Today’s Highlights

• AI: AI Summit or AI Standoff? Global Tensions Escalate in Paris

• Design: Brands Reach for Skeuomorphism’s Familiar Touch

• Science & Tech: Neuralink’s Year of Telepathy

• Founding: Cold Email is Diminishing: A More Profitable Alternative To Opt For

• Product: 5 AI Skills Every Product Builder Should Possess

• Today’s AI image: Neuralink’s Telepathy: Stranger Things Happen

• Quote for the day: From Gandhi

AI

AI Summit or AI Standoff? Global Tensions Escalate in Paris

The AI Action Summit in Paris wrapped up with more friction than unity, as the U.S. and UK refused to back a global pledge for open, ethical AI.

Meanwhile, European leaders pushed forward with major funding plans, setting the stage for an AI power struggle.

All You Need To Know

• VP J.D. Vance rejected AI overregulation, saying the U.S. will lead by controlling chips, software, and policies.

• The U.S. and UK refused to sign a global AI pledge, citing security and governance concerns.

• Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI’s rapid growth could outpace safety efforts.

• EC President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €200B AI investment, positioning Europe as an open-source counterweight to the U.S.

• While the U.S. and UK held back, China backed the agreement, reshaping the global AI landscape.

Why is this a big deal?

The summit exposed growing fractures in AI governance.

The U.S. and UK, previously strong advocates for AI safety, are now prioritising control over collaboration. Meanwhile, Europe is doubling down on investment, and China’s unexpected participation raises new geopolitical questions.

With AI shaping the future of global power, these divisions could have far-reaching consequences.

Read More

Also in AI

• Perplexity’s Sonar: Fast, Sharp, and Easy on the Wallet

• YouTube Goes All-In on AI: Dubs, Detection & More

• Altman on Musk: Calls him "insecure" and claims he's trying to slow OpenAI down

• Apple x Alibaba: Teaming up to bring Apple Intelligence to China

• AI Ethics Issue: LLMs develop values, sometimes ranking human lives differently

• Big Tech’s AI Safety Push: $27M for open-source tools to fight child exploitation

• Chatbots Botch News: BBC finds major AI models get over half of summaries wrong

Design

Brands Reach for Skeuomorphism’s Familiar Touch

Design trends move in cycles—what was once outdated often finds its way back into the spotlight.

We’ve seen the Y2K aesthetic resurface, from clunky cameras to clicky iPods, and now digital interfaces are following suit.

After a decade of flat, minimalist UI, brands are reviving rich, textured, and more touchable designs.

The Signs Are Everywhere

• Once the champion of flat design, Apple is slowly reintroducing shadows, depth, and dimension to macOS icons and UI elements.

• AirBnB’s recent icon update saw shockingly detailed, tactile visuals. Heartwarmingly lifelike.

• From MySpace-inspired platforms to the Frutiger Aero aesthetic, Gen Z is embracing a more chaotic, personality-driven internet.

• Just as logos have moved away from sterile minimalism, UI designers are rejecting the uniformity of flat design.

• As screen time soars, digital experiences are feeling too sterile—users are craving designs that mimic the warmth of real-world textures.

Why This Matters

For years, digital interfaces have prioritised efficiency over emotion. But as AI and automation strip away human quirks, brands are realising that personality matters.

The return of skeuomorphism isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s a response to the overwhelming sameness of modern digital design. Expect richer interfaces, warmer visuals, and maybe even a return to a leather-clad Notes app.

The polished, minimalist era had its run. Now, bring on the texture.

Read More

Also in Design

• Apple’s Robot Channels Pixar’s Playful Touch

• Snap’s AI: Lightning-Fast, High-Res, No Cloud Needed

• Design Careers: Stacking Skills Beats Specialisation

• AI is Making Us Lazy: Here’s How to Keep Thinking

• The UX Generalist Comeback: Why Versatility Wins

• The Mascot Effect: Why Cute Characters Boost UX

Science & Tech

Neuralink’s Year of Telepathy

Neuralink’s Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), the Link, is giving people with paralysis the ability to control digital devices using only their thoughts.

After a year of testing, three participants—Noland, Alex, and Brad—have logged over 4,900 hours with the implant, proving its real-world potential.

All You Need To Know

• Restoring Independence – Participants with spinal cord injuries or ALS now use the Link daily, averaging 6.5 hours of independent control.

• Noland’s Academic Comeback – Once reliant on a mouth stick, he now studies, browses, and live-streams freely.

• Alex’s Return to Design – Uses the Link for 3D modeling, graphic design, and even coding projects.

• Brad’s Freedom to Communicate – No longer confined indoors, he now types and interacts outdoors, attending family events.

• Beyond Screens – Neuralink is testing robotic arm control and AI-driven communication to expand the Link’s capabilities.

• Growing Trials – Active studies in the U.S. and Canada, with future expansion planned in the U.K.

Why is this a big deal?

Neuralink is proving that BCIs can restore autonomy for those with severe disabilities.

This is just the beginning. Future developments could enable physical movement, faster communication, and more seamless integration with the world.

Read More

Also in Science & Tech

• Pixel 9A Slims Down, Drops the Camera Bump: Launches March 26

• Argentina’s Superhorses Are Engineered for Speed, But Racing Rules Say No

• AI Chatbots Struggle with the News, Getting It Wrong Nearly Half the Time

• BYD’s $10K Electric Hatchback is Joining the Self-Driving Game

• A Man with a High-Risk Alzheimer’s Gene Shows No Symptoms—Scientists Are Stumped

Founding

Cold Email is Diminishing: A More Profitable Alternative To Opt For

Even the best outbound agencies struggle. A top-tier firm sent nearly 40,000 emails and booked just 36 meetings—a 0.09% conversion rate.

Factor in no-shows and unqualified leads, and the numbers look even worse. If your market isn’t huge, cold outbound is a money pit.

Think Buyer Journeys, Not Channels

The real mistake? Focusing on channels instead of how buyers actually make decisions.

Customers don’t move in neat, linear funnels.

They research, hesitate, and revisit. Instead of forcing outreach, build an ecosystem that supports them at every stage.

What a High-Impact Buyer Journey Looks Like

• Problem awareness – Educate potential buyers early.

• Engagement – Entertain and inform while they research.

• Top-of-mind positioning – Be the first option they recall when ready to buy.

• Seamless purchasing – Make the buying process effortless.

• Delightful experience – Ensure customers love their decision.

Your job? Stay visible throughout, track engagement signals, and act when they reach decision points.

Fixing the Pipeline: What Actually Works

• Focus on one high-impact motion instead of scattering efforts.

• Build a reliable engagement tracking system.

• Warm up leads before outreach to increase receptivity.

• Leverage AI for content creation and research.

• Capture all meaningful engagement signals from first-party and third-party data.

• Implement automated account scoring to prioritise the right prospects.

Get this right, and you’ll see:

• 3–5x higher response rates

• Faster sales cycles

• A predictable, scalable pipeline

Cold outreach alone isn’t the answer.

It’s about meeting buyers where they are, not where you want them to be.

Build a system that nurtures, educates, and converts, and you’ll never have to rely on a 0.09% shot in the dark again.

Read more

Also in Founding

• Google Ads 2025: Less Keyword Chaos, More Audience Focus

• From Founder to CEO: Strategy, Leadership & Letting Go

• Duolingo’s $16B Playbook: Iterate Fast, Experiment Boldly, Think Long-Term

• Real Product-Market Fit: When Customers Sell Your Product for You

Product

5 AI Skills Every Product Builder Should Possess

AI evaluations are quickly becoming an essential skill for product managers.

Unlike traditional software, AI products don’t always behave predictably—evals provide a structured way to measure their performance and reliability.

Five Key Skills YOU Should Learn

1. AI fundamentals – Understand core AI/ML concepts and how they apply to product development.

2. Customer focus – Solve real user problems using AI’s capabilities.

3. Curiosity and experimentation – Test AI tools hands-on to grasp their potential.

4. Learning from great AI products – Study what works in AI-driven experiences.

5. Mastering evals and observability – Measure how well AI is performing in real-world use cases.

What Are AI Evals?

Evals are like a new kind of A/B test—except instead of waiting for user feedback after launch, they let you assess AI quality earlier in development. They measure:

• Accuracy (Does the AI respond correctly?)

• Hallucination detection (Is it making things up?)

• Tone and sentiment (Does it sound natural and appropriate?)

How to Get Better at Writing Evals

• Define clear test cases using real data.

• Use AI-generated test scenarios to expand coverage.

• Include humans in the loop to assess subjective aspects like tone.

• Break complex AI systems into smaller, testable components.

• Iterate quickly—small prompt tweaks can lead to big improvements.

AI is rewriting the rules of product management.

The best way to prepare?

Get hands-on, test ideas, and stay ahead of the curve.

Read more

Today’s AI Image

Neuralink’s Telepathy: Stranger Things Happen

Quote of the Day

From Gandhi

"The enemy is fear. We think it is hate, but it is fear."

Mahatma Gandhi

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