8/2024 TRN Newsletter: People Pushback on AI, Cryptocurrency Adoption Advances, and CBDCs
This newsletter covers three critical updates: AI backlash from the mainstream, Women advancing in Crypto, and Central Bank Digital Currencies, the massive global change no one is talking about outside of Wall Street and the Fed, anyway.
Trend 1: AI Backlash
A few weeks ago, when I was in Houston for meetings and to see friends and fam, there was no excitement around AI. Zero zip nada. When it came up at all, eyes rolled, and people were very skeptical. It turns out that my tiny focus group is reflecting a bigger trend.
Axios reports data from Edelman global PR firm (and author of the yearly Edelman Trust Barometer) shows that trust in AI technology - and the companies that develop it - is dropping, in both the U.S. and worldwide.
Dropping? Was it high to begin with?
The general public is not nearly as excited about, or in love with, generative AI as its inner circle of tech enthusiasts, founders, and investors, with visions of trillion-dollar market caps dancing in their heads.
AI is not the cool kid many thought it would be. It was roundly booed at SXSW in Austin, a town with a vibrant tech scene.
Brands should proceed with caution. This article from Rolling Stone talks about the backlash against brands for using AI images.
Humans are concerned about job loss and the decimation of human creativity. Distaste is palpable over the inevitable deluge of vacuous first gen AI rendered content. In last month's newsletter, we covered how deep fake pornography is a very big problem.
Many in the mainstream are tired of the “change is inevitable and good at all costs” approach to how America commercializes innovation. Aka “hype cycles.”
In the past, we pushed for the industrialization of learning, workers, and agriculture. Nowadays, we’ve unleashed one of the most powerful tech innovations, ever, into the marketplace without guardrails.
How do we balance innovation with overzealous GTM strategies?
What do you think?
Trend 2: Women in Crypto
After many years of the crypto scene’s “old bro’s club”, women's investment in cryptocurrency is picking up.
Security.org’s 2024 Cryptocurrency Adoption and Sentiment Report showed that the rate of women’s crypto ownership increased from 18% a year ago to 29% at the start of 2024.
The Investopedia and REAL SIMPLE 2024 Her Money Mindset survey found cryptocurrency is the third most popular type of investment among millennial or younger women.
One reason for women’s growing interest is that crypto education for women is improving significantly. Here are some crypto-focused community platforms for women:
SheFi - I’m an alum of this program! Proud member of Cohort 8.
Considering women still make most household purchases, our entry into crypto is a significant trend to watch. In the US, most crypto is purchased for investment. Will women in crypto be a factor in pushing crypto’s use as a form of payment?
Trend 3: Central Bank Digital Currencies
Crypto Schmypto, 😊 digital money has existed since 1871 when Western Union first introduced electronic fund transfers (EFT) in the U.S. In the 1990s, the internet made online payments more common; now, cryptocurrency is on the rise. In many countries, people use crypto more as currency and less as an investment.
This leads to a big question: Will Central Bank Digital Currencies - aka CBDC, a digital currency issued by the Central Bank, fully replace traditional money (aka fiat) in the global financial system?
As with most innovations, there are pros and cons. The reason why busy leaders should know about CBDCs is because they are not a fringe experiment anymore.
All of the governments of the world’s developed economies (and many developing economies) are taking a serious run at developing CBDCs. 137 countries in all.
Check out our TrustRenews post An Update On Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs): The Basics of a Big Idea - for a skimmable update on what’s happening with CBDC adoption worldwide.