- 🗼 Lighthouse — Newsletter by Future Works
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- Europe's AI Search Wars Against Google
Europe's AI Search Wars Against Google
Also, could Helium-powered internet redefine sustainable connectivity?
Hi there, welcome to your Lighthouse!
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." — Warren G. Bennis, American Consultant & Author
In today's lineup:
🧑🤝🧑 People
Could Helium-powered internet redefine sustainable connectivity?
Benedict Evans analyzes how tech shapes our world.
🤖 Robots
A European answer to Big Tech’s search dominance.
Latest Top Bytes compiled for you.
Signal takes on Zoom with new video features.
❤️ Love
Future-proofing: The CEO's secret weapon.
5 Tips to stay focused under stress.
Reading time: 4 min.
PEOPLE 👥
Sceye’s helium-filled high-altitude platform system (HAPS) is transforming how we think about internet access and environmental monitoring. Unlike drones or low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites like Starlink, Sceye’s HAPS floats steadily in the stratosphere, powered by helium and solar energy. This setup doesn’t require the satellite dishes of traditional systems and avoids the pollution from LEO satellite reentries, which release harmful particles like aluminum oxide into the atmosphere.
The real deal: As Starlink expands, so do the environmental impacts of satellite tech. Sceye’s HAPS offers a cleaner, stable alternative, potentially bringing internet access to underserved areas without the pollution and debris risks tied to satellite reentry.
Could helium and solar power change the landscape for green tech in internet access? |
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Innovation Champion 🏆
With over 20 years in the game, Benedict Evans has become a go-to voice for making sense of tech’s fast-evolving landscape. His insights guide major players like Amazon and Visa, pushing them to rethink digital strategy, market shifts, and consumer behavior. Evans challenges leaders to look past short-term trends and focus on the bigger picture—how emerging tech will shape society and drive sustainable growth.
In his article "Who Cares About Tech Regulation?", Evans suggests that regulatory debates might seem irrelevant to most of tech compared to the seismic shifts of AI. But could overlooking these debates mean missing early signals of industry-wide changes that impact everyone—from startups to tech giants?
ROBOTS 🤖
Germany's Ecosia and France's Qwant are teaming up to launch European Search Perspectives (EUSP), a privacy-first, sovereignty-focused search index designed to challenge the dominance of Google and Microsoft. Rising Bing API costs and Europe's push for tech independence through regulations like the EU’s Digital Markets Act make this the perfect time for an alternative.
Key insights:
Sovereignty & Security: Ecosia’s CEO highlights Europe’s risky reliance on U.S. tech, especially in uncertain political climates. EUSP aims to secure Europe’s access to essential search data.
Privacy-First Approach: Unlike Big Tech, EUSP won’t rely on user data or personalization, offering a true privacy-focused search model.
AI & Innovation: As generative AI reshapes search, EUSP aims to blend LLMs with real-time search data, prioritizing ethical data use while advancing tech.
Could Europe’s values-driven approach redefine the global search landscape?
Top Bytes ⚡
Tool Spotlight 🔧
Signal, the privacy-first messaging app, is stepping up to take on Zoom with video features that put user security and control front and center.
What makes it different?
End-to-end encryption: Unlike Zoom, Signal encrypts every video call by default, so your conversations stay private.
Enhanced privacy controls: Temporary messages, screenshot detection, and invisible mode offer privacy that goes beyond the basics.
Efficient group calls: Host secure calls with up to 50 people and flexible layouts that stand up to big-name platforms.
The fastest way to build AI apps
Writer is the full-stack generative AI platform for enterprises. Quickly and easily build and deploy AI apps with Writer AI Studio, a suite of developer tools fully integrated with our LLMs, graph-based RAG, AI guardrails, and more.
Use Writer Framework to build Python AI apps with drag-and-drop UI creation, our API and SDKs to integrate AI into your existing codebase, or intuitive no-code tools for business users.
LOVE ❤️
LEAP Forward 🐸
Future-proofing prepares organizations to thrive amid unpredictability. By embracing innovation, digital transformation, and foresight, CEOs can stay ahead of emerging trends.
Key Strategies:
Embrace digital transformation: Adopt new technologies to reshape your business.
Leverage AI: Use AI to anticipate and prepare for future scenarios.
Cultivate innovation culture: Encourage a proactive mindset that adapts to change.
Read my full article, in case you missed it ;)
Personal Growth 🌱
5 Tips to stay focused under stress
Challenge anxious thoughts: Question if your worries are entirely true and reframe them constructively.
Treat tasks as trials: See challenges as experiments, not high-stakes tests, to ease stress.
Set small goals: Focus on immediate steps to reduce anxiety about the future.
Use “If-Then” plans: Prepare responses for potential stressors: “If I feel overwhelmed, I’ll take a break.”
Reward effort, not outcomes: Focus on your effort to stay motivated, regardless of results.
Start learning AI in 2025
Everyone talks about AI, but no one has the time to learn it. So, we found the easiest way to learn AI in as little time as possible: The Rundown AI.
It's a free AI newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the latest AI news, and teaches you how to apply it in just 5 minutes a day.
Plus, complete the quiz after signing up and they’ll recommend the best AI tools, guides, and courses – tailored to your needs.
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THAT’S A WRAP!🚀
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