As seen in this week's headlines:
- The European Space Agency (ESA) expressed interest in setting up a space-based solar farms through their Solaris program, according to Dezeen. This would be a major step towards sustainability, and a huge solar tech upgrade.
- The “Godfather of AI,” a former Google employee, quit the company to publicly express concerns regarding the AI his research helped develop, urging experts in the industry to take the technology seriously, per the BBC. AI is getting more personal: Business Insider reported that over 78% of medical experts prefer ChatGPT’s responses to a physician’s because they were more empathetic and efficient. As of this week, Microsoft’s Bing Chat AI is now open to the public for testing, per The Verge.
- New Yorkers may get adventurous with their cooking: the state became the first to ban natural gas stoves and furnaces for new buildings in the US, per CNN.
- Coffee growers in Uganda are growing a climate-change resistant coffee bean as changing terroirs threaten the more common Arabica and robusta plants, per The New York Times. For eco-conscious diners and flexivores in Argentina, new plant-based menus are growing in popularity at some of the top eateries in Buenos Aires, per Travel + Leisure.
- Savills’s Global Luxury Report revealed that European luxury store openings rose by 77% in 2022, according to WWD, indicating that consumers continue to show up for IRL shopping popups.
- Pharrell Williams created digital wearables with Doodles, per Vogue, as virtual retail and direct-to-avatar collections continue to launch.
- Work perks are getting more mindful. HR leaders told CNBC that proactive rest will take priority over PTO in 2023.
- Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky, a decentralized social media app, is gaining attention and popularity as traditional social media’s future shows signs of changing, per The New York Times.
