Dress to Impress is getting real, as Roblox players can now buy real products in-game for the first time. Outside of other games, jewelry is the most distinctive item on Roblox players’ present wishlists - might “as seen in game” become the new “as seen on screen”?
Scroll down to read about broken hearts, the creative arts, and the usual good charts. And just a heads-up, there’ll be no newsletter from us next week due to the UK bank holiday - we’ll see you again in sunny June.
Stats to power your week
❓When it comes to AI and social media, misinformation is cited as the biggest concern for both technologies. We often think of it in relation to specific platforms, but it might be a more long-standing concern than we often realize. Even as the tech we focus on changes, our anxieties stay the same - and misinformation seems to be one that sticks. GWI Zeitgeist
🏪 Where does branding matter most on the shelf? One way of answering that question is seeing which categories prompt the most (and least) own-label purchases. Tinned and fresh foods (64%) have the highest rate of own-label purchases, while personal care items like toothpaste or shampoo (37%) have the lowest. GWI Core Plus (UK)
🥩 Protein has had a good decade, and there’s one stat in particular that highlights its emergence on plates and in popular culture. In 2020, high protein was the 9th most likely thing Americans were to say was “very important” in their diet. But in 2025, it’s top of the leaderboard - the need for protein now outranks everything else. GWI USA
🏢 Are you worried about AI taking your job? Americans increasingly are, with a big jump in the share who say they’re worried that new tech will take their job since ChatGPT launched. The biggest rises have come from workers in HR/training (+59%), healthcare (+53%), and hospitality (+48%). GWI USA
What’s on our radar
Discussion around the prospects of young men and boys has grown, thanks in part to Richard Reeves and his institute bringing research into the public domain - a push that may expand with a brother organization in the UK. One of his theories, that men depend more emotionally on women than vice versa, is echoed by the recent finding that men are twice as likely to die of “broken heart syndrome”.
Two important benchmarks to keep track of as AI developments are how much it can produce genuinely novel breakthroughs, and how much it demonstrates self-improvement recursion - i.e., whether AI can be used to make better AI. So it’s pretty notable that Google’s new coding agent shows signs of doing both.
The view of AI in the arts is part resistance, part acceptance. Elton John is the latest to oppose the UK government’s plans to let AI firms use artists’ work unpaid, while the launch of the Digital Art Awards in London signals growing institutional integration. Meanwhile, Audible has announced plans to use AI technology to narrate audiobooks.
There’s a similar give and take happening in medicine. Saudi Arabia is now home to the first AI doctor clinic, and an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal highlights how AI can help with treating chronic pain, though medical researchers in China are cautioning about hospitals adopting DeepSeek too quickly. And while radiologists have often been predicted to be among the first to experience large-scale job losses thanks to AI, they’re doing better than ever.
Netflix is working on a new framework for generative AI ads in its programming, while a true crime company is using AI video to dramatize the ongoing trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs. This seems to be an emerging use case for AI visuals - bringing to life things that a broader audience couldn’t otherwise see.
With so much happening in tech, it’s no wonder people are looking to unwind. Apple Music has teamed up with UMG on wellness sound therapy, Fearne Cotton has expanded her wellness portfolio with an online store, TikTok is adding a meditation feature, and Rituals is bringing its “mind spa” concept to the UK for the first time.
The latest vibe shift is in the world of energy: Belgium has reversed its planned phase-out of nuclear power, while Denmark is reconsidering its own long-standing position.
Chart of the week
ChatGPT has reached a quarter of the online population in just two years, a pace of adoption that beats all other digital platforms, with the exception of TikTok. While some tools take years to gain mainstream traction, ChatGPT has gone from niche to normal at record speed. It's a reminder how rapidly new tech can scale when utility meets novelty and cultural relevance.
Still, as we’ve covered before, complete adoption of a technology by the market actually takes a while, and many under-estimate how slow it can be to happen in full. ChatGPT might have got off to a flying start with its first 25%, but the last 25% will take a long time to crack.
Local lowdown
Bank like an Egyptian
Egypt taught the Arab world how to bank - but most Egyptians still don’t have a bank account. Less than half of adults in the country have one, the lowest level in our research by some distance. Egyptians are more likely to have a TikTok or a Telegram account than they are a bank account.
Why? A vast cash-only informal economy keeps salaries off the books, and millions simply don’t earn enough to meet minimum balance rules.
The twist? Egypt opened one of the region’s very first banks back in 1856 - and today it turns out more accountants per capita than anywhere else. The original home of Arab banking, and the country that’s home to a small army of book-keepers is still, paradoxically, one of the world’s most unbanked nations.
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