Innovation

🚀 Archer Aviation raised $301 million in a funding round with BlackRock, totaling a $3.9 billion market cap. Post-funding, the company aims to enhance its defense air capabilities. Recently, Archer received FAA certification for its electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft pilot school. They need one more FAA certification, Part 142, to launch U.S. air taxi services. Archer plans to begin commercial flying taxi services in 2026, cutting Manhattan to Newark airport commutes from 52 minutes by car to 9 minutes.

📢 Qatar Airways enhanced Sama, its virtual air hostess, with emotion-reading AI to personalize travel recommendations, a year after introducing the AI assistant. Sama, accessible via Qatar Airways QVerse platform and app, now customizes suggestions by interpreting travelers' emotions, showcased at the Web Summit Qatar 2025. This feature aims to significantly improve customer experience by understanding user reactions to destinations presented.

📶 Starlink, a SpaceX service developed by Elon Musk, delivers high-speed internet globally, focusing on underserved regions. Its LEO satellites, at 550 km altitude, reduce latency, enabling better streaming, gaming, and video calls. The system comprises a low-orbit satellite constellation, a Starlink dish, and a Wi-Fi router, with an easy installation process. Users can expect download speeds of 100-250 Mbps, upload speeds of 10-40 Mbps, and latency of 20-40 ms. Costs include a one-time equipment fee of €450-700 and a monthly subscription of €50-100. Starlink is legal in France, authorized by ARCEP, and offers dedicated solutions for businesses.

📖 D&D London to become "The Evolv Collection" in April 2025, featuring a new logo and corporate identity. A revamped loyalty program, Evolv Club, will replace Club D&D, alongside a new website launch. "Bluebird in the City," inspired by Bluebird Chelsea, will take over the 3SP restaurant at South Place Hotel. The Evolv Collection consists of 20 restaurants and an award-winning hotel across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Paris, and New York, including the Michelin-starred Angler restaurant.

🚘 L'industrie automobile évolue vers des mises à jour OTA, nécessitant une connectivité WiFi fiable pour remplacer les mises à jour manuelles via USB, obsolètes face à la fréquence croissante des mises à jour dues à l'augmentation de la connectivité des véhicules. Outre les mises à jour OTA, le WiFi est stratégique pour les outils de diagnostic connectés, l'amélioration de l'expérience client et la cybersécurité. Wifirst propose une solution de WiFi managé pour les concessions, assurant couverture optimale, réseaux segmentés, qualité de service et supervision 24/7, permettant ainsi aux concessions d'optimiser leurs opérations et d'offrir une meilleure expérience client.

📈 On February 20, 2025, Christie’s held the first auction completely dedicated to AI-generated art, called Augmented Intelligence, at Rockefeller Center in New York. However, 6,397 artists signed an online petition condemning the use of copyright-protected works by AI without authorization. Story Protocol, a web3 entity, aims to introduce "programmable intellectual property" using blockchain technology, with rules and monetization codified in smart contracts. This innovation could potentially address intellectual property violations by AI and create a global and permanent "new library of Alexandria" for intellectual property.

📈 Google is integrating artificial intelligence into Google Business personalization. Announced by Google employee Victoria Kroll on the Google Business Profile Forum, the feature is in testing and accessible only in select regions. It enables automatic AI-generated backgrounds for product images in Google Posts to enhance product attractiveness. A recent IFOP study shows that 92% of consumers read reviews before purchasing a product or booking a service, highlighting the importance of a complete Google Business profile for merchants.

📈 Since February 2025, Zéphyr 2.0 aids Charentes' local authorities and Tourism Offices with enhanced data management tools (interactive dashboards, key figures, studies, mapping, economic notes, attendance barometers). Upgraded for performance, flexibility, and accessibility, the internally developed platform by Charentes Tourisme addresses the evolving economic, technological, and societal challenges in tourism. It enables precise, strategic data analysis for daily attendance trends and seasonal rental offerings, fostering information sharing for decision-making support.

🏨 A 2020 study found 61% of Germans use mobile apps while traveling. Hotel guests often find downloading service apps a hassle due to compatibility issues, storage, or clutter. Alternatives like QR codes or direct links offer easier access to services. HiJiffy's Guest Communications Hub, utilizing AI Aplysia, supports over 130 languages and streamlines hotel operations, leading to better service and increased revenue through upselling and direct bookings.

🏖 Provence Tourisme developed the AI assistant MIA, targeting international users for the 2024 Olympic Games, particularly in Marseille for the sailing events. MIA, available in eight languages, facilitated content distribution and provided insights for future evolution in 2025. Experimentation revealed MIA accounted for 1.5% of the audience, with over 30% of 18-35 year-olds using AI tools like ChatGPT for searches. Provence Tourisme advises focusing on data quality, SEO optimization, territorial collaboration, and defining clear usage cases for AI adoption by tourism offices.