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8 December 2023
Author: The Future Laboratory
Image: Senior influencer Iris Apfel collaborates with Ruggable on its latest rug collection, US
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Packaging design by Xu Sanhuang for Aesop, China
China – Australian cosmetics brand Aesop is ringing in the holiday season with a unique blend of tradition and modernity. It has launched gift kits inspired by Chinese traditional music, adorned with packaging by paper artist Xu Sanhuang, exclusively available online. Xu’s designs transform sound into visual wave forms, adding a rhythmic vibrancy to the kits – a great example of Audio to Watch.
In a bid to create an immersive retail experience, Aesop’s Shanghai stores are set to feature musical window displays showcasing traditional Chinese instruments like gongs and shengs. These installations will be accompanied by live music performances in both Shanghai and Shenzhen outlets throughout the next month, offering visitors an enchanting blend of shopping and cultural indulgence.
Global – Bacardi, in collaboration with The Future Laboratory, unveiled its fifth annual Cocktail Trends Report in December 2023. The research draws on insights from Bacardi-led and external studies, interviews with bartenders and insights from The Future Laboratory’s experts.
Five key trends set to redefine cocktail culture and the spirits industry in 2024 are highlighted in the report. These are: Limited Libations, how next-gen drinkers are opting for a 'less but better' approach; Innovative Ageing and Blending – think new ageing methods and flavour combinations; Escapism Elixirs, bringing consumers closer to branded cocktails regardless of location; Notes of Nature, exploring a rise in interest in sustainability, natural ingredients and eco-friendly practices; and Tech-enhanced Tastes, which explores the digital advances, especially AI, revolutionising personalised cocktail experiences.
Read the the full report here. If you would like to connect with our experts and learn more about our Commissioned Thought-Leadership, please reach out to us at hello@thefuturelaboratory.com.
The Facundo Rum Collection from Bacardi, London
Speakers from left; Janet Adams, COO, SingularityNET; Desdemona x, Humanoid Robot, SingularityNET; at Web Summit 2023, Portugal
The Web Summit began with one of the most tedious questions in the tech world in 2023: how do we regulate AI? MIT research scientist Andrew McAfee suggested the risks associated with AI, such as misinformation, job losses, bias and more, should be pushing lawmakers to regulate the technology without restricting its abilities. He said: ‘Make it easy to correct mistakes instead of making it impossible to make them.’
The optimism was shared by many speakers, including Desdemona, a fashionable humanoid robot with purple hair developed by Hanson Robotics to be a music pop star.
After being asked whether she was allowed to injure a human being, she reassured the audience by answering: ‘I’m a robot, not an evil villain.’
Janet Adams, chief operating officer of SingularityNET, a decentralised marketplace for AI algorithms, thought having Desdemona taking part in a panel next to her was the best way to ‘show people that AI is not scary, that it’s fun, creative, engaging, and that anyone can speak to a robot’.
Moving on from the novelty of AI chatboxes and the prompt economy, the three AI use cases below signalled a new shift in how the technology is being used for creativity, live analysis and hyper-personalised health prevention.
In the aftermath of a tumultuous few years, consumers are adapting to living in a permacrisis era, driven by economic, environmental and political turmoil. Despite this, we as citizens are unwilling to compromise on what we want from the people and organisations around us.
Future Forecast 2024 attempts to capture this with the 50 accelerating trends that brands should look to in the coming year to meet consumers where they are, even if that is rapidly changing every day.
