17 May 2023

Hi folks,

Following the success of #BookTok, rumors are swirling that ByteDance will create its own app specifically for bookworms. But if you can’t wait that long, there’s always Dua Lipa’s new book club. From “Levitating” to literature? One read is all it takes…

Scroll down to read more about snark, superfakes, and survival mode.

Stats to power your week

🤖 With the release of new GWI USA data this week, we can see just how much attitudes to AI have changed since ChatGPT was launched. Concern about AI has increased by 26% since last quarter, a bigger jump than anything we’ve ever seen before – even bigger than “tensions with foreign countries” after the invasion of Ukraine. Consultants seem particularly worried, as the number concerned about AI is up 87%. (GWI USA)

🛠️ AI tools are increasingly prevalent, but only 44% of consumers agree that they trust AI tools to provide unbiased information about a topic. The power of AI for misinformation and misdirection was made obvious last week when a scammer used AI-generated tracks to swindle Frank Ocean fans. (GWI Zeitgeist)

👜 We’ve talked a lot in the last year about consumers becoming more modest in their ambitions, focusing more on surviving than thriving. Some big year-on-year changes confirm it’s affecting what they need from brands. There’s been a 23% year-on-year increase in the number of Americans who say they want brands to improve their everyday life, and another 23% rise in the number who want brands to improve their knowledge. (GWI USA)

🏦 Three American banks have failed this year, spreading uncertainty through the financial markets. What do consumers think? 81% reckon central/national banks are stable, compared to just 42% who say the same about crypto-friendly banks. This does increase to 58% of crypto owners, though. (GWI Zeitgeist) 

🎙️ Americans listen to podcasts for almost 90 minutes a day, and the number being recorded is only growing. As a relatively young media channel, the market leader is still being established, but for the time being YouTube is actually the most popular platform – it seems watching podcasts is just as satisfying as hearing them. (GWI USA)

What’s on our radar

With Google’s I/O conference last week, the search giant made a slew of announcements, most of them AI-related. Highlights included an AI coding bot, new integrations for its Workplace software, a "universal translator", and some intriguing tests of generative AI in shopping.

AI-driven shopping assistants are worth watching this summer. After the first ChatGPT-powered fashion and style assistants were announced earlier this month, the same is starting to happen with AI travel planners. Vegas, anyone?

Data privacy concerns, especially at enterprise level, have been a big barrier in mass adoption of ChatGPT so far. So Microsoft is reportedly working on a more privacy-focused solution – important as the European Union prepares tougher legislation on the technology. 

Wendy’s is testing an AI chatbot at an Ohio drive-thru. Want fries with that?

Want a sense of how artificial intelligence is empowering people to set up their own businesses quicker than ever? Check out this AI-driven Etsy store.  

Social applications of AI are likely to be huge as well – an influencer released an AI version of themselves that reportedly earned over $70,000 in a week. Makes you wonder if you could send a version of yourself to your next 9:00 AM meeting… 

Good news for streamers – Hulu and Disney+ will combine into one app sometime later this year. 

Forget dupes, "superfakes" are the new knock-off items du jour. Brands combating dupes do have options though: they can either collaborate with mass market retailers, or just… make their own. 

Superfakes, dupes, deinfluencing, and "eating the rich" are all cultural side effects of the cost of living crisis. Another to add to the list: “influencer snark” subreddits dunking on the social media know-it-alls. 

Those paying attention to this year’s Eurovision will have heard hosts telling viewers to “join us on Reddit”. The song contest has form with new types of social interaction – they were one of the first to get on the TikTok bandwagon, way back in 2019. 

TikTok itself has had a busy week, launching a new hub for music discovery, testing distribution deals with artists, and potentially gaining a brother app, dedicated specifically to books. 

Japanese sportswear company Goldwin has joined forces with biotech company Spiber to produce lab-grown material for clothes.

Microbes were discovered that can digest plastic at low temperatures, a potential recycling breakthrough. Sounds tasty.

Much is in the pipeline for text-based social media, as Meta has confirmed it’s working on a new platform codenamed P92, while we’re starting to get glimpses of what Bluesky looks like behind the fence of its invite-only beta.

Chart of the week

For all the different ways we talk about misinformation, there’s one aspect of it we rarely do: when consumers deliberately give companies incorrect information. 

1 in 10 regularly give the wrong name, email, or phone number when prompted. Other than leaving businesses seriously confused, it also creates huge inefficiencies in digital marketing. There are many reasons to make your brand look secure, trusted, and credible, but this is a particularly good one.

Get more from GWI

Bits and bobs we thought you might like:

• 5 social issues US consumers really care about
• Talk data to me, LinkedIn: Trust, authenticity, and data-led decisions
• How to deal with a reputation crisis