Foresight 27: All things generative AI
A newsletter diving into the concepts, people and brands shaping the future of retail, entertainment and connectivity.
Welcome back to Foresight!
I’m sure you’ve read about ChatGPT by now and maybe even played around with the tool - ChatGPT was not used to write this newsletter, however there were multiple attempts for research purposes. We’re only beginning to see the potential of generative AI and how it will be used at work, in play, and how it could impact our jobs. Experts anticipate a major impact on how brands interact with their communities and the creator economy, which is explored below. There’s also some fun, high-level thinking below on ways generative AI could merge with AR.
Lastly, if you’re curious to know if ChatGPT is coming for job - WIRED has a great read on this.
Questions or comments? Reply to this email—let’s chat!
IDEAS, INSIGHTS & FORWARD-THINKING PERSPECTIVES
ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, has become a leader in the generative AI renaissance. The use cases are endless - leading to suggestions of a shift in technology and culture comparable to the introduction of the iPhone. You’ve probably heard by now that the tool is not perfect (the publicly available version is only trained on data up to 2021) and requires human editing. Generative AI is seen as overall more accessible than other buzzy tech we’ve talked about, giving anyone access to play with the tool which has led to over 13M daily users as of January 2023. The immediate impact ChatGPT is having after only being available for a few months is evident:
What does this mean for brands?
In the immediate term, experts believe the best use case is throughout the creative process, from generating marketing copy and product descriptions, to creating outlines for business plans. Using AI to recommend content, identify images and answer customer questions isn’t new but the sophisticated and accessible nature of ChatGPT might allow brands to incorporate and customize customer-facing and behind-the-scenes functions in the future. Improving chatbots, as well as hyper-personalized content and sizing for consumers are a few possible scenarios for utility beyond copywriting.
Converging with AR
Generative AI is considered to be a connective tissue for powering web3 technology and devices such as AR glasses, as well as personalizing virtual worlds and making avatar interactions realistic. Although it’s still very early stages to speculate how AI and AR will converge, use cases can be divided between user and creator-facing features. Starting with the former, generative AI could be used as a way to create AR experience on the fly which is very different from the experiences and interactions that are currently “painstakingly developed in advance”. Similarly, the range of possibilities for entertainment and “how-to” content could help AR evolve into more of a utility, allowing users to view 3D content on demand. From a creator standpoint, aiding in the creation of 3D models would fill a key gap in AR’s value chain, as well as add to the ideation process for creators to help with inspiration, storyboarding and prototyping. A closer look at AI’s capabilities will need to be explored before these ideas materialize but until then, it doesn’t hurt to think about the convergence of the two!
WHAT I’M READING
Cathy Hackl’s new connected fashion collection showcases the tech’s utility
‘Digital twin’ tech is twice as great as the metaverse
New YouTube CEO is bullish on web3 tech
Snap launches ray tracing in lens studio
L’Oréal unveils new beauty innovations at CES
Louis Vuitton’s latest AR project? Covering landmarks in dots