April 2026

In this edition of Inflexion Point, we look at why birds are the only surviving dinosaurs, how generative AI impacts creativity, Chinese experiments with pushing IP commercialization, why high-school GPA is a better predictor of college performanc

e than entrance exams, ten things that matter in the AI-era, the secret of superteams and a day in the life of a Sukhoi pilot.

How Birds Survived the Asteroid that Killed All Other Dinosaurs

There's a dinosaur at your window. Yes, birds are the last dinosaur species and surprisingly outlived their fiercer cousins after the Chicxulub asteroid hit Earth 66 million years ago. The likes of T. rex, Brontosaurus and Triceratops and the long-necked dinosaurs, had been around for over 150 million years, atop the food chain. Some of the dinosaurs evolved to develop wings, lightweight, hyper-efficient bodies and these were the ones that survived the impact. With the sun blocked for several years, ensuing long winters, and plants unable to produce food, the ecosystem collapsed, resulting in 75% of all species perishing, especially the larger ones. The nimble birds survived. (Source: Scientific American)

Generative AI Enhances Individual Creativity but Reduces the Collective Diversity of Novel Content

How's AI impacting creativity? The good news is that the less creative people get a boost, but the overall range of creativity suffers, as most creations converge towards predictable themes. In a study, subjects were asked to write short stories by borrowing from LLMs. The stories written using generative AI were evaluated as more creative, better written, and more enjoyable, especially among less creative writers. However, generative AI–enabled stories were more similar to each other than stories by humans alone. These results point to an increase in individual creativity at the risk of losing collective novelty. (Source: Science).

China's Push for Patent Commercialization by Matchmaking

China has adopted an unprecedented approach to patent commercialization: matching university and research driven patents to commercial organizations, breaking away from market dynamics. Since 2023, China has identified around 680,000 patents held by universities and research institutes that could be commercialized, and has connected the innovators with 460,000 companies that could bring the ideas to life. Between 2023 and 2025, 80,000 such patents have already found takers. This top-down approach may work in China, where government mandates are often effective, and if it does, it unlocks huge intellectual property for profiteering. (Source: Nature)

High School GPA Predicts College Success Better Than Test Scores

A large sample survey reveals that high school grade point average (HSGPA) is a superior predictor of college student success compared to standardized test scores, such as the SAT or ACT. The researchers argue that HSGPA captures a set of skills arguably more relevant for college graduation than the academic skills standardized tests measure. School scores indicate students’ ability to resist distractions, regulate their emotions, and sustain their motivation and work habits over long periods while striving for important goals. This might just alter our entrance systems for higher education. (Source: NBER/Forbes)

10 Things that Matter in AI, Right Now 

AI has delivered on its promises in many cases. From homework to operation theatres, AI has become inescapable. Some of the critical issues are: humanoid data (large volume human interactions training AI), LLMs+ (making large language models sweat further), supercharged scams (infiltrating targets faster and cheaper), worldmodels (AI entering our physical environment), the new war room (military decisions shaped by AI capabilities), weaponized deepfakes (from fake images to propaganda), agent orchestration (agents cooperating to achieve more complex tasks), China's open-source bet (giving away frontier models for free), artificial scientists (AI co-scientists busy with Nobel worthy feats), and resistance (backlash around AI intensifying). (Source: MIT Technology Review).

The Secret of Superteams 

The superteams, from sports to corporate, excel on predictable pathways, and even their performance can be reverse-engineered. Based on a study of 6000 knowledge workers, researchers identified the following practices that keep such teams ahead: 1) running more experiments per unit time and dollar, 2) making curiosity contagious because leaders don't pretend to know everything, 3) high commitment to learning, 4) leaders roll-up sleeves even when it's not necessary, 5) making feedback feel like support,  6) supporting employees' moonlighting projects to encourage meaningful growth, and 7) leading with meaning, not just metrics. (Source: HBR)

The Day in The Life of a Sukhoi Pilot

If you think you are too busy to read a book or take care of your health, switch places with one of India's elite fighter pilots and then you will realise how much more there is to life than what meets the eye. Having three meals across three different cities, carving out time to play a guitar, be with family, and study for higher-education, and yet being barely 30-- that's the profile of our Sukhoi Su-30 pilot. No complacency, pure professionalism. In this piece, we look into the life of a professional and see how often we amplify our constraints while diminishing our abilities. (Source: BW Businessweek).