#21 The Weekend Download – Catching Up on What Matters

Essential insights you need to stay ahead

📩 Issue #21 – 12/07/2025

⚡ Quick Hits – What You Need to Know

🌐 Japan breaks internet speed record
Researchers reached 402 Tbps – fast enough to download all of Netflix in just one second.
Read more (MSN)

📚 ChatGPT is testing a “Study Together” feature
OpenAI is experimenting with a mysterious new tool that could change how we learn with AI.
Read more (TechCrunch)

📹 YouTube cracks down on “AI slop”
The platform will restrict mass-produced, repetitive content often generated by AI tools.
Read more (TechCrunch)

📲 TikTok is building a separate U.S. app
To avoid a ban, TikTok is reportedly developing a fully U.S.-based version of its platform.
Read more (Mashable)


🔥 Top Insights

🧠 Dr. ChatGPT will see you now
Large language models are entering the diagnostic space, raising both hope and concern.
Read more (Wired)

🧬 DeepMind starts human trials with AI drug discovery
AI-designed medicine could reshape how we fight disease – but we're only at the beginning.
Read more (Fortune)

🏫 Gen Z is rushing to art schools
New York institutions are seeing record-high applications as students seek creative paths.
Read more (Gothamist)


📊 Numbers to Watch

💼 Leisure travel to hit $1.5 trillion by 2040
A new report forecasts explosive growth driven by emerging markets.
Read more (Bloomberg)

💰 Gen Z wants to save – and expects help from employers
Younger workers are thinking seriously about retirement and long-term financial security.
Read more (The Guardian)

🦄 36 new unicorns were minted in 2025 so far
Despite a cooling market, startup funding continues in AI, health, and infrastructure.
Read more (TechCrunch)


💡 Something to Think About

📺 Influencing without the influencers
Brands are skipping celebrities and making their own social videos – polished, viral, and fully in control of the message. You might not even notice it's an ad.
Read more (NYT)

👦 Kids don’t get bored anymore
Always-on screens are replacing idle summer days – and it’s reshaping how children grow up.
Read more (Vox)

📼 The new nostalgia is retro you never lived
From VHS filters to fake '90s photos, younger generations crave memories they never had.
Read more (Airmail)

🥤 Lisbon launches reusable cup scheme
The city is the first European capital to roll out a citywide returnable cup system.
Read more (Euronews)


🌀 Offbeat & Unexpected

🌍 It’s 2100. Can you guess where you are?
A gamified trendwatching experience invites you to explore speculative futures.
Read more (Trendwatching)

🎨 AI gets into art school – for real
In a world first, a non-binary AI named “Flynn” has been officially enrolled in a digital art program in Vienna. It will attend classes, get critiqued, and be graded like any other student.
Read more (Euronews)

🧘 Plane yoga is officially a thing
Passengers are turning long-haul flights into wellness zones – stretching at 30,000 feet.
Read more (Fast Company)

🏨 AI-powered hotels launch in India
Olive Hospitality debuts budget hotels run by artificial intelligence for maximum efficiency.
Read more (Skift)

🧭 Mystery road trips fight overtourism
The Faroe Islands now offer surprise itineraries as a sustainable travel solution.
Read more (Trendwatching)