Fast Company Middle East

4 days ago | fastcompanyme.com | Jeff Beer

The first iteration of Brand New World was a very specific look at how AI is changing how brands and marketers work. Now we’re back to talk about brand culture more broadly. Of course that will involve AI from time to time, but I’ll also be digging into sports, entertainment, music, comedy, and everywhere else brands squeeze their way into pop culture. Everyone says they hate advertising, but everyone loves at least one brand. Brand New World is here to talk about why.

5 days ago | fastcompanyme.com | Jared Newman

While on vacation in Florida, for instance, I asked Gemini to look up the time for my flight home. It first informed me that I had two flights scheduled (I only had one), and when I asked to put the correct flight info on my calendar, Gemini added a completely invented flight to New York instead. (I live in Cincinnati.) Gemini also failed to account for traffic when I asked what time to leave for the airport, even though Google Maps provides this info on its own.

6 days ago | fastcompanyme.com | Doreen Lorenzo

It’s part of my creative process in that it helps me visualize materials, colors, and sensory experiences I’m considering for a project. It’s a great way to communicate an idea visually, and also to put it out there so someone else can pick it up and build on it. So for me, it’s really a tool that helps us be more precise in how we express and share ideas.

1 week ago | fastcompanyme.com | Eve Upton-Clark

According to new research from Whop, a marketplace for digital products, one in three Gen Z consumers now make purchasing decisions based on recommendations from AI-generated influencers. The report gathered survey data from 2,001 Americans ages 12 to 27 and found the trend particularly strong among college-age consumers. Nearly half of 19- to 21-year-olds follow AI influencers, with 47% of young men following these accounts, compared with less than 40% of young women.

1 week ago | fastcompanyme.com | Brian Kateman

The hottest thing in meat, these days? Apparently, it’s vegetables. Nectar, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to advancing alternative proteins, released findings last week from a large-scale blind taste test comparing hybrid meat-veggie products with traditional meat. The blended products, which they’re calling “balanced proteins,” are a hit with omnivores—so much so that testers actually preferred some of them to their all-meat counterparts.