Over the last 8 years, writing this newsletter has helped me to keep on top of (and think about) trends in digital media, technology, and culture. It has also helped me to keep connected to 2,000+ people that seem to be interested in the same stuff. But sending this newsletter feels a bit like speaking into the void. It’s one-way. So, I’m going to switch things up and try to use this newsletter to connect with more of you. If you’re interested in meeting up, just reply back (my treat for coffee, beer, or Zoom link). I’ll start to do the same.
New AI Use Cases
Different businesses and people are trialing AI in their own operations and workflows and finding new applications. Examples span from efficiency gains (replacing customer service at drive-throughs) to – Black Mirror alert – empathy gains (doctors using ChatGPT to communicate with patients more compassionately). If you’re trialing ChatGPT for copywriting, please do not refer to your copywriter as ChatGPT. And if someone can start a petition to stop the TeddyGPT toy from becoming a reality, you’ll be doing humanity a great service.
If you’re keen on levelling up your use of ChatGPT, OpenAI published a helpful best practice guide for using the tool. Or you can hire a consultancy – Accenture announced a 3 billion investment in training / hiring AI experts. This report from McKinsey on generative AI business productivity use cases is worth a skim.
Retail Trends & Livestreams
I’m a sucker for a good ‘The Future of…” deck (I’ve written an unhealthy number of these things). This Google report on the Future of Creativity in Advertising includes a range of smart perspectives. Klarna also just published a Future of Retail deck with interesting data on how differently younger shoppers are willing to embrace technology in retail experiences. Google is supporting this trend with a new way to virtually try on products, and TikTok is testing a visual search feature to help people shop.
Livestream shopping hasn’t taken hold in Canada like it has in Asia, but a new set of tools are focusing on helping creators vs. the large e-commerce retailers. This is a smart piece that describes how creators are essentially curators that can influence their fans / followers to purchase products. Twitch is supporting this trend by providing creators with live shopping experience platforms, and many small businesses are starting to benefit from this direct-to-follower commerce model. People buying from people vs. people buying from stores.
Vision Pro Predictions
Ben Evans is my favourite tech writer. He has a great piece on the Vision Pro, contrasting Apple’s roadmap (right product, working to right price) vs. Meta’s (right price, working to right product). He makes a smart observation that Apple shows the user’s entire environment in its demos, not focusing on the person wearing the headset or the view inside the headset – underlining that it is an AR-first device, “headphones for your eyes.” Others (including me) can’t get over the form factor of wearing a headset in public – even though trends normalize and change. Scott Galloway argues that our vanity will be a barrier; “there is no version of a headset or goggles that makes us seem more appealing. None.”
I’m reading a book on Blackberry right now, and I forgot how dismissive everyone was of the iPhone when it launched – it was an ‘expensive toy’. I also forgot how f**king amazing the iPhone was when I first tried it. I’m going to wait until I experience a Vision Pro for myself before I make my predictions.
Cool Beans
Facial Odour Generator: Prediction - I am going to buy a Vision Pro and I am not going to pay for the smell-o-vision upgrade.
Digital Twins & Generative AI: Watch NBA great Carmelo Anthony have a conversation with his generative AI-powered digital twin. I hope they don’t play basketball together because they won’t pass to each other.
QR Code Art: Super cool use of Stable Diffusion to create QR code art that looks very cool and works very well.
