Innovation

🛫 The region of Ile-de-France withdrew a €1 million subsidy from ADP, in partnership with Volocopter and Lilium, for the flying taxi project after the initiative missed its launch during the Paris 2024 Olympics. This decision, announced by Valérie Pécresse on November 17, 2023, follows delays in engine delivery, DGAC certification, and EASA endorsement. ADP remains ready for experiments from the Austerlitz vertiport in December.

🍴 Olivia Grégoire's amendment to perpetuate the use of meal vouchers for any food product in medium and large retail outlets was adopted by the French National Assembly's Economic Affairs Committee. This change, which diverges from the original intent of meal vouchers, has received criticism, especially from Catherine Quérard, President of GHR, and Laurent Frechet, President of restaurateurs, due to its significant impact on restaurants since its implementation in October 2022.

📶 Streaming video requires 3-5 Mbps for HD, 5-8 Mbps for Full HD, and 15-25 Mbps for Ultra HD. A standard home usage typically needs 100 Mb/s, while intensive use, such as for large families or heavy online activities, requires 300 Mb/s to 1 Gb/s. Professional use may demand several Gb/s. Fiber to the Home (FTTH) in France offers up to 1 Gbps, whereas Fiber to the Office (FTTO) ensures even higher, symmetrical speeds suitable for businesses. Maximum theoretical speeds reach 8 Gb/s for FTTH and 10 Gb/s for FTTO, but actual speeds may vary due to factors like distance, user traffic, installation quality, and environmental conditions. Wifirst specializes in FTTO solutions for businesses, offering customizable bandwidth options exceeding 1 Gb/s.

📱 Api & You developed Console Team Affinity, targeting the hospitality and restaurant industry to streamline, optimize, and energize recruitment, enhancing employer branding. Rémi Ohayon, founder of Api & You and Meilleur Ouvrier de France in Digital Communication, highlights the changing expectations of candidates in the competitive job market, emphasizing the distinctive needs of the sub-30 talent demographic.

🏖 Evaneos, a French company, boosted customer engagement by 15% in six months through "hack weeks" encouraging staff to innovate without constraints. McKinsey's study revealed that bold companies achieve 2.5 times higher revenue growth than competitors. The article stresses that creativity is not just for the "creative" individuals and can be developed by anyone, suggesting strategies like dedicated idea-sharing sessions, allowing failure to foster innovation, and cross-functional brainstorming workshops to drive sustainable transformations.

💻 Donald Trump, elected 47th president of the United States, prioritizes deregulation in technology and reduction of Chinese market influence. His administration may deregulate AI, potentially increasing the gap between US and EU tech companies. Trump's liberal stance on cryptocurrencies led to a surge in Bitcoin and Ether values post-election. Despite potential risks from deregulation, companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon engage with Trump on privacy and cybersecurity regulations. Relations with the EU could become tense as Trump may counter EU pressures on American tech giants. His victory could also escalate the trade war with China, affecting semiconductor supply and production. Elon Musk's Mars colonization plans receive a boost, aiming to send humans by 2028 and establish a million people in 20 years, potentially accelerated by Trump's election.

🚙 Waze, owned by Google, is developing a hands-free, voice-activated incident reporting feature using AI and voice recognition technology. Currently in testing with limited users, the feature allows drivers to report road incidents by pressing a "report" button and speaking out loud. Google has not announced a specific release date but indicates the feature will be available in "a few months.

🚉 Jean-Pierre Farandou, président of SNCF, aims to achieve a "0 breakdown" goal by 2034 using artificial intelligence (AI) and renewing the train fleet. Since 2013, SNCF has deployed predictive maintenance, with AI contributing 10% to maintenance decisions. The new TGV M and RER NG will provide better data collection for more rapid and remote maintenance actions. The plan for autonomous trains by 2025 is uncertain, as SNCF values human roles in operations.

🏨 Gregory Naidoo of Mews encouraged hoteliers at the Equip Hotel conference to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) for enhancing customer experience and optimizing business operations. Stressing the hospitality industry's historical lag in digital adoption, Naidoo highlighted AI's potential for personalization, such as customizing bedding preferences or Wi-Fi needs. Mews is testing AI tools for these purposes. AI could also anticipate customer behaviors, boost sales, and improve internal processes, freeing staff for essential human interactions. A shift in the industry's mindset toward AI's role is deemed crucial for progress and staying competitive as customers increasingly adopt these technologies.

🚀 Hamza Sayah, co-founder and CTO of Qevlar AI, highlights the alarming increase in data thefts in 2024, intensified by the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In 2023, 67% of data thefts remained undetected for over 100 days. AI not only aids cybercriminals but also equips businesses with advanced defense strategies, such as automating incident analysis, which increases productivity and accuracy in Security Operations Centers (SOC). Organizations are advised to adopt a "Zero Trust" architecture and continuous monitoring using AI to detect real-time anomalies, automate incident analysis, maintain tested backups, and train teams on new threats and security best practices. The human-AI synergy is key to effective cybersecurity.