Tech Giants Launch Nature-Restoration Coalition

The lasting?negative effects of climate change ?loom large on everyone, and?citizens ?across the?globe ?continue to engage in?multiple forms ?of protest—some?more controversial ?than others—in efforts to urge those in power to?develop ?actionable steps to halt?(or at least delay)?what sometimes feels like an unavoidable fate.

And with the fast-growing pace of artificial intelligence,?concern for the climate ?is more potent than ever. The technology itself acts as a double-edged sword, with some reports celebrating its efficacy ?in climate-based research and others? highlighting the vast energy and material resources required to house and power GenAI.? In either case, the public push for?corporate accountability ?remains steadfast.

People are increasingly?frustrated with the corporate approach ?to sustainability, especially when?corporations’?responsibility ?for carbon outputs outweigh what any individual consumer could do.. Marketing efforts that invoke consumer-led changes that, more often than not,?inconvenience ?the consumer (a moment of silence for iced coffees?begrudgingly sipped ?through a limp paper straw),?do not necessarily make much of a difference in the face of globally scaled supply chains and production methods.

It seems, perhaps, that some companies are taking the issue seriously. Tech giants Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Salesforce recently announced that they are?creating a Symbiosis Coalition , which aims to offset their carbon footprint by underwriting projects fighting deforestation. However, current sentiment surrounding the effort errs on the side of realistic at best, not only because carbon offsets ?are seen as?failed attempts ?to combat climate change by planting trees, but also because continued corporate actions?are not meeting companies’ stated goals .

Why it matters:?As summer approaches, so do conversations about the climate amidst inevitably?record-high ?temperatures. While consumers spend more, they will be especially wary of "eco-capitalism " or any ingenuine campaigns claiming sustainable practices and instead choose to support local in their purchases. Keeping with the theme of engaging audiences in relevant ways this season, brands can prioritize meaningful activations surrounding sustainability, such as collaborating with and bolstering small businesses on their larger social platforms in the coming months.

Other news and trends

The latest AI updates:

• xAI expands.?After Elon Musk?founded xAI last summer , the company?announced ?that it had raised $6 billion in funding to better support the startup's upcoming production efforts and goals, a number?Musk originally denied ?a few months ago. Some backers thus far?include ?Andreesen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Saudi Arabian Prince Al Waleed bin Talal.?Valued ?at $24 billion, xAI is steadfast in achieving?market dominance ?over OpenAI and?began a mass hire ?of engineers globally, with?one report ?suggesting that the company is in the process of developing a supercomputer powered by at least 100,000 Nvidia chips to?strengthen the upcoming version ?of Grok AI.
• Google's AI Overview.?As you turned to Google for your search-related needs in the past few days, you have likely seen?Google's latest AI Overview feature ?at the top of your search results, supposedly providing you with "high quality information" about your latest curiosities. However, as with most AI product launches, the internet [AM1]?has taken to?highlighting AI Overview's most egregious suggestions , such as recommendations that users "put glue on their pizza " or even "eat rocks " for health benefits. The unconventional advice has placed Google in a frenzy of?manually disabling ?the feature for specific searches, which means?most of them have disappeared ?as quickly as they were uploaded to social media.

T-Mobile's new acquisition.?Yesterday's news reveals that?T-Mobile intends to purchase ?parts of regional carrier?US Cellular ?in?a $4.4 billion acquisition that includes ?the latter's wireless customers, stores, and around 30% of spectrum assets. While US Cellular will retain ownership of its towers,?T-Mobile will be leasing around 2,000 of those towers in?a long-term deal that seeks to ?improve nationwide coverage and expand 5G connectivity across "underserved rural areas" in the United States, which would bolster T-Mobile's presence in areas AT&T and Verizon?have typically dominated . The move comes just a few weeks after T-Mobile announced that it had?also acquired Mint Mobile ?for $1.35 billion in a similar package.

Trending on TikTok: North West and nepotism.?In honor of the 30th?anniversary of the The Lion King, a?Live-to-Film concert took place at the Hollywood Bowl ?this past weekend, featuring a slew of the original cast and?special guest Jennifer Hudson . North West was the second special guest and?performed the song "Can't Wait to Be King" ?as young Simba, which has received some backlash and triggered?conversations ?surrounding?nepotism ?in Hollywood (#HollywoodBowl ?on TikTok – 18.2k posts). People are sensitive to North West as the child in this situation, with criticism of her performance?mostly directed at her parents ?and the casting team, particularly because of the alleged dismissal of?musical theater as a craft ?(her outfit, for example,?deviated quite drastically ?from the traditional garments and makeup of The Lion King). ?

Contributors: Head of Social Content and Engagement Strategy Cristina Lawrence , Senior Vice President Jerry Lawrence , Group Vice President Andrew McKernan , and Senior Vice President Tammy Pepito . At Razorfish, we help brands define their higher purpose—the emotional reason why they belong in people’s lives. Ready to find your purpose? Learn more here .

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