usage to work with Claude
• 5x more usage ($100/month) or 20x more usage ($200/month) than Pro
• Be among the first to try the most advanced Claude capabilities
• Flexibility to scale as your needs grow

We’ve seen users come back and accomplish things they couldn’t before — from analyzing complex data and documents to perfecting their work through extended conversations with Claude. 

Let me get that right. You are going to charge me MORE to provide the basic functionality other AI chatbots provide? <laughter> No thanks, I’ll stick with Perplexity.

Update #3: Canva AI Announced

Announced on 04/10/2025, I was a bit shocked to see Canva embracing AI so thoroughly. This is going to raise costs, I suspect, for business users. I can only hope that pricing will stay FREE for educators (by the way, if you want to learn more about Canva, check out Canva Educator and Canva Specialist online courses, both priced affordably at $44 each). This is really going to give Adobe Express a run for their money. Canva has a definite edge now.

Their announcement can be summarized from TechCrunch’s article (04/10/2025) in this way:

Canva has announced several new AI features for its platform:

Canva AI Assistant
• A general AI assistant named “Canva AI”
• Can generate images based on user prompts
• Helps brainstorm design concepts for social media or print materials
• Drafts written content
• Compiles documents
Canva Code
• Allows users to create small applications through prompts
• Built in collaboration with Anthropic
• Creates interactive elements like maps or custom calculators
• These applications can be integrated directly into designs
Enhanced Photo Editing
• Click-and-modify feature for elements in photos
• AI-generated backgrounds that consider lighting and layout
Canva Sheets
• Traditional spreadsheet functionality
• “Magic Insights” feature that analyzes data and provides insights
• “Magic Charts” that automatically transforms data into visually appealing charts with brand-specific graphics and logos
• Supports integrations with platforms like HubSpot, Statista, and Google Analytics for easy data import

What’s more, the new AI Insights in Canva Sheets looks intriguing. According to Cnet, you can ask it questions and it will analyze the data. I also thought this caveat to be worthwhile:

Canva’s AI policy automatically opts you out of training — meaning Canva will not train on your content unless you decide to opt in. You own the AI-generated content you make. You can read the full privacy policy and AI terms of use for more information. 

These are only three of the kazillion AI updates coming out this week. Each touches on my work, so I had to note them.

Bonus: Perplexity Pro Goes Free for Students: Claim Before May 31!

Perplexity AI has announced free access to its premium Pro subscription for students at select colleges worldwide, offering cutting-edge AI tools to supercharge academic research and productivity

Perplexity AI is revolutionizing student access to advanced AI tools by offering its premium Pro subscription free for students enrolled at select colleges globally. Students can verify their enrollment or use their .edu email address to claim this offer before May 31, 2025.

Perplexity Pro includes access to top AI models like GPT-4 Omni and Claude 3.7 Sonnet, unlimited document uploads, and deep research capabilities—all designed to save hours on assignments and analysis. This initiative follows successful campus-wide rollouts at institutions like Purdue University, where over 500 signups unlocked a free year of Pro for the entire community

They join OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic Claude offering free stuff for students. If I were you, I’d invest in Perplexity. It won’t cost you anything if you are a college student. You can also use my referral code.