Grok 3 won the leaderboard. Your AI strategy is next.

Hi Futurist,

OpenAI has been dethroned. Grok 3 now leads the pack. Once again, there’s a shift at the top of the Best AI Model rankings. Grok 3 isn’t just smart—it looks good too. In the previous Dip, we said Europe had good intentions with their ‘Apply AI’ initiative, but now they’re putting their money where their mouth is. And Microsoft just made a massive leap in quantum computing. Therefore, I am sending you insights, inspiration, and innovation straight to your inbox. Let’s dive into the depths of the digital future together and discover the waves of change shaping our industry.

📌 Bonus: At the bottom of this Dip, I’ve included a special gift—a complete list of 150+ AI tools to take your daily output to the next level. I’ll keep updating and improving this list, so be sure to check back regularly

💡 In this post, we're dipping in:

• 📣 Byte-Sized Breakthroughs: Grok 3 dominates the leaderboard, but not for long. Anthropic, OpenAI, and Meta are gearing up for the next wave of AI supremacy. Meanwhile, the EU is betting €200 billion on AI, hoping to stay in the game. Over in quantum computing, Microsoft’s Majorana 1 chip could fast-track a million-qubit future. The takeaway? AI is moving fast—stay informed or get left behind.

• 🤖 Digital Toolbox: Build mobile apps in minutes with a0.dev, turning ideas into prototypes instantly. Boost your SEO game with AirOps, blending AI, brand knowledge, and live data for maximum content impact. CopilotKit makes integration effortless with real-time context awareness.

• 🧐 In Case You Missed It: Instagram now pays creators for comment testimonials, while Bolt lets you build App Store-ready apps with a simple prompt. Adobe Firefly Video debuts AI-powered video creation, and LumaAI’s Ray2 turns images into videos. Meanwhile, OpenAI skips o3, rolling it into GPT-5, and Humane’s AI Pin is officially dead—HP just bought its assets.

Do you have tips, feedback or ideas? Or just want to give your opinion? Feel free to share it at the bottom of this dip. That's what I'm looking for.

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Quick highlights of the latest technological developments.

Headstory: Grok 3 won the leaderboard. Your AI strategy is next.

Grok 3 has arrived. It is the most advanced AI model publicly released today. Both in non-reasoning and reasoning modes, it outperforms everything before it. It leads in reasoning, mathematics, coding, world knowledge. It leads every category in the LLMArena—a feat no model has achieved before. And it doesn’t stop there. Grok 3 comes with voice mode, deep research capabilities, and a staggering one-million-token context window. It doesn’t just generate text. It thinks. It analyzes. It reasons. And here’s the real shock: xAI, the company behind it, is just two years old. It delivered a model that outperforms everything before it. But it won’t last. Not for long.

Why? Because Anthropic is days away from launching its own reasoning model. OpenAI is weeks away from GPT-4.5 and GPT-5, built on their powerful omni-model foundation. Meta’s LLaMA 4 is just months out. The leaderboard is a battlefield. AI models rise and fall like waves, crashing into each other, each iteration smarter, each version more powerful. Yesterday’s best is today’s baseline.

The most important takeaway is this: AI is becoming more accessible and more affordable, while its intelligence keeps increasing. Intelligence is democratizing. The gap between AI haves and have-nots is shrinking. This isn’t about technique anymore. This is about strategy. About understanding AI. And that means one thing: this takeaway should be on the agenda at every strategic table.

You should talk about what happens when the costs of using AI are near zero, while it’s intelligence is above the smartest guy in the room. Then what? It reshapes everything—decision-making, automation, competitive advantage. Organizations that fail to integrate AI into their long-term strategy won’t just struggle. They’ll be outpaced, outperformed, and irrelevant. They need an AI strategy that is flexible, scalable, and constantly evolving. An AI strategy is not one that merely reacts, but one that anticipates what is to come.

Where to start? Track the shifts. Know the players—Grok 3 today, something else tomorrow. Next, integrate. Don’t just dabble in AI. Weave it into your DNA. Train your teams to wield it. Not fear it. Let it amplify your strengths—strategy, creativity, vision—while it handles the grind.

Do you need to switch models constantly? No. Relax. Chasing every release is a fool’s game. But ignorance isn’t an option either. Evaluate new models against your needs. Does Grok 3’s reasoning unlock something critical for you? Adopt it. Does the next big thing solve a pain point better? Pivot.

And when the dust settles, build resilience. Foster a culture that thrives on change. Encourage experimentation. Reward learning. Because here’s the truth: AI’s intelligence will keep rising, its price will keep falling, and its reach will keep expanding. So, what’s your plan when the next model reshuffles the deck? How will you stay competitive as intelligence gets cheaper and more widespread? Are you equipped to harness AI’s potential today?

The professionals or organizations that thrive will answer them with action—bold, decisive, forward-thinking action. Do you know what the first move is? Stay informed.

EU launches initiative to mobilize €200 billion of investment in AI

TL;DR

The EU is launching InvestAI, a €200 billion initiative to boost AI development, including €20 billion for AI data centres. The goal? To make Europe a serious player in building advanced AI models. France is adding another €109 billion, focusing on AI infrastructure and data centres, leveraging its nuclear energy advantage.

Read it yourself?

Sentiment

Online, people are still joking about the EU’s innovation efforts, half-expecting the announcement to be about new bottle cap designs rather than groundbreaking AI. More seriously, some applaud the initiative but question whether Europe's strict privacy and governance regulations will allow it to compete with the US and China, where AI development faces fewer legal hurdles.

My thoughts

In a previous Dip, we discussed how the EU was shifting gears on AI investment, and now we see the scale: €200 billion, with an extra €20 billion just for data centers. France alone is adding another €109 billion. And let’s not forget—France is packed with nuclear power plants. No wonder Sam Altman met with Macron: OpenAI needs energy to keep GPUs running for the next big model. On top of that, the EU is loosening liability regulations, signaling that it understands innovation needs breathing room. It’s true, people keep saying Europe is falling behind in AI. I’ve said it too. But what if? What if Europe is playing the long game? Look at China. Limited access to the best chips. Restricted from key AI technologies. Yet, they built DeepSeek. Sometimes, the best strategy is letting others move fast—then building something better. Something the rest of the world will follow. European AI companies are already catching up in quality. Seeds are being planted—let’s see what the harvest brings.

Microsoft’s Majorana 1 chip carves new path for quantum computing

TL;DR

Microsoft has introduced Majorana 1, a quantum chip based on a novel Topological Core architecture. This innovation leverages a new material, the topoconductor, to create more stable and scalable qubits, paving the way for a million-qubit quantum computer. This breakthrough could bring real-world quantum computing applications years sooner than expected, potentially revolutionizing industries like materials science, healthcare, and environmental sustainability.

Read it yourself?

Sentiment

People online are shocked by the magnitude of this breakthrough in quantum computing. Some feel that Microsoft is downplaying it, despite this being a game-changing shift. Microsoft has been working on this technology behind the scenes for 17 years, and now they’re ‘quietly’ unveiling something that could accelerate the entire field. While for some, quantum computing still feels abstract and distant, many reactions suggest that we could see a fully operational quantum computer before 2030.

My thoughts

I get why people are reacting this way. What does this really mean? The key here is that Microsoft has taken a completely different approach from other tech giants, one that reduces errors and sensitivities in quantum computations. This makes the path to a scalable quantum computer significantly shorter. That’s the real breakthrough. In my opinion. Recently, Google demonstrated a quantum computer solving a problem in five minutes that would take traditional computers millions of years. Now, imagine combining this level of computing power with PhD-level AI. The impact on fields like science, physics, and healthcare could be beyond anything we’ve seen before. There is only one thing you should avoid doing in the coming years. Just don't die.

More byte-sized breakthroughs:

• Microsoft turns any LLM into a computer agent
  Microsoft has launched OmniParser V2, a tool that transforms any large language model into a computer agent. Available for download via Github, it enables developers to build products that interact with user interfaces by converting screenshots into structured data. With improved accuracy and reduced latency, OmniParser V2 makes it easier than ever to create AI-powered automation solutions.

• Perplexity introduces its own Deep Research
  Perplexity has launched Deep Research, a tool that automates in-depth research and analysis. It performs dozens of searches, reads hundreds of sources, and delivers expert-level reports in minutes. Covering finance, marketing, tech, and more, it acts as a personal research assistant. The tool is free for all users, with unlimited access for Pro subscribers. Reports can be exported, shared, or turned into Perplexity Pages.

• Gemini Advanced now remembers past chats
  Google’s Gemini Advanced can now recall previous conversations to provide more relevant answers. Whether summarizing a past chat or continuing a project, Gemini builds on your history for a smoother experience. Users stay in control, with options to review, delete, or manage stored chats. The feature is rolling out to English-speaking Gemini Advanced subscribers first.

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A roundup of updates that are too cheesy to ignore.

• Instagram's new ad format lets creators get paid for testimonials in comments.

• Bolt's native mobile app support lets you transform ideas into App Store-ready apps with just a prompt, no coding needed.

• Bolt brings vision to your app, emulating user views for faster, pixel-perfect edits with fewer tokens.

• Adobe Firefly Video model introduces IP-friendly generative AI video creation with advanced controls for seamless creative workflows.

• Krea now supports over 20 different camera control presets, introducing unparalleled Camera Controls for creators by Hailuo AI's video model.

• LumaAI’s Image to Video with Ray2 transforms any image into a video using Dream Machine, from artifacts to custom art, now available.

• Lovable introduces Visual Edits, allowing you to visually modify styles for quicker and more precise adjustments.

• Lovable's new feature enables network log reading, greatly enhancing API integration reliability and debugging accuracy.

• Replit introduces Native Mobile App support, enabling you to build iOS and Android apps with zero code.

• Pikamemes turns your selfies into memes that capture every mood, now available on the iOS app.

• Pikaswaps launches today, letting you replace anything in your videos with photos or scene descriptions—results are stunningly realistic.

• Pika is now on iOS with their own app, bringing reality-bending features right to your favorite social platforms.

• ChatLLM launches intelligent task automations, leveraging tools like web search and email for mini-agent scheduling.

• Hailuo introduces Creative Effects, letting you craft comedic skits and action-packed scenes with just one click.

• Hailuo Director Model is now available to everyone, bringing cinematic storytelling to life with precise camera control.

• Apple Vision Pro refreshes with Apple Intelligence and a new Spatial content app in the upcoming visionOS 2.4 update.

• Apple's awaited AI upgrades for Siri encounter engineering and software bugs, risking release delays.

• Apple to halt its Advanced Data Protection end-to-end encryption in the UK following government demands for data access.

• OpenAI revamps its AI training methods to ensure "intellectual freedom," allowing ChatGPT to explore diverse viewpoints on controversial topics.

• OpenAI plans to integrate o3 with GPT-5, foregoing a standalone release, following GPT-4.5 as its final non-Chain-of-Thought model.

• OpenAI refuses an Elon Musk-led consortium $97.4 billion offer for OpenAI's nonprofit.

• Langchain launching WebRover, an autonomous web agent that revolutionizes online research with LangGraph.

• Relevance AI introduces file attachment support for emails, enabling a more comprehensive professional communication experience.

• Zonos debuts as a beta with its expressive TTS model, offering high fidelity voice cloning licensed under Apache 2.0.

• Codeium launches Windsurf Wave 3, with a series of innovative upgrades for the Windsurf Editor like MCP Integration for example.

• Fiverr empowers freelancers by allowing them to train AI on their work, paving the way for automated job opportunities.

• Microsoft unveils Data Formulator, an open-source, LLM-powered no-code tool for instant data transformation and dazzling visualizations.

• Xbox introduces Muse, a generative AI model that can generate gameplay, they believe it can boost creativity of creators.

• Humane’s AI Pin is dead. HP acquires Humane's assets for $116 million, halting all AI Pin sales and operations immediately.

• Perplexity is now open-sourcing R1 1776, a post-trained model for unbiased, accurate information retrieval via HuggingFace and Sonar API.

• Windsurf offers unlimited access to DeepSeek-V3, offering boundless access without prompt or flow action credits.

• Spotify now accepts audiobooks narrated by ElevenLabs Voices. A huge step forward for many independent authors.

• Gumloop introduces AI Web Research, a groundbreaking feature that transforms the way you interact with the internet for data retrieval.

• Freepik integrates Google’s AI video model Veo 2 for stunning realism and fluid animations.

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This was it. Our thirtieth digital dip together. It might seem like a lot, but remember; this wasn't even everything that happened in the past few weeks. This was just a fraction.

Understanding AI’s rapid shifts isn’t easy. Knowing how to use it is even harder. That’s where I come in. I help business leaders navigate this shift. Cut through the hype. Find the real opportunities. Make AI work for you—before it works against you. Need help? Let’s talk. Just send me a message.

Looking forward to what tomorrow brings! ▽

-Wesley