We often talk about AI-generated portraits that look like real people. But what about real people that look like AI? Please spare a thought for “Human male 37”, who in a recent study, 90% of people thought was fake.
Scroll down to read about MrUgleh, The Marvels, and millionaires in Buenos Aires.
Stats to power your week
🖼️ The number of people who think AI tools can produce “real” art or music has grown 17% since April. In that time we’ve seen Ghostwriter and MrUgleh create some of the first viral generative mashups and paintings respectively, and those brave pioneers seem to be changing perspectives on the new medium. GWI Zeitgeist
🤖 AI is also causing more people to think about their place at work, with the number worried about technology taking their jobs increasing 33% year-on-year. For people who work in the media though, it’s up 63%. The media has gone from 22nd to 2nd in the list of sectors most worried about the impact of tech on their careers. GWI USA
🦸 Marvel heroes might have experience in saving the world, but with the latest MCU film struggling at the box office, they could do with a return favor. Kids’ changing tastes give some insight here – the number of 12-15 year olds who like Captain Marvel is down 11% since 2021. Yoda (+46%) and Baby Yoda (+57%), on the other hand, are rising stars. Bear that in mind when you’re Christmas shopping. GWI Kids
🌆 To mark the official announcement of the next Grand Theft Auto game, we couldn’t resist finding out who the most diehard GTA fans are. It turns out that those who swear by Rockstar energy drinks are fueling their escapades in the virtual world made by Rockstar Games (46% play it). So…when’s the ultimate marketing collaboration going to happen? GWI Core (USA)
🏪 Inflation, among other things, has caused a spike in shoplifting in a number of markets. In a recent survey, we asked consumers how they felt about retail theft, and how it might change their behavior. Answers varied by country, but in the US at least, a quarter are currently concerned about shoplifting, and 38% want stores to bring in more security measures. GWI Zeitgeist
What’s on our radar
So Sam Altman and OpenAI had a busy weekend. The upshot is: the already disruptive AI chatbot market is set for more twists. Elsewhere, Google’s new ChatGPT competitor Gemini is unlikely to arrive this year, and Meta has restructured its Responsible AI team.
Google DeepMind and YouTube have created the most advanced AI music generation model yet, letting users create a masterpiece just by humming (this is actually close to how Michael Jackson used to work, except he needed producers to turn his ideas into songs). Meanwhile, an upcoming Edith Piaf biopic is heavily leaning on AI tech to recreate the French singer’s presence.
If you look at how far AI-generated images and songs have come in 18 months, think what could happen over the next few with videos. Meta’s new Emu Video lets you generate four-second videos (more like GIFs really), which will soon be integrated with Facebook and Instagram.
AI disruption isn’t theoretical, it’s already shaping elections, as we saw in Argentina’s recent ballot. Two key use-cases: one is to make it look like your opponent said something they didn’t, the other is to show the utopia/dystopia voters can expect if you win/lose.
Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in certain fungi (often called “magic mushrooms”) is getting more mainstream acceptance. A US government department is committing to studying how effective it (and other psychedelics) are for treating post-traumatic stress, while a recent convention in Denver represented a milestone in consumer interest.
Chart of the week
With our latest Zeitgeist survey, we reached a new milestone at GWI towers. Or at least, our respondents did. With 86% in the UK agreeing that AI-generated content should be labeled as such, we saw the highest level of consensus we’ve seen for any agreement scale question since we launched Zeitgeist in 2020.
What’s the lowest level of consensus there’s ever been, we hear you ask? For the moment, that honor goes to the 7% in November last year who agreed with “I prefer to buy products which are endorsed by a celebrity”.
Local lowdown
Millionaires in the land of silver
Argentina recently held its presidential election, which was won by the outsider candidate Javier Milei. And as a case study in consumer behavior, Argentina is one of the most interesting markets in our research.
The country has been experiencing an economic crisis for the last few years, with inflation above 100% for most of 2023. This has led to an amazing (if deceptive) trend. In 2019, 4% of its consumers had a household income of over a million pesos. Now, a third of its households are millionaires. But that only shows the diminished value of the currency due to inflation – purchasing power has decreased substantially.
And yet, even in this difficult situation, some consumers keep on spending. As this article explains, when saving seems pointless, a YOLO mindset often wins the day. It’s just one example among many of how consumer spending doesn’t always match what the economy’s doing.
