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A galaxy of trends. Our friends over at VC marketing firm Spacecadet compiled an impressive list of 2024 trend reports that has a little something for everyone. Don’t thank us — thank them — and share what resonates the most in your world. |
In other news… Big Tech gets into wearable AI, streamers make big sports moves, and an underground pipeline explodes the concept of food delivery. |
Top Trends |
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |
 | Always on // Illustration by Kate Walker |
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Big Tech gets fitted for wearable AI |
The Future. Big Tech sees wearable, AI-powered tech as a way to drive constant engagement… and now, every company is trying to win the race to create the go-to device. Whichever firm comes out on top could have the iPhone of the AI era — a ubiquitous device that becomes synonymous with the market itself. |
Face screens
Every firm in Silicon Valley is working on a wearable that uses multimodal AI — systems that “understand drawings, charts, objects, and hand gestures in addition to text and audio,” per The Information. |
OpenAI has reportedly struck a deal with Snap to bring an object-recognition system to products, while CEO Sam Altman is developing a device with Jony Ive. Microsoft is introducing an OpenAI-powered chatbot to its HoloLens AR goggles and has filed patents that imagine multimodal AI in small, lightweight devices. Google has focused its AI capabilities on the Pixel phone but is also developing software that can be licensed to hardware manufacturers. Meta is already testing AI capabilities in its smart glasses made in collaboration with Ray-Ban. Apple will have strong computer vision software in its upcoming Vision Pro and was recently developing a lightweight pair of AI-powered smart glasses (that’s been paused). Amazon has been working under the radar on several devices, including a pair of smart glasses called “Echo Frames” that uses AI.
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But there’s one company that doesn’t believe people want AI on their face: Humane, which thinks having a device pinned to your clothes that can project images onto your hands is a more natural way to use the tech. |
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SPORTS |
 | The streaming score // Illustration by Kate Walker |
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Sports turns streaming into the new stadium |
The Future. The glue holding cable subscriptions is falling apart — streamers are sweeping up sports rights across the board. The paradigm shift is driven by the leagues looking to find young audiences where they are. But with sports being more expensive than ever to license, expect to start paying a premium on every platform to have full access to games. |
Team players
Profit-seeking streamers have found that recruiting sports rights is one of the quickest growth plays. |
Disney is in the midst of remaking ESPN as a sports-streaming powerhouse. Amazon’s Thursday Night Football accounts for 25% of all internet traffic on Thursday nights. Warner Bros. Discovery launched a sports tier on Max that’ll show games from the MLB, NBA, and NHL. NBCUniversal hosted 51 live sporting events — including the NFL, Premier League, and Big Ten — on Peacock in September. Paramount Global says its NFL games are one of the key drivers of subscriber growth at Paramount+. Apple’s exclusive hosting of MLS has been a huge success (especially for Lionel Messi).
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And with YouTube’s purchase of NFL Sunday Ticket already posting record sign-ups for the paid tier, there doesn’t seem to be a platform where sports don’t do well. |
Despite some experiments, the only real holdout is Netflix… but they may be content just taking nearly everyone’s scripted content to bolster their library. |
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Do you have a virtual assistant? ‘Tis the season, so don’t miss out! 🎄✨ |
If endless email threads and admin tasks are killing your holiday vibe… |
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With Virtual Gurus, you can focus on making strategic decisions while your virtual assistant handles the other stuff — like admin tasks, marketing support, and even bookkeeping. |
You don’t have to stress about finding one either. They’ll match you with the best assistant for whatever you need. Plus, everything’s done through a flexible monthly subscription. So, there’s no contract necessary. 🎉 |
Embrace the holiday spirit: gift yourself a virtual assistant today. 🎁 |
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TECHNOLOGY |
 | Courtesy of Pipedream |
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Atlanta is sending lunch underground |
The Future. Pipedream Labs wants to reimagine last-mile delivery service with electric-powered, underground pipes that can zip food and other packages across cities. Its adoption could not only cut down on traffic congestion and vehicle emissions but also create a pipeline (pun intended) where deliveries and returns can happen almost automatically. |
Tube of tuna
One day, you’ll be able to have a bag of Doritos piped to you directly as if you were living in The Jetsons. |
Pipedream Labs’ proprietary pipes are an update on the old concept of the pneumatic tube — a once-prevalent way of sending mail, packages, and the occasional sick cat. Instead of pushing shipments using air, the 18-inch-wide pipes are outfitted with a small EV that can shuttle up to 40 pounds at a speed of 45 mph. The pilot in the city of Peachtree Corners connects a shopping center with a technology park called Curiosity Lab almost a mile away. Buried just six feet underground, the Peachtree pipe can shuttle food in less than five minutes — a process that’s all controlled by customers via an app.
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Brandon Branham, Peachtree’s assistant city manager and chief technology officer, said the hope is that the technology will lower the cost of stocking snacks at the office and allow employees to get their snack on without having to drive off campus (translation: stay at your desk!). |
Fun fact: Peachtree Corners loves a good innovation pilot — it was also the first place to test remotely-controlled e-scooters. |
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When you find out they’re charging you more in fees than they should. |
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YOUR DAILY POLL |
We ask the hard-hitting questions. |
How are you spending the rest of 2023? |
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28.4% of you voted for Protein in Friday’s poll: What wellness trend will you participate in next year? |
“Muscle = longevity!” |
“I’m a 57-year-old woman — I think that says it all about my answer!!! 😂” |
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Highlights |
The best curated daily stories from around the web |
Media, Music, & Entertainment |
With many movies moving off of next year’s calendar due to strike-related delays, the box office may take an up to $2 billion hit. Read More → thr Ampere Analysis found that Disney’s combination of Disney+ and Hulu will make it the most popular streamer based on its available titles… and the service with the most titles available. Read More → deadline Spotify is testing an AI-generated playlist feature that lets users curate music with custom prompts or a selection of suggestions. Read More → engadget
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Fashion & E-Commerce |
Grimes and toy company Curio have developed a line of interactive AI plush toys… and one of them is named Grok despite having no relation to X’s chatbot. Read More → theverge Kanye is back with a new sneaker (more like knee-high socks), dubbed the “Yzy Pods” — clearly trying to reclaim the name from his partnership with adidas that ended due to his controversial behavior. Read More → complex Unilever, the parent company of Degree and Dove, is working on a new type of antiperspirant deodorant with some state-of-the-art sweat tests. Read More → wsj
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Tech, Web3, & AI |
Waymo is piloting an autonomous curbside pickup service at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Read More → techcrunch Despite flopping on first release, the Solana Saga phone has sold out in the US because the 30 million BONK tokens pre-loaded onto the phone are now worth more than the phone itself. Read More → theblock A supercomputer that has the processing power of the human brain is coming online next year at Australia’s Western Sydney University. Read More → insider
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Creator Economy |
Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream with Nicki Minaj broke the record for most concurrent streams ever — 348,593 viewers. Read More → tubefilter MrBeast has to change the name of his “Deez Nuts” snack after losing a legal battle with the gourmet peanut company Dee’s Nuts. Read More → hypebeast Social network Jagat surpassed 10 million users on its global friend-and-activity-finding social map. Read More → techcrunch
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Boye Akolade. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar. |
