The Rundown AI

What is The Rundown AI?

The Rundown AI is a daily AI newsletter and education platform designed to help professionals stay current with AI developments and apply them in their work. It delivers curated AI news, tool recommendations, and practical guides in a format built around a 5-minute daily read. The platform has grown to over 2 million subscribers, with readers from companies including Google, Meta, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, and HubSpot. Beyond the newsletter, it extends into structured learning through The Rundown AI University, which offers certificate courses, workflow guides, and live workshops for anyone from beginners to experienced practitioners.

Key Features

• Daily Newsletter: Curates the most relevant AI news, tools, and practical insights each day, written to be read in about 5 minutes with a focus on real-world application over theory.
• AI University: A paid learning platform offering industry-specific certificate courses, role-specific certifications, and over 158 step-by-step workflow guides updated regularly.
• AI Tool Discovery: Organizes and categorizes AI tools across categories, with vetted recommendations matched to specific professional needs.
• Daily Video Guides: Short 10-minute video walkthroughs covering new AI tools and how to use them, released daily as part of the University plan.
• Live Workshops: Weekly sessions with Q&A, available to both free subscribers and University members.
• Autonomous AI Agent Guides: Content covering how to build agents for repetitive tasks across apps, including workflows for video production, candidate screening, lead qualification, and data synchronization.
• Podcast (Rowan's Notes): Interviews with AI industry leaders examining what is real versus overhyped in AI.

Use Cases

• Enterprise teams at large organizations: Subscribe to the free daily newsletter to monitor AI developments and identify tools or workflows relevant to their industry, without needing to track dozens of individual sources.
• Tech professionals and entrepreneurs: Use the workflow guides and tool recommendations to implement AI into business processes, with over 300 practical use cases documented across productivity, marketing, and project management.
• Students and career-changers seeking AI skills: Enroll in The Rundown University to work through structured courses and earn role-specific certifications, with no technical background required to start.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

• The core newsletter is free with no paywall and is accessible to a wide audience.
• Reported open rate of 51.2%, which is especially high for a newsletter at this scale.
• Covers a broad range of AI developments across tools, research, and business applications in a single daily digest.
• University content is designed to be actionable, with step-by-step guides rather than purely conceptual material.

Weaknesses:

• The daily newsletter format limits how deeply any single topic can be covered, with some stories receiving only a short summary.
• Sponsored content appears within the newsletter and can be difficult to distinguish from editorial coverage.
• The subscriber base and content focus skew heavily toward US audiences, with less attention to international AI developments.
• The platform provides information and education but does not automate tasks on your behalf. Applying what you learn still requires time and effort from the user.

Pricing

The Rundown AI offers a free tier and one paid plan. Paid plans include a 14-day free trial and can be cancelled at any time.

• Free: $0 forever, includes the daily AI newsletter and weekly live workshops with Q&A.
• The Rundown University: $84/month billed annually ($999 total per year), includes AI certificate courses, 158+ workflow guides, daily 10-minute video guides on new AI tools, weekly live workshops, a private community, and exclusive perks and discounts on third-party tools.

FAQ

What is The Rundown AI?

The Rundown AI is a daily AI newsletter and education platform with over 2 million subscribers. It covers AI news, tool recommendations, and practical guides, and also offers a paid learning platform called The Rundown University.

Who is behind The Rundown AI?

The Rundown AI was founded by Rowan Cheung, who also hosts the platform's podcast, Rowan's Notes, which features interviews with AI industry figures.

Is The Rundown AI free?

The core daily newsletter and access to weekly live workshops are free with no paywall. The Rundown University, which includes certificate courses, workflow guides, and daily video content, costs $999 per year (billed as approximately $84/month).

How much does The Rundown AI cost?

The free tier costs nothing. The paid University plan is $84/month billed annually, totaling $999 per year. A 14-day free trial is available before the plan auto-bills.

Is The Rundown AI any good?

The newsletter maintains a 51.2% open rate across a 2 million+ subscriber base, which suggests strong reader engagement. Users report the format is practical and accessible, though the daily pace means individual topics are not covered in depth.

Who reads The Rundown AI?

Readers come from a wide range of organizations including Google, Meta, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, HubSpot, Apple, OpenAI, and NASA, among others. The audience spans enterprise employees, entrepreneurs, and individuals learning about AI.

What is included in The Rundown University?

The University plan includes AI certificate courses, over 158 workflow guides, daily 10-minute video guides on new tools, weekly live workshops, a private member community, and exclusive discounts on partner tools.

How does The Rundown AI newsletter work?

Each edition is written to be read in about 5 minutes. It covers the day's top AI news, relevant tools, and practical implementation tips, with a focus on helping readers apply AI in their work rather than just summarizing research.

What are the main complaints about The Rundown AI?

The most commonly noted issues are limited depth on individual topics due to the newsletter format, difficulty distinguishing sponsored content from editorial coverage, and a content focus that skews toward US-based readers and companies.

How much revenue does The Rundown AI generate?

The platform reported $3 million in revenue in 2024, with projections of $7 million in 2025. Revenue comes from subscriptions, workshops, and advertising partners including Google, Salesforce, and Amazon.

Does The Rundown AI have a podcast?

Yes. The podcast is called Rowan's Notes and is hosted by founder Rowan Cheung. It features interviews with AI leaders and focuses on separating genuine developments from hype.

What are some alternatives to The Rundown AI newsletter?

Alternatives mentioned in comparisons include AI Weekly, The AI Report, and AI Hub. Reviewers note that The Rundown AI differentiates itself by reducing filler content and avoiding overly technical language compared to some of those options.

Does The Rundown AI require a technical background?

No. The Rundown AI University is explicitly designed for users without a technical background, with beginner-to-advanced course paths and practical guides focused on applying tools rather than building them.