Zone’s Mark Sylvester handpicks and shares the five best news stories on digital trends, experiences and technologies…
1. The bots making a mark on the billboards
These days it seems that you can’t click on a link without encountering a story about artificial intelligence (AI), and one of the latest developments in the bots’ skillset is helping develop a billboard ad campaign. Fashion retailer Revolve teamed up with AI studio Maison.Meta for the first-ever venture into AI-generated billboards.
The innovative move is aimed at promoting their Best Trip campaign, celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary. Revolve believes AI technology can give businesses a competitive edge, enabling them to engage creatively with customers and offer them a richer experience. Those in agreement, say AI!
2. Bigger data for smaller footprints
With climate change a literal hot topic, most firms make sustainability a top priority. However, for many, actually understanding their carbon footprint can be a tricky business, according to research by Microsoft and Tata Consultancy Services.
While companies are careful about procurement, prioritise sustainable partners, and take a greener approach to digital data, around 80% say they lack the means to quantify what it all means and how to track their true emissions. So, enter the digital tools designed to bring all the data together and help companies plug the carbon leaks for good.
3. The sky’s the limit for drones
Drones often find themselves in the news for all the wrong reasons — from their role in combat zones to flying too close to airports and interfering with sporting events. However, the technology is ripe for positive uses, as proven by a collaboration between BT and drone experts Skyfarer and Medical Logistics UK.
Flying between University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, the team has shown that medical deliveries can be made over long distances, saving precious time and much-needed money. Droning on could be key to transforming the medical delivery market.
4. Social media — a mind game that matters
With US schools lining up to sue big tech companies over the well-being of teens, what is the role of social media in the growing mental health crisis? The youth mental health crisis is undoubtedly real, with a US study revealing 1 in 5 youngsters aged nine to seventeen have a diagnosable disorder.
There is also abundant evidence to prove teens are spending more time on social media. However, connecting the two is far from straightforward. But since social media is here to stay, it is an avenue that needs exploring to ensure all is being done to protect users, especially the young.
5. Why we need to stem the silver exodus
While expertise in remote meetings and more flexible working are some positive fallouts from the pandemic, the loss of older workers is an increasingly worrying negative. Nearly a quarter of a million fewer people aged 50–64 are now in employment compared to the same period pre-Covid, which means crucial skills and experience are being lost.
Businesses can’t take it, and the economy can’t afford it. So, at Zone, we consider why mature workers are leaving the workplace and how a compelling proposition and a different approach to employee experience can help attract and retain older talent.
