Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

Diverse representation is an expectation, but as individuals no longer allow themselves to be defined in singular terms, there's mounting pressure on brands to understand and sensitively reflect how the intersections between race, gender, class, and ability impact people's everyday lives.

Mobile app Be My Eyes has partnered with OpenAI to launch an AI assistant for people with visual impairments. The collaboration highlights how purpose-driven initiatives that integrate with the work of real people can boost trust in artificial intelligence as it becomes part of everyday life.

The Avon Institute is addressing gendered violence in Brazil with a chatbot powered by the voices of 500 women. As people demand hardline approaches to social issues, the initiative is an example of how brands can provide necessary solutions that place citizenship and action at their core.

Motorola has partnered with the Lenovo Foundation to expand its Indigenous languages digital inclusion initiative with two endangered languages spoken in India. As national and cultural heritage becomes increasingly important, people are looking for ways to halt unnecessary erasure.

Algorithms have become central to discovering new music and products online – but are machine-led recommendations always welcome? Canvas8 spoke to Chiara Longoni, an assistant professor at Boston University, to understand how people’s goals impact their willingness to trust AI.