Here comes the sun
Two more degrees and it's on with the string vest
Buongiorno tutti. As the later spring holidays approach I’m all demob happy. And I’ve been reading LOTS of things…so have just put them below.
AI Stuff
This is actually really good. It talks of the ways people use AI differently.
“Low performers use AI to avoid thinking. They ask it to “write a report” or “give me some ideas”, then cut and paste it.
“High performers use AI to interrogate thinking. They test assumptions, challenge their own reasoning, and simulate opposing perspectives, then iterate from it.”
Which are you? Which are you? Worth a read for sure.
This study from Berkeley is interesting as a kind of warning for how companies use AI. We are being really intentional with AI use at the moment. As we see that you need to think about what you’re using it for and why, then explicitly talkg about it with other people.
The study here lays out the pitfalls for companies who are adopting it, pushing it and not asking the questions as to the why or how.Practically every day I see new signs that the backlash against AI is growing (1, 2, 3) among younger people. The above examples kind of paint the picture (and I guess you’ve seen that Florida video). Given that there is the perception of fewer and fewer jobs for those coming out of school and university, then it’s understandable. We will need to have an answer for this.
Culture stuff
Here’s a deep dive into the unhappiness epidemic in the US. It is really good. (Spoiler alert, whatever you think it is, it’s that…and more)
“The United States was a reasonably happy country for a long time,” the University of Chicago economist Sam Peltzman wrote in a 2026 paper. “It is not happy now.”
Crunching data from the General Social Survey, Peltzman documented “a sudden, sharp and historically unprecedented decline in self-reported happiness in the US population” after COVID that “mainly persists” through 2024.”
Employment stuff
This is a blummin’ great newsletter that you should definitely sign up to if you’re at all interested in the economy. Every now and again, it’ll touch on something to do with employment as well. This one talks about what we need to do given the fact that labour shortages are going to keep increasing given the fact that the working-age population is shrinking. If you throw immigration crackdowns into the mix then it’s going to get a bit spicy.
What happens to universities when the population is shrinking? Great deep dive.
“Education scholars talk about an “enrollment cliff,” and it stems from a simple demographic fact: after reaching a peak in 2007, the number of babies born annually in America generally declined for more than a decade. This means that there will not be as many eighteen-year-olds applying to college in 2029, say, as there were in 2025.”
This is a horrible news story about young people being persuaded to join guerilla batallions. If you work in recruitment advertising, you’ll probably appreciate that it’s not a matter of life or death but you’ll probably also recognise tactics that are being used by armed gangs to recruit young children to join their ranks.
Let’s end on something a bit more cheerful that warmed my heart. It’s almost a fairytale in reverse but still good news - three-time olympic cycling medallist gives it up for a career in nursing. I guess that’s why some people refer to it as a calling. Good on her. I like it when people find something they truly love doing.
Finally…Rec ads in the wild.
I wonder what the insight was for this. I’m guessing it’s that people want variety?
Getting any OOH out in London must be hard so would love to know more about this campaign if anyone knows who did it. Would love to know the research - why this bus route? Why this creative? So. Many. Questions.
Right that’s it for me. Have a lovely day and enjoy whatever good weather that comes your way.
Will
