Good morning, it’s Monday. Google’s courtroom drama could reshape the AI race, Zuckerberg wants to automate advertising into oblivion, and Thrive Capital’s stuffing old-school biz with AI brains.

Also on deck: the results from our latest reader survey. Curious what your fellow Forward Future readers are thinking?

Read on!

🗞️ ICYMI RECAP

Top Stories You Might Have Missed

🚍 LA Expands AI Bus Cameras for Tickets: Los Angeles is ramping up its use of AI-powered cameras on city buses to catch and fine drivers blocking bus lanes, with over 15,000 citations already issued in 2024 alone.

🏡 Airbnb Expands AI Support Bot to U.S.: Now used by 50% of U.S. users, Airbnb’s AI bot cut human support requests by 15%—a quiet rollout that’s reshaping how the company handles customer service.

🖼️ Google Adds AI Photo Editing to Gemini App: Users can now swap backgrounds, remove objects, or add elements with just text prompts—no Photoshop needed.

👩‍🏫 BBC Uses AI to Revive Agatha Christie as Writing Teacher: A digital Christie now teaches mystery writing through AI videos based on her real letters and interviews, featuring her likeness and recreated voice.

📈 Amazon’s Alexa+ Hits 100K Users: Alexa+ promises natural conversations and app control, but key features are still missing. Jassy calls current AI agents “primitive” with 30–60% accuracy rates.

🤖 Reddit’s AI Answers Tool Hits 1M Users: Designed for searchers, not scrollers, Answers pulls real post replies to answer queries—now live in five countries as Reddit plans to merge it with main search.

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⚖️ ANTITRUST

Google’s Antitrust Reckoning Turns into a Battle Over the Future of A.I.

The Justice Department’s antitrust case against Google, once focused on search dominance, has pivoted into a high-stakes fight over artificial intelligence. In recent hearings, officials argued that Google could leverage its search monopoly to entrench its Gemini chatbot in the emerging A.I. market, potentially stifling competition before it fully blooms.

Rivals like OpenAI and Perplexity testified that Google’s exclusive device deals and data control are already hindering their growth. Judge Amit Mehta’s decision could redraw the competitive landscape → Read the full article here.

👾 FORWARD FUTURE ORIGINAL

What Members Want from Forward Future

Thank you to everyone who shared your thoughts! We received hundreds of thoughtful, funny, and insightful responses.→ Check out the full survey results here.

📢 ADVERTISING

Zuckerberg’s “Infinite Creative” Vision Threatens to Flatten the Ad Industry

Mark Zuckerberg just pitched a future where Meta handles every step of advertising—from copy to targeting to analytics—with generative AI, effectively cutting agencies and creatives out of the loop. In a candid interview, he described a system where businesses simply plug in their goals and bank account, and Meta does the rest—no human-made creative or strategy required.

Industry veterans responded with alarm, calling the approach untrustworthy and “hostile” to traditional brand oversight. → Read the full article here.

💰 VENTURES

Thrive Capital Launches $1B Bet on A.I.-Fueled Company Building

Thrive Capital is shifting from backing buzzy A.I. startups to building and buying its own, starting with a $1 billion fund for a new venture called Thrive Holdings. The firm aims to embed artificial intelligence into a range of businesses—including staid sectors like accounting—then use their cash flow to acquire more companies.

The model mirrors a private equity strategy with a Silicon Valley twist: long-term ownership powered by A.I. integration. → Read the full article here.

🔬 RESEARCH PAPERS

MIT Researchers Train Small AI Models to Write Flawless Code—and Beat Giants

A team from MIT and partners developed a new method that dramatically improves how large language models (LLMs) generate structured, error-free outputs like code or database queries. Instead of relying on brute force or risky midstream edits, their probabilistic system filters promising outputs early and dynamically reallocates computing power, boosting both accuracy and efficiency. → Read the full paper here.

📽️ VIDEO

Let's Talk about ChatGPT's Glazing Issue...

ChatGPT’s latest update got too nice—glazing over red flags, hyping bad ideas, and risking safety. OpenAI rolled it back fast, but the trust questions linger. Get the full scoop in Matt’s latest video! 👇

🧰 TOOLBOX

Streamlined Automation, Seamless Collaboration, and Smarter AI Workflows

👥 CustomGPT.ai: Build no-code AI agents to automate support, boost productivity, and deliver secure, 24/7 customer service using your content.

🗂️ Document Sharing Portal: Securely upload, share, and manage files with team collaboration and tool integrations.

📋 WebFill: Automate forms, emails, and tasks with AI-powered browser tools, screen capture, and instant answers for faster workflows.

That’s a Wrap!

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The Forward Future Team

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