Welcome to this 88th issue of our newsletter “Weak Signals and other Trends”. Each week, I sift through hundreds of sources of inspiration to track where we’re heading. If you are a new subscriber to this newsletter, take the time to send me a note and introduce yourself, I love to understand who is reading.
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I am sending this newsletter this Friday from Montreal, Canada. We’ll have in 2023 a slight change of schedule, as this newsletter moves to a mostly bi-monthly version. This is what I noticed this week, thank you for sharing with those who look into the future.
Estelle.
Strategic blindspots
Looking at the familiar with “alien eyes” allows you to unlock new business model opportunities while avoiding risks stemming from strategic blindspots.
Leaked documents show Amazon's seller lending business is booming. People are flocking to ChatGPT for mental health advice. Food at Hoogvliet supermarkets automatically discounted using AI. Wash trading. Facebook tried to open a railroad. A company provides carbon removal and storage services to corporate buyers. Marketing agency enlists AI "interns". Robotic vacuum cleaners are helping fill hotels’ staffing shortfalls. Replacing imagination. Saks Fifth Avenue gambles on NYC casino license. Roomba testers feel misled after intimate images ended up on Facebook. Right to repair. Artists accuse Adobe of tracking their design process to power its AI.
Our future
More Bosses Order Workers Back to the Office as Job Market Shifts. The power center in space moves to the Moon. As Asian Societies Age, ‘Retirement’ Just Means More Work”. Microsoft’s new AI can simulate anyone’s voice with 3 seconds of audio. Meanwhile, a new baby monitor can tell you why your baby is crying with AI. China’s population has fallen for the first time in 60 years. Lasers can help divert potentially dangerous lightning. Sony's first-ever car will function as a "moving entertainment space".
We keep you updated on those trends and more on Twitter.
Weak signals
Weak signals are indicators of a change, a trend or an emerging risk that might become significant for the future. They allow us to run hypothesis, expand our thinking, and challenge assumptions. How will you interpret those in your industry or field of expertise?
Dedroning. Self-styled financial influencers are giving Gen Zers some much-needed advice. Self-styled financial influencers are giving Gen Zers some much-needed advice. How Reddit can help brands predict future consumer trends—including bug eating and space tourism. Japan will offer families up to $7.5k (1M Yen, ¥) per child to leave Tokyo. TikTok Loves Vintage Pyrex. This artist trained AI on her childhood diaries so she could speak with her younger self. Why Non-Farmers Should Care About John Deere’s Repair Memo. A woman to repay $2,000 after her employer used software to track her time. The new fight for Swedes’ right to party.
Down the rabbit hole
This section highlights a subject that lead me to many useful threads, or a single site, that opened many doors: “A rabbit hole is not a distraction. A rabbit hole is your brain trying to tell you to pay attention to something you’re curious about. Ignore algorithmic rabbit holes” ( by are.na)
This week, I discovered a sustainability wiki.
On our radar
We are preparing a keynote address for a client that will review next February strategic blindspots that law firms are facing: A robot will advise a defendant in US court for the first time in history. Is ChatGPT ready for a day in court? Legal Technology Trends to Watch in 2023. 10 predictions: the legal function in 2025. Metaverse opportunities for law firms. Digital reinvention.
Hodgepodge discovery
Articles for curious minds and the polymaths
Bacardi’s 2023 Cocktail Trends Report. The Copyright Death (and Rebirth) of Mickey Mouse. Newly Discovered Anatomy Shields and Monitors Brain. If a hamster wheel is left in the forest, creatures will just start using it, such as do slugs and frogs. How Should We Think About Our Different Styles of Thinking? How Marvel Comics Captured a Generation of Investors. Single-Threaded Leaders at Amazon. The meaning of trust. Complex supply chains may have appeared more than 3,000 years ago.
Numbers
93- On the bright side, the wage gap is tightening. In 1980, women earned an average of 67 cents for every dollar earned by male counterparts. In 2021, they earned 93. This might be the first generation to close the gap.
1.6 - Taylor Swift sold 1.695 million vinyl LPs in 2022
314,000 - Toronto may soon have more tech workers than Silicon Valley
Feeling good
The beauty of snow. The bear and the flowers. A Plastic Planet has launched an online platform to help architects and designers source plastic-free materials for their work. Paper.
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