traditional

It is the coup de grace to traditional charcuterie and fishmongers.

by

If you are a regular at Mercadona, you will have noticed that the stores are constantly evolving. Every so often new sections are opened, new services are offered, certain products disappear and bet increasingly by white labels. The company closed 2025 with a new purchase that had nothing to do with food: that of the company that has been supplying it with boxes and pallets for decades. Now we know one of the reasons. The new Mercadona T9. Mercadona pilot. It is not just an aesthetic renovation, but also a functional and conceptual one. As the media commented a few days ago FRSMercadona is testing a new type of store in Xirivella, Valencia. Known as “T9 format”, it is a prototype that seeks to optimize processes. What does this translate into? In a store more similar to those automated that we have been seeing for a few yearswith the products available and visible, well organized so that the customer puts them in the cart and their only interaction with a human is at the checkout. This format relies on a reorganization of space that, in theory, optimizes staff productivity when replenishing products while reducing both consumer waiting times and unnecessary movements. take care of yourself. As FRS points out, the shelves will now have more products directly on the pallets, with wider aisles to avoid crowding. There is also a reorganization of the categories into something called “purchase missions.” For example, the popular prepared meals are located next to the bakery, unifying sections that make sense and were previously separate. And that search for a more open space is taken to its ultimate consequences. According to the media, in the Xirivella pilot store there are almost no communicative visual elements. This translates into a lack of traditional signage and signage to identify the sections. Fishmongers. Yes. Again. Within this store format, there are two sections that are clearly affected: fishmonger and butcher. If you are one of those who are going to order sliced ​​ham or a filleted hake, if the t9 format prospers and is exported to the rest of the company’s stores, you will have to look for another fishmonger. Directo al Paladar already told us that these sections they were adapting to new needs in which current generations do not have the ease or knowledge to order a fish from the cut, prioritizing packaged products. The new format dispense of those traditional models and opts for more packaging and less assisted purchasing. Take the product and leave. No waiting, no talking to anyone, no choosing the freshest. What happens to the workers. Nothing. At least, according to Mercadona. Questioned about this in networks, the company has left to confirm that “the entire fishmonger’s team continues to be part of Mercadona.” But, if they are not attending, where are they? To other things, adapting, according to the company, “to other needs within the store and the section itself.” Click to go to X Controversy. But of course, this lack of workers in a section does not only imply knowing where they are located, but also what directly affects the customer: who is there to ask for advice about a piece, quantities or whether a product is fresh or not. There has been some complaint about it, also about the bagging of products or the queues at the checkout. Because if one of the objectives is the flow of customers, and in a Mercadona with the usual format there are already moments in which queues form at the checkout, in one in which the flow is improved in the rest of the trade, the bottleneck may be at the time of paying. It will surely be one of the aspects that Mercadona will evaluate to see if this model can be exported. Future takeaway. In any case, the different movements of Mercadona and the monopolize almost 30% of the supermarket quota, they agree, more or less like it, with the owner of the chain. Juan Roig has been evangelizing for years about the benefits of ready-to-go and ready-to-eat food, and the data proves him right. There are the potato omelettes as an example, but also ready-to-eat dishes. According to a study, the chain has a dominance of 51.2% in prepared dishes. Whether the Mercadona t9 model works or not, we will see. At the moment, it is a pilot program and, as they point out in Digital EconomyXirivella is a strategic laboratory. Images | Mercadona In Xataka | Mercadona has grown so much in Spain that for the US it is no longer just a supermarket chain: it is a “cultural phenomenon”

Neobanks break 25% market share in Spain. Traditional banking is losing young customers

by

They are no longer an anecdote, they are a main actor. For the first time, neobanks have exceeded 25% of the market share among individuals in Spain. A new report echoed by some media, places the penetration of these entities in 27.2%. It is a significant jump from the 21.8% they registered in 2024. The data confirms a clear trend: traditional banking is losing the battle for the young customer, although it continues to retain the main business. Image: Revolut What is a neobank. Unlike traditional bankingneobanks operate 100% digitally, without physical branches. Their model is based on a very light cost structure that allows them to offer commission-free services all managed from a mobile app. The Bank of Spain itself defines them as entities that offer banking intermediation services in a completely digital way. The assault on the young public. Neobanks entered the Spanish market attacking a very specific niche: young people and travelers. a study from Adyen and OpinionWay reveals that practically all Spaniards (93%) reject paying banking fees abroad. This has caused 59% of millennials and 55% of Gen Z to trust them more than traditional banks when traveling. Part of the “win” in innovation and reputation It’s not just in the product, but in the marketing. They understood that an app was not enough to attract the new generations; You had to be where they are: social networks and platforms like Twitch and YouTube. Revolut has been the most aggressive, renewing for a third year its alliance with Ibai Llanos and sponsoring its “Evening of the Year.” It seems that traditional banking has reacted to this trend, and has used the same weapons: now, Banco Santander has signed the YouTuber Plex. With almost 15 million followers on their networks, He is the protagonist of the last campaign. The Revolut surprise. This growth is not uniform; It is led by the well-known Revolut. A report from the CNMC was devastating: in 2024, Revolut led the acquisition of new accounts in Spain with 19.8% of the total, surpassing giants such as BBVA and Santander. The CNMC was blunt and recognized that “neobanks and fintechs pose a real competitive threat.” Figures. That leadership in recruitment now translates into real money. According to data from Expansion and El Mundo, the total neobank customer base in Spain exceeded five million in 2024. Revolut quadrupled its deposits in a single yeargoing from 739 million euros to 3,127 million. Meanwhile, its competitor N26 (with one million clients) suffered a 9% decline in deposits since December. Image: BBVA Fintech in traditional banks. The reactionary stance of some entities has led them to a strategy: launch their own neobanks to compete in the same field. Imagin stands out, promoted by CaixaBank. Your numbers They do not leave many doubts: they can boast 3.5 million clients and a 48% market share in the 18 to 34 year old segment among the main neobanks. But very few trust them with their payroll.. Despite the good penetration figures, traditional banking continues to dominate the main relationship with the customer. According to a report by Inmark, banks such as CaixaBank, Santander and BBVA account for almost 84% of the business market. Among individuals, only 4.2% use a neobank as their main entity. However, the goal of neobanks is stop being a complement. They are ripening to attack the core business of banking: Revolut has already announced its plans to offer mortgages in Spain and yes it has materialized installment payment services. The official view: necessary competence. The rise of fintech is a trend validated by official organizations. The Bank of Spain, in its 2025 Observatoryconfirms a 50% growth in the number of entities since 2020 and a 249% increase in their total assets since 2018. At the European level, the president of the Single Resolution Board recently warned that the Revolut model reinforces the need for a deposit guarantee fund mutualized in the EU. For its part, the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) and your report It is important to understand why they succeed: The traditional banking sector is highly concentrated. Spain (HHI of 1,331) has a higher index than Germany (323) or France (567). This lack of competition is one of the reasons why traditional banks do not remunerate deposits. It is the neobanks who break this dynamic. The Spanish banking sector is four times more concentrated than the German one, according to the CNMC. Neobanks have not grown by chance: they have taken advantage of the void that traditional banking left by not competing Now, there are always stones on the road. The CNMC points out that Spaniards have a “relatively high level of distrust” in online banking – only 23% feel “very comfortable” compared to the 41% average in the eurozone – and “below” average financial education. This paints a battlefield for the coming years. The growth of neobanks shows that they have won the usability war: they are easier to use and have masterfully conquered the young public. However, CNMC data reveal that traditional banking still has the most important defensive moat: customer trust and inertia. Cover image | Composition with images of CardMapr.nl and Revolut In Xataka | There are more and more millionaires in the world and that is a problem: luxury products are no longer exclusive

Google has just integrated its AI in Chrome. It is the beginning of the end of the traditional browser

by

The tools The generative is fine, but an AI that is fully integrated into our browser can be even better, Perplexity comet It is a good example. If we join the AI ​​with The most used browser in the world The potential is huge. Google has just announced one of the biggest updates for Chrome, one in which AI is the absolute protagonist. Why is it important. Microsoft Copilot in Edge, Perplexity comet, Brave… The career of the browsers with AI already has a route, but few have the draft that Chrome has (largely because it is the one that comes by default in Android). In fact, we have seen attempts to bring the AI ​​Chrome as Chatgpt Search extension either Claude’sbut Google has just taken a step that marks a turning point, not only for AI browsers, but for how we look on the Internet. Understand the context. To access Google AI you will not have to open a new tab, it will be enough to press the button that appears in the upper right corner of the browser. When joining Chrome, we can ask questions and answer taking into account the context of all the eyelashes that we have open at that time. For example, we can ask you to summarize and organize the information if we are investigating a specific topic, such as the best itinerary for a trip. It also integrates with other Google products such as Calendar, Maps or YouTube. Ia mode. It is activated in the address bar, what Google calls Omniboxand promises to change the search experience. According to Google, we can ask complex questions and deepen more on a topic, directly in the same place where we do the “normal” searches. The example that Google sets is that we are looking at mattresses and we can ask you about the guarantee policy of a specific model. At the moment this mode is activated manually, but as they point out in Ars Technicait is a step towards becoming the default mode. Goodbye to the history. One of the advantages offered by integration with Gemini is to be able to find pages that we have visited more easily. Now we have to open the record and look for it, but with Gemini we could ask something like “In which page were I looking at that gray sofa that was on offer?” And you will find it directly. Agricultural functions. This will still take a few months, but Google already anticipates some agerentic functions that promise to save us a lot of time. According to Google, “will convert 30 -minute tasks into three clicks.” Among the examples they put is to arrange an appointment in the hairdressing or make the purchase. The browser will be able to add items to the basket or send emails in our name, without having to intervene. Security. The update also improves the detection of possible fraudulent sites and will show notices to prevent us from falling into a SCAM. It will also facilitate the change of passwords that have appeared in data leaks so that we can do it in a single click, although only in places that support it. Availability. At the moment, Gemini in Chrome is available in the United States for users who have configured the English browser, both in Windows and Mac. Google says that it will reach iOS and Android apps soon. And most importantly: for the moment It can only be used if we are subscribers of Gemini Pro or Ultra. In Xataka | In case we didn’t have enough subscriptions, AI wants to add one more to our lives: your Internet browser

There are American and Europeans fed up with the lack of “traditional values” of the West. So they are moving to Russia

by

Surprising data were known last May: more and more Americans sought to leave the country to Live in Europe. The problem: that the old continent seemed to be closing its doors with migratory policies stricter. What very few anticipated is a new migratory current: that of Westerners who, seeking to recover the “traditional values” that have been lost … and end in Russia. The attraction for the Russia of War. I told it last week The Financial Times. In full invasion of Ukraine and under an increasingly repressive regime, a group of Westerners has chosen to move to Russia in search of what they perceive as “traditional values” in front of a west who consider decadent. Among the most notorious cases is Derek Huffman’san Arizona welder and father of six children, who emigrated with his wife and children alleging rejection of “LGBT indoctrination”, immigration and insecurity in the United States. To accelerate the obtaining of Russian citizenship, he decided to enroll in the Army and fight in Ukrainedefending Even on YouTube that he did to gain respect and a future in his new country. His extreme case has received criticism and also media attentionbecoming a symbol of a reduced but very publicized phenomenon. The “visa of shared values”. Moscow launched in 2024 A special visa For disenchanted western, which facilitates permanent residence to about 150 people per month, a measure that reminds of Soviet propaganda that opposed a corrupt West to a supposedly moral Russia. Although in numbers they are just A few hundredtheir stories receive great diffusion in YouTube channels with Professional productionseveral of them linked to Russia Today According to researchwhich suggests a state effort to amplify the narrative of Russia as a refuge for the conservatives of the West. Examples and integration networks. There are many more cases in addition to the Huffman, such as The one of the Feenstraa Canadian family with eight children who settled on a farm in Nizhni Nóvgorod and reached almost 200,000 subscribers On YouTube, or Stephen Shoresan American computer scientist turned to orthodoxy who claims to feel freer in Russia against the “culture of cancellation”, although he lives under the threat of Ukrainian drones. At the institutional level, figures such as Maria Butina (former Russian agent deported in the United States) and businessmen such as The German Jakob Pinneker They help these immigrants to integrate, facilitating their installation and extolling the “family order and values.” Contradictions and realities. While the Kremlin exhibits these cases as proof of its appeal, the reality is that tens of thousands of Russians They have fled since 2022 to avoid mobilization, political repression and international isolation. In the country itself, thousands of people fulfill condemns for protesting against war or publicly disagree with the regime. The paradox It is evident: Those who come from the West Echoes of the Cold War. What we see today has clear historical parallels with the Soviet strategy during the Cold War. At that time, the USSR I tried to attract to intellectuals, artists and western militants who felt marginalized or frustrated with the capitalism and politics of their countries. Many communists and supporters They traveled to Moscow convinced That there they would find equality and social justice, some even acquired Soviet citizenship or were used in propaganda campaigns that showed the “exploitative west” against “socialist paradise.” The most emblematic case was that of The deserters North Americans who, after the Korean or Vietnam War, sought refuge in the USSR or allies like Cuba and North Korea, converted in trophies ideological. Strategic background. The flow of Westerners to Russia is minimal in figures, but useful in the propaganda plane. Under the official narrative, it reinforces the idea that Russia is not isolated and that even citizens of the Western enemy seek refuge under their flag for reasons of values ​​and morals. In the geopolitical plane, it points to an attempt to counteract the story of a country in crisis and project the image of cultural strength against a fragmented West. Of course, social also reveals the existence of disenchanted minorities In Europe and the United States that, not finding lace in their societies, becomes something very similar to useful pieces for Moscow’s speech. Image | RakoonDerek Huffman/YouTube In Xataka | More and more Americans want to live outside the US but they have a problem: Europe is closing its doors In Xataka | Digital nomadic visas: the countries hook to attract the best digital talent without paying the cost to keep them

Spain, white brand. Landowner and company are about to dethrone traditional brands

by

Distributor brands have silently conquered Spanish baskets, from 20% in 2003 to 44% in 2024 without pause or truce, according to a Kantar study published in Expansion. This increase has been unstoppable, without distinguishing between years of economic crises and years of growth. Why is it important. This commercial third change transcends the typical flight to the cheap during crises. The White brand has evolved towards a premium differentiation strategy that has broken the traditional monopoly of the big brands. The context. The ascent has been unstoppable during these more than two decades, growing both in years of crisis (2008-2014, pandemia) and economic bonanza. Neither post-crisis recovery Recent inflation They have stopped their progress, dismantling the myth that they are temporary products. In figures: Lidl leads with 82.1% share. Mercadona follows with 74.5%. Carrefour seeks to move from 33% to 40% before 2026. Day already reaches 57%. In fact, Dia has redesigned more than 2,000 products to “enlorate raw materials” and create “own formulas.” Its purchasing director is clear: “We do not want to be the quality C, but the A”. It is the definitive jump of imitation to your own innovation. The trend. There are several phases in this growth: From 2003 to 2019, constant but moderate growth, around the annual point. From 2020 to 2022, brutal acceleration: +4.1 points in two years. Since 2022, rhythm consolidation, +2.7 points in two years. If the recent growth rate is maintained (1,3-1.4 annual points), the white brand would reach 50% between 2028 and 2029. And would overcome traditional brands in quota. Yes, but. The data suggest that we are close to a natural plateau. Few developed economies exceed 55-60% value share of the white brand, because there are always premium niches and categories where traditional brands maintain advantage (luxury, technological innovation, very specialized products). The money trail. The chains control the entire value chain: from the recipe to the linear, without intermediaries. This allows them to achieve higher margins while they offer quite competitive prices, a much more complicated equation for traditional brands. Spain approaches the German model, where The white brand has gone very much in the market Regarding other countries. Traditional brands will face their greatest existential threat: compete against those who control both the product and the sales channel. In Xataka | Mercadona is more profitable than ever and is also closing stores for the first time in years. It is a calculated strategy Outstanding image | Mercadona

Revolution is not just a threat to traditional banks. Now it is also for Teleoperators

by

Revolution has announced that will launch mobile plans from this year. It will, in this first phase and without more confirmations, in the United Kingdom and Germany. Their plans will offer text messages, calls and unlimited national data. Of course, without any fixed contract or commitment to permanence, something that has characterize virtual mobile operators for years. The next step after its esim. In March 2024 Revolution launched its own esim. It thus became the first digital bank to do so, with a target target on trips abroad. This ESIM provided 100 MB for all its users (as long as they install it before May 1, 2024), and 3 GB for Ultra Plan users. It came from the 1global pannus, London company of telecommunications. The ESIM was focused on offering data abroad, not as an alternative to use for user mobile plan. It is something they want to change with their new movement. Mobile Plans. Revolution has announced its entry into the market of virtual mobile operators. It will do it with rates that start from 12.50 pounds per month, and offer full connectivity in the United Kingdom and Germany. Users will have access to a line with their own number, complete integration within the Revolution app itself, and presuming a 20 GB data itinerance for users traveling to Europe and the United States. When. The company has not closed a date for the implementation of its mobile plans, although it guarantees that they will reach the end of this year. Nor has it confirmed what the partners will be responsible for supporting the network connection. From Neobanco to Servicios Hub. Revolut is preceding in the world of Neobancos. The company doubled in 2024being Spain its third market behind the United Kingdom and Portugal, with 4.5 million users in our territory and the ambition to duplicate them in 2025. After launching install payments for credit customersand raise the launch of mortgages and ATMsbecoming OMV is a step that closes a circle. One in which Revolution ceases to be a bank to become a digital service provider. A new threat. Revolution has started in the United Kingdom and Germany, without confirmed plans to land in other markets. However, if you want to conquer territories such as Spanish in the medium term, you will not have it easy. As of December 2024, despite their popularity, OMVs are minority in Spain: Movistar, Masorange and Vodafone Spain centralize the market share. Revolut would go to compete in a specialized niche with ultra-competitive prices as in the case of Digisupport of giants such as Telefónica in the case of O2. Image | Revolution In Xataka | Revolution: What is it, how it works and main advantages and disadvantages

The traditional couple model is in crisis. And it has translated into more people eating alone in restaurants

by

Eating is a necessity, a pleasure … and also (in your own way) A social act. Around the tables we celebrate, remember and honor. We remain for dinner in our first events, to celebrate birthdays and promotions, the arrival of the New Year or say goodbye to that friend who moves to another city. Eating has always been synonymous with sharing, especially if we do it in a bar, where it also becomes a public act, exposed to unknown looks. Or at least so it was until now. Table for one, please. It is very simple. He arrives with any restaurant at rush hour and observing the room: There are more and more people eating alone. And not by obligation or because he does not have anyone to share dinner. On the contrary. We do it by choice, to enjoy loneliness and backs to the stigma that until not so long persecuted those who sat alone at tables that were designed precisely to gather large groups. Impressions … and data. As with most trends, there are studies and percentages that help us better understand their scope. Although finding a site to eat alone It is not always simplein the OpenTable US calculates that the reserves for a single diner 64% have shot Since 2019. Moreover, between 2022 and 2023, Resyanother New York reservation platform, calculates that requests of this type increased by 21%. They are forceful percentages and it is not unreasonable to think that they are short. After all, both opening and resy register only those who reserve in advance, not those who appear in the premises without calling before. Is there more data? Yes. And although there may be variations from one study to another, most point in the same direction. In 2024, opening calculated that the alone dinners in the United Kingdom had experienced a year -on -year increase of 14%percentage that in the case of Manchester stretched until reaching 23%. Other studies They also talk that the ‘Only Dining’ He has gained weight in Germany and Japan or that the number of Americans who recognize having recently has grown by 53% In just two decades, between 2003 and 2023. And Spain? There are some indicators that suggest that Spain does not remain oblivious to that trend. In 2022 Mapfre published A FOOD REPORT in which he revealed that, although most of the Spaniards continue to enjoy the family meals, between 2017 and 2022 the number of people who sit at the table without company, especially during working days, increased 5%. In 2020, in full pandemic, Thefork also perceived that the reserves for a single person had grew by 4% In our country. Of course, they were still a minority. In an attempt to go further in 2024 Reasonwhy did A poll Among several restaurant chains with presence in Spain that showed that, at least in part of them, it is increasingly common to see customers without company. Well because they are more or because those who already ate alone before do it now more often. Alsea, behind Vips, Ginos or Foster´s Hollywood, requires that 7% of Foster´sy customers 18% of those of VIPs eat without anyone next. And what is the reason? The right thing would be to talk about reasons, in plural. When analyzing the trend, so much The sector As analysts usually coincide in certain factors that have clearly influenced customers. Above all there are two: pandemic, with its restrictions and fear of infection; and a cultural change that leads us to look with other eyes to those who sit in a restaurant without a company. “That a person was lonely has always been might, but now that taboo to exhibit loneliness has broken,” Notice in The country José A. González, anthropologist. “It was growing before pandemic, but now it has been strengthened because we have become accustomed to being alone,” agrees Chef Lola Marín. “In addition, it was unthinkable that a woman was alone to eat or take a wine to a bar. Luckily it is now more common.” Even in networks They can be found Videos of people who presume that: to enjoy their dinner alone. Generational issue? There are those who believe that there is another factor that has influenced so much or more than the COVID: the change of mentality that accompanies the Z generation and the Millennials. Whether or not the truth is that the trend is accompanied by a transformation of Spanish society itself, in which It is increasingly common meet people living alone. If the INE forecasts do not fail in 2039 there will be some 7.7 million of unipersonal homes, 33.5% of the total. Question of loneliness (s). That we normalize loneliness does not mean that all loneliness is the same or all its positive effects. In fact it also carries certain challenges, as I collected recently An article of The New York Times in which a curious relationship is pointed out: in the US the increase of the people who eat alone has coincided with a worsening of the country’s general happiness index. The reason: not all loneliness is deliberate. The professor of the University of Oxford Jan-Emmanuel de Neve even It goes further and reflect on the implications that excessive isolation can have. “That we are increasingly socially isolated also assumes that we do not test our ideas about the world with other people,” he says. The result, in his opinion, is an amplification of echo chambers and polarization. Image | Ismail Hamzah (Unspash) In Xataka | More and more Spanish bars refuse to pay at the table. Its objective is very simple: greater rotation

Banco Santander will close more than 200 physical offices. It is the most visible symptom of traditional banking metamorphosis

by

Santander plans the closure of the largest number of offices in Spain from the pandemic. According to Digital economymore than 200 branches will lower the blind this year. The arrival of Ignacio Juliá – a manager with DNA DNA forged in ING – to the direction of Santander Spain is no accident. It is a symptom. Similar to what happens to other Ibex companies – as Telefónica debating between transforming between technology company or assuming the decline as a traditional teleco-, Classic banking has an existential dilemma ahead. On the one hand, Maintain physical offices has become a financial ballast to the Neobancoswhich operate with infinitely lighter and more efficient structures. On the other hand, those same offices They are a competitive advantage for certain demographicparticularly among over 60 years, who concentrate a large part of the financial assets in Spain. Neobancos have gained ground in basic operation and current accounts, but still have important limitations in more complex products, such as mortgages or heritage management. Santander himself has recognized your annual report “The value of the human connection” provided by branches, especially for vulnerable clients, while simultaneously advances towards what defines as “a digital bank with branches”. The Ying and the Yang. Investment management is that space that still has traditional banking to uncheck from the Neobancos, where even the face to face with the manager (the one who gives a branch) can be an incentive for the client. There they face independent platforms, such as Trade Republic or the Spanish Indexa, with increasing traction, better fame … and lower commissions. Of course, they do not usually have exclusive products for large heritage, more complicated land for Fintech. Santander has no urgency for these changes. In 2024 he got a record benefit of more than 12,500 million euros. Your current business model is still profitable. The issue is whether the digitalization strategy combined with selective physical presence will be sufficient to maintain its relevance when the digital generation becomes the main segment with heritage. Traditional bank is not disappearing, but it is in full metamorphosis. It is looking for a balance between digital efficiency and the added value that human interaction provides. In Xataka | The digital counterrevolution reaches the classrooms: seven CCAA backs down with the screens and mark a change of trend Outstanding image | Santander Bank

GPT-4.5 It is not better than its rivals in almost anything. It is the proof that traditional AI models almost do not advance

by

Sam Altman I had already warned that they planned to launch GPT-4.5 very soon. We had been waiting for the GPT-4 successor for months, but over time expectations have been going down: there was talk of the Founder of AI And how climbing – more data and more GPUS to train models— It didn’t work so much. Precisely GPT-4.5 was going to be proof that perhaps that was not true. Do you know what? That was probably, because GPT-4.5 is a model with many starting problems. GPT-4.5 is already with us. Yesterday Openai finally presented GPT-4.5the theoretical successor of GPT-4. Sam Altman explained that this was “the first model that makes me feel that I am talking to an attentive person.” Gigantic and expensive. But Altman also recognized something else. “Bad news: it is a giant and expensive model.” The head of OpenAI claimed to have run out of sufficient GPUS to make a mass launch, and the availability of GPT-4.5 is very limited: only Chatgpt Pro users can use it for the moment. Caro no, very expensive. Using the GPT-4.5 model through the OpenAi API is extraordinarily expensive: it costs $ 75 per million input tokens, and $ 150 per million output tokens. GPT-4O costs 2.5 and 10 dollars respectively (30 and 15 times less), and O1, so far the most expensive, costs 15 and 60 dollars respectively. And it is also not a “border” model. He Technical Report OpenAi indicates that this It is not a model “Frontier“ As was GPT-4, for example. That is important, because despite being its largest LLM, the border models are more capable, of large scale and raise risks to generate misinformation or be forced to get out of the standards. In GPT-4.5 they seem to have focused a lot on avoiding errors (it is one of its advantages, it seems to put less the leg according to some test banks). It does not seem better in almost anything. The evidence and benchmarks to which it has been subjected seems to make it clear that the leap into benefits is especially disappointing, especially if we compare it with the new models of its rivals. Is worse in accuracy of the facts that perplexity deep researc, is worse than Claude 3.7 Sonnet in programming According to TechCrunch and Several expertsand it is also worse in reasoning (although it is certainly not oriented to it) than Deepseek R1, O3-mini or Claude 3.7 Sonnet (which is a “hybrid” model). Bittersweet feeling. Experts like Simon Willison either Andrej Karpathy They have shared their first impressions and in both cases the sensation is that GPT-4.5 It is slowis updated only Until October 2023 And it does not represent a really remarkable advance. Willinson came to analyze the debate that dozens of users maintained on GPT-4.5, and in a Summary generated by AI The conclusions were also clear: the numbering itself was inappropriate, the model is too expensive, the price/benefits ratio was very debatable and the performance was not what was expected after so much time. Karpathy’s conclusion is that “it is a little better and that is great, but not exactly in trivial sections of highlighting.” More human? Altman’s appreciation about his conversation how he had been surprised by the conversation capacity of GPT-4.5 Maybe he points to the direction in which this model stands out. Karpathy also pointed to that aspect in saying that the improvement could be shown in “creativity, realization of analogies, general understanding and humor”, which perhaps makes effects effectively with GPT-4.5 give the feeling of being even closer to those we would have with a human being. The climb does not work, the deceleration is here. GPT-4.5 It is a clear example of how we have reached the limits of the scaling. Having a gigantic LLM no longer seems to provide advantages over its predecessors, and dedicate more data and more GPUS to train these models does not seem to make much sense. Altman himself made it clear that GPT-4.5 would be the latest non-reasoning model of the company. That is another sign that demonstrates that the deceleration of the generative AI, at least in regard to traditional models, is a reality. Why have you launched it then? In it OpenAi blog It indicates how “we are sharing GPT-4.5 as a research advance to better understand its strengths and limitations. We are still exploring what they are capable of and we are eager to see how people use it in ways that we would not have expected.” That seems to show doubts that their own creators have with the model, and the question why they have thrown it. They need to continue generating “Hype “. Especially considering that the rivals are very strong lately. Claude 3.7, Grok 3 and of course Deepseek R1 have managed to turn the tortilla and raise a challenge for Openai, which until not long ago seemed to be a step ahead of their rivals. Now that is not clear, and in many sections its competitors already exceed the benefits of their models. OpenAi needs to breastfeed and say “here I am”, but perhaps with GPT-4.5 that movement goes wrong, because at least a priori the benefits are disappointing. And investors squeeze. Some point to another probable theory for this launch. OpenAi could have been forced to launch GPT-4.5 make investorsthat have invested billions of dollars in the company and that need to be calm with their investment. Once again OpenAi has a problem, because it does not seem that GPT-4.5 can leave them calm. It will be difficult for new investors to be convenient with this launch. In Xataka | Openai has a golden opportunity to sweep all its rivals: launch an unlimited chatgpt and full of advertising

Perplexity is going to launch its own browser. It is one more proof that traditional browsers fall short in the AI ​​era

by

Perplexity He has announced Cometa browser specifically designed for the AI ​​era. It is part of something else: of the trend in which several technology seek to reimagine how we interact with the web. Why is it important. The next wave of A -centered browsers reveals an uncomfortable truth: traditional browsers are not optimized for a world in which AI agents will act as intermediaries between information and us. Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox can improve whatever they want in these capabilities, but IA deserves a creation from scratch. The Browser Company understood and paralyzed the development of ARC to create something new: day. The context. Perpleplexity has opened its waiting list for Comet, its next browser that promises to “reinvent” our way of accessing the web. This movement comes just weeks after OpenAi will present its operator agentand in the middle of Rumors about a possible OpenAi’s own browser. Current browsers were designed for humans who use keyboards and mice, not for ia agents who need to interact with the website of radically different shapes. Yes, but. The first generation of AI agents as Openai Operator uses chrome modified versions to complete tasks, offering an almost theatrical show: we see a bot by moving a cursor and writing how a human would do. It is effective, but also inefficient. Chrome use as a base poses another problem: what will happen when Google completely integrates Gemini In your browser? Rivals such as Openai and Perplexity will be vulnerable to Alphabet. New era. The race to create the final browser for the AI ​​era remembers the Navigators War of the 90s, when Netscape and Microsoft struggled to dominate Internet access. That conflict initially won Microsoft with Internet Explorer, but Google Chrome, which did not even exist then, ended up dominating the market years later. The lesson is clear: the winner of this new battle can be a company that still does not have a browser. Or that it has not even been founded yet. Several actors are already on stage: Perplexity with Comet, the aforementioned The Browser Company with Dia, and rumors on similar OpenAi projects. The integration of AI models such as Claude, Gemini and GPT directly in the navigation experience will be key. Between the lines. True innovation does not consist of adding functions from AI to existing browsers, but completely reimagining the navigator concept. A browser designed for the AI ​​era should allow both traditional human use and the efficient functioning of autonomous agents, perhaps with different ways according to who is “behind the wheel.” The browsers Ai-first They will probably dispense with interface elements designed for humans when they operate in automatic mode, using more efficient APIS and communication channels to interact with the web. A good simile is that of the autonomous car: if it is able to drive on its own, it makes no sense that it makes a steering wheel, pedals and five seats looking forward: you can and must reimagine the cabin completely. Deepen. For companies such as Perplexity, launching its own browser not only involves diversifying its product offer, but also ensuring their independence from the platforms controlled by their competitors. Same incentives that OpenAI has to launch its own proposal. The browser has historically been the entrance door to the Internet, and whoever controls this door will have a disproportionate influence on our digital experience. Google knows it well: Chrome has provided you a huge strategic advantage. We are witnessing the birth of a new category of software that could transform our relationship with the Internet as much as the original browsers did. The question is not whether browsers Ai-first They will replace the traditional ones, but when they will do it and who will lead this transformation. Openai looks like the great threat to him status quo from Google. And there will be more. Outstanding image | Perplexity, Xataka with mockuuups studio In Xataka | Mozilla’s long crisis: an eternal users and a Google dependency that is still majority

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.