AI is eating search engines & more (May 8, 2025)

Happy Friday-eve,

Today’s update is a big one: AI is taking over search, shaping global policy, and even writing business plans for $250B CEOs. From OpenAI’s geopolitical expansion to Figma’s vibe-coded design tools, we’re diving into the future of how AI gets built, bought, and used.

Let’s get into it.

🌐 The Future of Search and Software

AI Is Eating Search

Safari searches dropped for the first time in 22 years, and Apple execs are pointing at AI. Cue said ChatGPT and Claude are outperforming Google, prompting Apple to explore an AI-first Safari revamp.

Anthropic's Claude Gets Web Search

Claude now supports real-time internet browsing via API. Devs can plug this into apps for up-to-date answers with citations — opening new doors for agentic workflows.

Mistral Goes Enterprise with Medium 3

France’s Mistral unveiled its new model that competes with GPT-4o and Claude 3.7 at a fraction of the cost. “Le Chat Enterprise” is their new platform for secure, app-integrated AI agents.

OpenAI Goes Global with Stargate

OpenAI announced “OpenAI for Countries” to help build out AI infrastructure in U.S. allies. The goal? Democratized AI and stronger international ties.

🤖 Tools, Agents, and What’s Next

Hugging Face’s “Open Computer Agent” Is Live

It’s an operator-like agentic tool. It’s slow and imperfect, but it mimics human desktop use and shows how far open-source agents have come — all through a browser.

Figma Joins the AI Party

Figma launched “Figma Make,” which lets users design websites via text prompts. It's built on Claude 3.7 Sonnet and marks Figma’s move into vibe-coded interfaces.

Amazon’s Vulcan Robot Can Feel

Amazon debuted Vulcan, a touch-sensitive robot that handles 75% of the products in a warehouse — freeing humans for “higher-skilled” tasks.

🛠️ Tools of the Day

• remio – Local-first AI note taker & personal knowledge hub
• Kompas – In-depth research across web pages with AI filtering
• Alumnium – Convert test instructions into executable commands

🧠 Prompt of the Day

Financial resilience for freelancers
“You are a seasoned financial advisor… Provide a step-by-step plan to build stability including budgeting, saving, and managing irregular income.”

⚡ Quick Hits

• Netflix adds OpenAI-powered search for better content discovery
• Meta’s new app shows how your friends interact with AI
• Duolingo may be a poster child for the AI job crisis

TLDR

AI is officially disrupting traditional search. Apple is reevaluating Safari. Anthropic and OpenAI are going global. Mistral’s cost-effective AI is rising. And Marc Benioff is using ChatGPT to write Salesforce’s business plans. AI isn’t just in your tools—it’s in your strategy.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, share it with a friend :)

-David