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.

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.

People are taking a patchwork approach to self-expression to feel like they have control over how their identity is generated. Yet as individual expression becomes more mutable and mistrust in social systems abounds, there’s one place above all that people are seeking integrity and guidance: brands.

An experiential art campaign called ‘The Unseen Machine’ has sparked conversation about AI’s role in creativity. Despite general anxiety about AI, excitement about its ability to augment inventiveness creates an opportunity for brands to show how new tech might support and inspire human imagination.

EPIK’s 'AI Yearbook' feature has gone viral on social media as influencers and celebrities jump on the trend of generating 90s-style school photos from images of themselves. Although a bit of fun for many, it again highlights people’s privacy concerns when it comes to generative AI.

Dot is an AI assistant that offers hyper-personalized guidance on reaching users' goals and setting timely reminders for optimized productivity. As worries around AI battle with the promises that the technology can make people's lives easier, more humanized approaches could be most appealing.

Many people think of artificial intelligence as only affecting online interactions. But as it makes its way into more physical environments, how will people react? And how can brands best use the tech to engage their customers and strike the right balance between personalisation and privacy?