May, 2023: Summer is here! Time to let the vibes roll!

A.I. AND CREATIVITY. FRIEND OR FOE?

Over the past few months A.I. has been a hot topic of discussion. The rise in popularity of ChatGPT has led to other tech companies hastily wheeling out their own versions of the A.I. powered chatbot. Like every technological revolution throughout history, some have been more successful than others, but the power of A.I. isn’t limited to asking a chatbot what to have for dinner. It can be woven into hundreds of everyday tasks and jobs, including creativity. From image generation to scriptwriting, A.I. can do it all… but can it? Do creatives need to be worried about what is on the horizon?

It is understandable that people are apprehensive. Creativity in all forms is not only for business or financial gain, it is also deeply personal. Writers and artists spend hours painstakingly rewriting or touching up their masterpiece until it’s absolutely perfect, with the final output often being compared to a child or labour of love. So the thought of a computer creating a masterpiece in seconds is enough to make any creative’s skin crawl (including mine). In recent months we are beginning to see how people feel about this impending threat.

The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) is currently striking, for a variety of reasons I will add, but one of the scarier ones is the use of A.I. in the writing process. OpenAI published a report stating that writers are ‘fully exposed’ when it comes to the advantages of A.I., meaning that their jobs could be under threat in the future. Or not so distant future. The strike itself has led to studios digging deep into what exactly A.I. can do when it comes to scriptwriting. The results have been somewhat mixed. Yes, it can write a script with passable dialogue, but what A.I. lacks is emotion and originality. It requires someone to feed it information in the first place. And if you feed it rubbish, don't expect anything better out the other end.

We have also seen A.I. weave its way into other creative fields. The likes of Midjourney and Photoshop’s latest generative fill tool have certainly made a splash across social media. The ability to make oneself look like a Pixar character is exciting at first but what after that? Looking like a Simpson maybe? I created the below image using Photoshop’s new tool. By simply highlighting an area and typing in what you need, the A.I. then creates the image. As you can see, the outcome is both incredibly clever, yet leaves a strange feeling. But similarly to all A.I. platforms, the more details you give it, the better it will do, and over time it will learn and improve itself. But much like scriptwriting, you still need to have a creative vision in the first place, A.I. just helps you get there quicker.

So is A.I. a friend or foe? It depends on how you use it and your intentions. If it is seen as a way to save money and replaces the human brain then it can be a scary prospect. But if seen as a creative tool, something to work with and alongside the creative process, it can definitely have its perks. It can help unlock doors that can’t normally open. Or bring a style that is less natural to the user. We just have to hope it doesn’t rise up and kill us after we have asked it to make us look like a cat for the millionth time.

MEANWHILE AT THE LAIR

THE YARDS' CONVERSATION MENUS

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you struggle to come up with things to say? Whether it's a first date or a family reunion, it's only natural to want to avoid any awkward silences. According to our research, a whopping 92% of Londoners have rehearsed a conversation ahead of a social event, with 88% even preparing pre-planned talking points to ensure the conversation flows smoothly.

To combat this, we worked with The Yards to partner with The School of Life to create Conversation Menus, bespoke menus designed to ignite meaningful conversations and cultivate connections. Whether you’re a first-time dater, friends, partners, families, or even strangers sharing a meal together, we have got you covered.

After a successful media and influencer launch earlier this month, the campaign saw coverage pick-up in the likes of The Evening Standard, Country and Townhouse, @popupslondon, London Daily News, and more!

The menus will be available to the public every Thursday until 29th June, at select locations throughout The Yards, including Miscusi, Badiani, Gura Gura, and Stanfords. For more information head to https://theyardscoventgarden.co.uk/events/loveattheyards/

DISNEY'S WONDER OF FRIENDSHIP: THE EXPERIENCE

This month, Disney launched Wonder of Friendship: The Experience at 180 Strand to celebrate 100 years of its iconic franchise friendships. The immersive and interactive experience featured rooms centred around Alice in Wonderland, Lilo + Stitch, The Lion King and Mickey and Friends. Partnering with Snap, it was the first time fans could interact with characters outside of the parks, via exclusively curated lenses.

The experience ran for two weeks from the 12th-21st May and the launch event was attended by celebrities such as Max George, Nadine Coyle and Vanessa White — as well as being DJ’ed by none other than Snoochie Shy.

Coverage highlights include The Sun, Time Out London (both Instagram and Tiktok), Stylist and Metro.

BEAVERTOWN'S SUMMER COLLABORATION SESSIONS

Beavertown Brewery has kicked off its epic Summer Collaboration Sessions tour across the country with a bang! This cosmic extravaganza began with an event at London's renowned Flat Iron Square on Saturday 27th of May — and it’s now set to embark on a journey across the rest of the country.

London attendees were welcomed with an electrifying atmosphere, mouth-watering food, delicious pints of beer, and a one-of-a-kind musical performance courtesy of the Grammy-winning Jazztronica group, Blue Lab Beats, and Afrobeats artist, Ghetto Boy, who collaborated solely for this event. What’s more, in true Beavertown fashion, our favourite brewery’s legendary Skulloon (an enormous skull-shaped air balloon) made an appearance, amplifying the excitement to new heights.

If couldn’t make it to the London event, worry not — Summer Collaboration Sessions tour is set to take over a variety of exciting venues nationwide, including the Fortune of War in Brighton, the Button Factory in Birmingham, Hatch in Manchester, and The Prop Yard in Bristol, offering a selection of Beavertown's finest brews alongside the entertainment.

CULTURE BITE

Picture this: it’s Friday night, and you’re getting a takeaway. What are you ordering to sit back and watch Netflix with? A Chinese, of course!

On TikTok, many creators love to share their Chinese orders, and when it comes to ordering Chinese food, Brits do not hold back. Filling your plate to the brim with all the delicious menu items is crucial… and you can’t forget the curry sauce!

Earlier this month, American content creators, such as @stayathomenojob, shared their opinion on the beloved British Chinese takeaway, which, as you may have guessed, didn’t go down too well. While many Brits loved @Charly’s video dishing up her takeaway, many Americans weren’t impressed. This is where the discussion sparked a global debate.

Influencer Soogia (@soogia1) — who has more than 1.7 million followers on TikTok — created a video questioning the UK on why Britons say they're “going to have a Chinese.” She claimed the phrase is “odd” and even sounds “a little racist.” Tensions between TikTokers arose on both sides of the pond, as many UK influencers quickly responded to Soogia for accusing British people of being offensive. UK influencers @Gkbarry and @Cory’sWorld expressed their feelings and explained that Brits say “a” in front of ANY cuisine, and it’s just how we talk.

Obviously, at HBD, we think any Chinese food should be celebrated, no matter where it’s served! We recommend heading to TikTok if you want to learn more about the debate.

A DRAGON RECOMMENDS…

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR LOLA REVEALS ALL AFTER RETURNING FROM COLOMBIA

This month, I was lucky enough to experience one of the world’s most transformational festivals for personal growth and development — also known as A-Fest — a magical creation from our client Mindvalley. A-Fest is a tribe of entrepreneurs, leaders and changemakers, brought together to grow, develop and, most importantly, connect. This year the festival was held on the Caribbean shores of Cartegena in Colombia, and we experienced everything from cacao ceremonies and breathwork to meditation and hugging. One of which involved hugging people you’d never met before with your eyes closed — which, for many Brits, would invoke a strong shudder - but it got me thinking…

You don’t need science to tell you the power of a good hug — a few seconds in the arms of a loved one and you can feel your tensions melt away… but truthfully, how often do you give a meaningful hug to someone? According to many health experts and psychologists, including Dr Rangan Chatterjee (my fave), connections, and the relationships you hold with people, are one of the greatest markers of health, longevity and happiness. However, in the humdrum and stressors of modern life, we can often let these basic human needs fall by the wayside.

Now, I’m not saying you need to hug every Tom, Dick and Harriet on your journey home (although that would make for some entertaining commotion on the tube), but maybe it’s time to call up that friend you haven’t spoken to in while, give your parents a reaaaally big squeeze, or even check in with a colleague about something non-work related — and experience the full power of connection.

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!