TrendWatching | MakeShift

Edition #19 | Your weekly inspiration fix • 12 - 18 October 2023

INTRODUCTION

2024 horizons: aligning AI with purpose

To inspire your 2024 AI strategies, we’ve put together this special MakeShift edition filled with human-written (!) generative insights. Our favorite development? The emergence of artificial intelligence as a force for good – a tool for brands to champion inclusivity, address societal gaps, provide companionship and advocate for a greener future.

From generative retail to cost-of-living solutions, brand integrations for better accessibility, improvements in healthcare and a more inclusive AI-driven workforce…let’s dive in!

Dive into our mega-trend AIDED BY AI

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INNOVATION

🇺🇸 Skip the wait to see a doctor? Self-service, AI-powered CarePods offer immediate care

Whether driven by a shortage of medical professionals or financial constraints, healthcare accessibility is a global challenge. A startup called Forward believes one solution is to offer people a self-service option… read more

INNOVATION

🇫🇷 Heetch sends postcards to Midjourney developers to remove banlieue bias

Now one of France's leading on-demand transport providers, Heetch remains connected to its banlieue roots and was shocked to discover the images Midjourney's generative AI serves up if a text prompt includes the word… read more

INNOVATION

🇺🇸 Google donates Pixel 8 Pro phones for high quality 'pawtraits' that help rehome rescue dogs

In a novel approach to addressing the challenges faced by animal shelters, Google's Pixel team created the Pixel Pawtraits Kit. The initiative aims to help rescued dogs find homes by equipping shelters… read more

NEWS

Trend Check 2024: Your opportunity checklist for the new year

MakeShift brings you trends year-round, but we also understand the power of an impending new year when it comes to kick-starting ideation for the next 12-36 months. So we’ve put together a 2024 Trend Check covering 15 important industry-specific trends and 45 related innovations, from COMMON TONGUE to CULTURAL CREDITORS to DRAFTED BY AI to...you get the point. 😉 Infinite opportunity. So absorb, ideate and bring to market! 🚀

Read the full 2024 Trend Check here

INSIGHT

Fantasy-fueled discovery: generative personalization in online retail

In 2023, over two-thirds of consumers across the US, Europe and APAC are positive about gen-AI’s potential to deliver customized fashion recommendations. To stay ahead of expectations, innovative brands are utilizing new-age tech to help people cut through the noise.

Google's Search Generative Experience curates shoppable subcategories from text prompts, while Blend AI offers personalized product recommendations for months or years down the line by helping consumers predict future purchases.

But the next frontier? Using AI to inspire more conscious consumerism. Could you add more filters for ethical product sourcing categories, or add a carbon calculator or personalized waste reduction plan to compliment consumers’ future planning?

THOUGHT STARTER

AI companies will face a training data drought by 2026

To inject authenticity into AI models, ditch generic datasets. Train algorithms on your own content like Forbes, contributor content like Getty Images or uphold your unique brand tone – in step with X’s ambitions.

TREND

SKILLS FOR ALL: Nurturing an AI-ready workforce

In September 2023, UNESCO released guidance for a human-centered vision of gen AI, highlighting that only 15 countries had or were developing AI curricula. This applies to workforces, too. While 86% of US employees want to use gen AI at work, 50% of employers haven’t yet drafted a gen AI policy. Keep in mind that tech has been found to exacerbate the gender gap: 74% of men self-report being very or somewhat skilled in AI versus 40% of women.

Businesses, how are you making sure everyone is ready to take advantage of the productivity benefits gen AI provides? Offering in-house digital literacy courses, upskilling non-tech roles and empowering other industries into the AI era are some of the steps you can take toward a more inclusive, AI-ready workforce.

INSIGHT

AI fact-checking tools tackle greenwashing

Many companies have been caught up in greenwashing scandals and people have had enough – 70% of consumers are ready to turn their backs on brands guilty of false eco-advertising.

Obtaining verification is one way to gain trust, but it's not enough. New tools now enable anyone to verify environmental claims: AI-powered chatbots can determine the credibility of decarbonization plans set by businesses, governments and financial institutions. Meanwhile, one NGO is taking matters into its own hands by hacking the news feeds of climate deniers.

Don't wait to be fact-checked! How will your brand disclose and uphold green progress? Consider leveraging AI for fact-checking partnerships to keep employees and consumers informed. And, while on the topic of sustainability x AI, make sure to assess and minimize the environmental impact of your own AI footprint.

INNOVATION

🇺🇸 Mindful drinking app develops AI-powered coach to help more people drink less

Join Alcoholics Anonymous and quit altogether – for decades, that was the main solution for people concerned about their alcohol consumption. But over the past years, an alternative has been picking up steam: mindful drinking… read more

INNOVATION

🇩🇰🇺🇸 Microsoft becomes first brand to use AI visual support for blind and low-vision customers

The tool is debuting at Microsoft's Disability Answer Desk, where Be My AI assists customers with any issues they're having with Microsoft products — whether installing a Windows update or figuring out why a formula… read more

Talk to us

Be sure to ping our editor, Galina Yordanov, if you're working on something we should feature on MakeShift.

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