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Scroll down to read about solo soap sessions, cats overtaking kids in Korea, and whether Chinese apps are cool or not.
Stats to power your week
🤖 The New York Times is “feeling the AGI” with both Ezra Klein and its tech correspondent Kevin Roose talking about how a general-purpose AI system could be closer than we think (even if others are more conservative). But if artificial general intelligence does arrive, it might need some explaining. In a survey we ran last year, 43% of consumers didn’t know what it was. GWI Zeitgeist
🐈⬛ The birth rate crisis in Asia doesn’t look like it’ll get better anytime soon, with young people in China and South Korea growing more negative towards the idea of marriage and childbirth. Meanwhile, pet ownership just might be the new move. While there’s been a 14% decline in 16-34 year olds having children since 2018, there’s been a 52% increase in cat ownership. GWI Core (South Korea)
📺 Watching TV can be a solo or social activity, but certain genres call for an audience of one. Soaps are one, and fans of these long-running melodramas are the most likely fandom to prefer watching TV on their own. These shows typically air midday multiple times a week, so fans might treat this as personal time or as background noise. GWI Zeitgeist and Core
🖊️ OpenAI is testing a new model for creative writing which has had the usual mixed reception. But here’s a twist - at least one member of the literati has come out in defense of its attempt at a short story. Considering half of consumers would be interested in AI-generated books, it might have more readers than expected. GWI Zeitgeist
🏄 Women’s sports has been making waves globally, and social media has helped to fuel the momentum. We found that wakeboarding fans were the most likely to follow female athletes or teams on social media, as top boarders like Zahra Kell boast an impressive 250K followers. GWI Sports
What’s on our radar
The release of ChatGPT in 2022 caught Google a little off-guard, but the team at Mountain View has been cooking with some recent AI releases, including some impressive image generation capabilities, the ability to analyze YouTube videos, and even robot-powered origami.
The AI race is heating up in China too, as Chinese search engine Baidu released updated versions of Ernie. One of which is said to have very high EQ, while the other is “on par with DeepSeek R1 at only half the price.” Oh, and if you ever feel self-conscious about using AI, we now know the politicians are at it as well.
The most trendy insurance right now might be a gold bar, as the price of gold is over $3,000/ounce for the first time ever. Central banks, businesses, and consumers are all investing in the precious metal amid uncertainty from global trade wars.
Some trends are decades in the making. Women doctors now outnumber men in the UK for the first time, while the number of male teachers in secondary schools is at an all-time low. Interesting to consider - what will the workplace and wider culture look like in light of these changes?
Hate to break it to you, but along with poetry and painting, AI is also judged better than humans at making memes. Well, sort of. While the average AI-generated meme outperforms the average human attempt, the best AI creations lose out to the internet’s finest meme-makers.
The podcast political discourse isn’t slowing down just because the election is over. California Governor Gavin Newsom is the latest to go behind the mic and (somewhat controversially) invite people from the other side of the political aisle. Meanwhile, the ongoing cultural “vibe shift” has seen TV shows pivot closer to the new political landscape.
A trend we’ve been keeping an eye on for a while is microplastics, as various studies have shown just how they get everywhere in the environment and in our bodies. We’re now starting to see it picked up in marketing, with some cookware startups making anti-microplastics a cornerstone of their messaging.
Chart of the week
2025 is only just getting started and we’ve already seen Chinese apps like RedNote, Manus, and DeepSeek attracting attention and building on the success of TikTok, Shein, and Temu. It begs the question…is Chinese tech cool now? And how do people feel about Chinese tech in general?
Based on global responses, China isn’t far from the US in getting that “cool” factor. But Chinese companies have some ground to make up. Even though these businesses and their products are seen as much more affordable and accessible, there are still lingering doubts around trust, security, and reliability.
That gap becomes even clearer when you look at how consumers perceive quality and security - areas where the US still holds a strong lead. A lot of people are skeptical about how user data is handled and the “Made in China” label is still often associated with low-quality goods. Even if this isn't always the case, it’s a tough perception to shake.
Local lowdown
Thai-fi
Music is, quite literally, the most popular thing in the world. It tops the list of our 60+ tracked personal interests, beating out food and cooking. But even within this universal touchstone, some cultures stand out for their engagement with it. Think of Thailand and you might think of the cuisine, Buddhism, or the vibrant nightlife of Bangkok. But Thai consumers also stand out for being deeply passionate about music.
They’re among the most likely in the world to see music as an expression of creativity and individuality. At the same time, they’re also the world leaders in wanting to set the tone at events via control of the music, or for relaxation - which is likely inspired by the Buddhist context.
The ribbon tying everything together? If you really want to set the tone, or to immerse yourself in some relaxing vibes, you need a good set of speakers. And no one in the world is as likely to have bought audio systems in the last few months than Thai consumers.
