Outpaced by the Pope in AI? You Might Be

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Hey, it's Clark.

This week, AI-supported decision-making appeared in a domain few could have predicted: the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV revealed that AI-fed Church archives helped inspire his papal name choice. He explained his name deliberately references Pope Leo XIII, who led the Church at the dawn of the industrial revolution—explicitly connecting that era of profound change to the AI transformation now reshaping our world.

When one of the world's oldest institutions is leaning on AI for fresh vantage points, it's a clear indicator of the transformation unfolding before our eyes.

Let's dive in…

IN TODAY'S EDITION: 

Top Story: AI Tool Predicts Cancer Survival Rates from Facial Photos

Industry Watch: AI-powered humanoid robots help build ships

Notable Transactions: Databricks acquires Neon for $1B; Quantum Systems secures €160M for AI-powered drones

New Tools to Try: Foundor AI transforms business ideas into plans

Power Prompt: Get a top-tier strategy consultant to map your competition and reveal growth opportunities

THIS WEEK’S TOP STORY

AI Tool Predicts Cancer Survival Rates from Facial Photos

FaceAge, a deep-learning system trained on 58,851 face photographs estimates biological age from a single image and enhances prognostication in cancer care. When physicians added FaceAge risk scores to clinical data, their 6-month survival predictions significantly improved. The AI's assessments correlate with a gene associated with cellular aging, capturing biological processes not detected by chronological age alone. (The Lancet Digital Health)

INDUSTRY WATCH

Manufacturing | AI-Powered Humanoid Robots to Help Humans Build Ships

The humanoid robots are being deployed to perform tasks traditionally handled by human workers, such as welding and assembly, thereby enhancing efficiency and safety in shipyards. This technological shift aims to maintain production levels and address the pressing workforce challenges in the sector. (IoT World Today)

Real Estate | AI System Achieves 99.6% Accuracy in Real-Time Concrete Strength Prediction

The AI-driven system utilizes embedded sensors to accurately predict the early compressive strength of concrete, offering a faster, more reliable alternative to traditional lab testing and expediting construction timelines. (AZO Build)

Agriculture | AI Model Accurately Tracks Weed Growth, Boosting Crop Yields and Food Security

A pioneering AI model uses drone imagery to precisely measure weed growth in fields, enabling earlier and more targeted interventions. By distinguishing between crops and weeds with high accuracy, the technology could help farmers optimize herbicide use and bolster global food security. (The Cool Down)

Tech | Uber and Pony AI Join Forces to Launch Robotaxi Services Across Major U.S. Cities

The collaboration will enable Uber users to book Pony’s self-driving cars through the Uber app, building on over 200,000 robotaxi rides Pony has already delivered globally. The move marks a significant step toward scaling autonomous mobility and integrating it with mainstream ride-hailing platforms. (All About AI)

Healthcare | AI-Driven Voice Tech Cuts Ottawa Hospital Physician Burnout by 70%, Hits 97% Patient Satisfaction

The Ottawa Hospital has deployed ambient AI voice capture tools, allowing doctors to document patient visits in real time without manual entry. The technology integrates with existing electronic records and provides summaries in seconds, freeing up hours daily for doctors. This shift led to significant gains in both clinician well-being and patient experience. (VentureBeat)

Banking & Finance | Lloyd's of London Introduces Insurance for AI Chatbot Errors

Lloyd's of London has launched a new insurance product to cover companies against losses caused by AI chatbot malfunctions. This initiative aims to mitigate risks associated with AI inaccuracies, such as chatbots providing incorrect information, thereby encouraging broader AI adoption. (PYMNTS)

Retail | Amazon's 'Enhance My Listing' AI Tool Boosts Seller Efficiency with 90% Adoption Rate

Amazon has introduced 'Enhance My Listing,' an AI-powered tool designed to help sellers automatically generate optimized product pages. Built on Amazon Bedrock, the tool analyzes real-time shopping trends and buyer behaviors to suggest improvements in product titles, attributes, and descriptions. (All About AI)

Media | Netflix Debuts its Generative AI-powered Search Tool

Netflix has introduced a generative AI-powered search tool, enabling users to discover content through natural language queries. This feature, developed in collaboration with OpenAI's ChatGPT, allows subscribers to request recommendations using conversational phrases like "I want something funny and upbeat." (Tech Crunch)

NOTABLE TRANSACTIONS

Databricks Acquires Neon for $1B - Neon will integrate into Databricks' Lakehouse, enabling faster deployment of AI-native applications. This marks Databricks' third billion-dollar acquisition in the AI space, following MosaicML and Tabular. (PYMNTS)

Quantum Systems Secures €160M to Advance AI-Powered Drones - The funds will accelerate production of its AI-driven drones, expand global operations, and enhance edge computing capabilities. (All About AI)

Stash Secures $146M to Integrate AI into Financial Guidance Platform - The investment aims to enhance personalized financial advice and expand the platform's reach among underserved communities. (PYMNTS)

TensorWave Raises $100M to Expand AMD-Powered AI Cloud Infrastructure - AI infrastructure startup TensorWave secured $100 million in Series A funding led by Magnetar and AMD Ventures. (Reuters)

Relevance AI Raises $24M to Expand AI Agent Operating System - Australian startup Relevance AI secured $24 million in Series B funding to enhance its platform enabling non-engineers to build AI agents. (PYMNTS)

NEW TOOLS TO TRY

POWER PROMPT

This Week: Your Top-Tier Strategy Consultant

Drop your business info in the prompt, and it'll instantly map your competitors and hand you a ranked, actionable list of growth moves you’re not doing yet.

<instructions>
You are a top-tier strategy consultant with deep expertise in competitive analysis, growth loops, pricing, and unit-economics-driven product strategy. If information is unavailable, state that explicitly.
</instructions>

<context>
  <business_name>{{COMPANY}}</business_name>
  <industry>{{INDUSTRY}}</industry>
  <current_focus>
    {{Brief one-paragraph description of what the company does today, including
      key revenue streams, pricing model, customer segments, and any known
      growth tactics in use}}
  </current_focus>
  <known_challenges>
    {{List or paragraph of the biggest obstacles you’re aware of – e.g.,
      slowing user growth, rising CAC, regulatory pressure}}
  </known_challenges>
</context>

<task>
  1. Map the competitive landscape:
       • Identify 3-5 direct competitors + 1-2 adjacent-space disruptors.
       • Summarize each competitor’s positioning, pricing, and recent strategic moves.
  2. Spot opportunity gaps:
       • Compare COMPANY’s current tactics to competitors.
       • Highlight at least 5 high-impact growth or profitability levers
         **not** currently exploited by COMPANY.
  3. Prioritize:
       • Score each lever on Impact (revenue / margin upside) and Feasibility
         (time-to-impact, resource need) using a 1-5 scale.
       • Recommend the top 3 actions with the strongest Impact × Feasibility.
</task>

<approach>
  - Go VERY deep. Research far more than you normally would. Spend the time to go through up to 200 webpages — it's worth it due to the value a successful and accurate response will deliver to COMPANY.
  - Don't just look at articles, forums, etc. (though you should definitely look at these, of course) — anything is fair game... COMPANY/competitor websites, analytics platforms, etc.
</approach>

<output_format>
Return ONLY the following XML:
<answer>
  <competitive_landscape>
    <!-- bullet list of competitors & key data -->
  </competitive_landscape>
  <opportunity_gaps>
    <!-- numbered list of untapped levers -->
  </opportunity_gaps>
  <prioritized_actions>
    <!-- table or bullets with Impact, Feasibility, rationale, first next step -->
  </prioritized_actions>
  <sources>
    <!-- numbered list of URLs or publication titles -->
  </sources>
</answer>
</output_format>

Prompt credit: Matt Shumer

THAT’S A WRAP

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Remember: AI advances through iteration; human wisdom through contemplation—our future needs both.

See you next week,
Clark Valberg

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