{{first_name | Hi}}, your strategic AI update is here.
Alphabet fell 7% after doubling AI capex to $44.9B, Microsoft jumped 8% as Azure crossed $100B, and Rolls-Royce posted 46% profit growth on data center power. Spend is no longer the story. Google's own research finds AI in 68% of jobs. Fewer than 10% of tasks are fully automated.
"Everything that can be automated will be automated."
— Kevin Kelly, Founding Executive Editor of Wired
In today's lineup
Robots
Close the gap between AI deployment and P&L impact
Real ROI from Gen AI
Map where workflows break before AI goes in
People
Oana Jinga gives warehouse operators real-time AI intelligence
Love
Three moves that get AI past the pilot and into the P&L
The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos
Reading time: 3 min.
ROBOTS 🤖
How are robotics and AI changing industries? We break down the latest news, tools, and innovations for you.
Top Insights
Alphabet fell 7% after announcing $205B in AI capex as markets demand proof before rewarding infrastructure spend.
Microsoft stock jumped 8% as Azure grew 43% crossing $100B in cloud revenue as demand continues to outpace supply.
Rolls-Royce H1 profit rose 46% on data center demand with power orders up 50% and data centers heading toward 20% of its power business by 2030.
Tesla reportedly selling China business to enable SpaceX merger via spinoff or sale as SpaceX defense rules make the China footprint legally incompatible.
FORVIA hit 6% margin as China revenue fell 19% cutting net debt €503M and confirming guidance as cost discipline absorbs regional pressure.
Close the gap between AI deployment and P&L impact
A Google-published workforce study finds AI present in 68% of jobs but fully automating fewer than 10% of tasks, reaching only 21% of the work on average.
Presence is not impact.
Most organizations crossed the deployment line months ago. Tools are licensed, pilots running, workflows unchanged. AI layered over a broken process makes the dysfunction faster, not smaller.
The companies closing this gap redesign workflows before the next AI layer goes in. That is the unglamorous, quarter-sized work that moves the P&L.
Real ROI from Gen AI
How human-centric AI delivers business results
Toyota Motor North America rebuilt supply chain planning with agentic AI via AWS and Deloitte: forecast accuracy up 20%, planner productivity up 18%, with a smaller AI-assisted team replacing 40 to 50 spreadsheet planners.
Smilist automated 3,000+ weekly claim status checks with Ventus AI across its 115-location dental network, live in 30 days and running 24/7.
McCarthy Holdings deployed Gravity AI across its construction operations and saved 4,600 hours annually by automating manual emissions reporting.
Tool Spotlight
Your weekly briefing on tools that create competitive leverage
Map where workflows break before AI goes in
Named a Leader in the Everest Group Process Mining PEAK Matrix for the seventh consecutive year, Celonis maps where workflows break before any AI layer goes in. Best for CIOs and operations leaders who need Finance-grade visibility into process waste before committing AI budget.
At its May 2026 Investor Day, Appian outlined its roadmap for AI-native process design in regulated industries.
Best for organizations that have identified broken workflows and need to rebuild them in weeks, with a full audit trail.
3 other tools to explore
SAP Signavio suits enterprise teams already in the SAP ecosystem who need native process mining and modeling in one environment.
IBM Process Mining suits large enterprises who need to connect process discovery directly to IBM automation and RPA tooling.
UiPath Process Mining suits organizations already running UiPath automations who want process intelligence layered on top of their existing deployments.
PEOPLE 👥
Meet the innovators turning bold ideas into real-world impact.
Transformation Champion
Oana Jinga gives warehouse operators real-time AI intelligence
Oana Jinga co-founded Dexory to close the gap between what a WMS reports and what is actually on the warehouse floor. The platform deploys autonomous scanning robots that feed real-time inventory intelligence directly into existing WMS and ERP systems. As of July 2026, Dexory is tripling revenue year on year and approaching break-even, with $165M raised.
Practical wisdom, growth tactics, and a must-read book that will challenge the way you think.
Three moves that get AI past the pilot and into the P&L
$2.5M committed. AI models in place. The data had never been cleaned. The models could not run on it. The investment returned nothing.
The second edition of my book, 100x is out. Chapter 1 walks through the week-two baseline.
Transformative Reads
One book, handpicked from my conversations with friends, industry leaders, and tech innovators:
In The Master Algorithm, Pedro Domingos shows what every machine learning model actually requires to work: clean, structured, abundant data. Most AI programs are funded as if the model is the hard part. It is not. The leaders who read this will know what to fix before the next deployment decision gets made.
In Culture
THANK YOU!
Lighthouse takes us many hours to create, and we don’t run ads or charge anything. We are dedicated to making it the best AI transformation newsletter possible.
We just ask for one thing: tell one friend about Lighthouse today!
Want daily AI & Innovation insights? Connect with me on LinkedIn or X.
Got suggestions? Just reply to this email!
Much Love,
Matt and the Future Works team
