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The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. Data is everywhere, but insights are rare. I know this firsthand from years working agency-side in digital marketing and analytics for global brandsoptimizing billions in media spend, tracking behaviors across platforms, and measuring every available data point across the customer journey. We operated inside complex martech platforms, developed and owned by big tech companies, designed to automate and optimize a massive online ecosystem of messaging and signals. Managing these systems required deep expertise and continual training. Entire agency teams were dedicated to client accounts, structured by campaign and channel. Being data-driven was tablestakes. We continually optimized ad copy, inventory sources, channel mix, tactics, spend ratesyou name it. We endlessly reviewed ad exposure reports and conversion models, aiming to give clients a clear view of campaign performance. Yet, year after year, many media plans looked remarkably similar, and many of the dashboards and reports we built went largely unused. It wasnt for lack of effort or interestit was because the sheer volume of information (and competing priorities) made it difficult to extract clear, actionable insights. Clients didnt need more information; they needed more direction. Heres the truth: Most dashboards are dense, nuanced, and missing the context or causality needed to drive strategic change. Clients arent looking for more charts. Theyre looking for clear answers. Our brains are wired for clarity, not clutter A recent Caltech study found that while our sensory systems can intake up to 1 billion bits of information per second, our conscious minds can process only about 10 to 60 bits per second. This staggering gap highlights the brains limited capacity to consciously manage the flood of incoming data. Our sensory systemsoptimized for speed and pattern recognitionoperate largely automatically and unconsciously. In contrast, higher-order cognitive functions like decision making and reasoning, managed by the prefrontal cortex, are slow, effortful, and resource-intensive. Dashboards often overload our fast, automatic brain systems without effectively supporting the slower, more deliberate systems we rely on to make meaningful decisions. The real competitive edge: Turning data into insight Over the past few years, Ive combined my background in architectural design, marketing, and cloud technology to create solutions that bring new visibility into built environments. Brands today are seeking tools to power and measure their in-person spaces and many existing platforms fall short. They often fail to integrate critical variables like behavioral patterns, emotional sentiment, geography, time of day, affect heuristics, and even weather. By weaving deeper, real-time context into physical spaces, brands can create more responsive, more personalized, and ultimately more valuable experiences. Were entering a new phase where platforms must go beyond trackingthey must deliver strategic, insight-rich functionality. They must act like trusted confidants: capable of processing vast amounts of data behind the scenes and surfacing simple, powerful next steps. In this new era, decision making should feel more intuitive and more informed at the same time. Welcome to the age of answers The online dashboard era is ending. Were entering what I call the age of answerswhere the next generation of tools, especially in the real world, will surface context, causality, and clear actions. These tools will make us feel smarter, fasterunlocking new forms of value, new competitive edges, and a better relationship with the flood of data surrounding us. James Chester is cofounder and CEO of WVN.
Category:
E-Commerce
If youve ever felt like your pet knows exactly when to pull you away from the stress of your computer screen, you arent alone. A landmark study surveying over 30,000 pet owners in 20 different countries found that 78% of dog or cat owners report that their pets remind them to take breaks during work or tasks, with 50% of the participants saying this happens daily. The study, which was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Mars, is the largest international survey of its kind in the world. The findings resonated deeply with David Reilly, global VP at Mars. If my dog’s at daycare, I don’t take a break at lunch time, he says. But if my dog’s not at daycare, somehow miraculously, I find the space to create up an hour to take my dog on a walk. Knowing that his relationship with his own pet had such an impact on his mental health, Reilly was excited by the data. I think 46% of people globally report their mental well-being is their number-one health priority and 56% of the population of the world has a pet. So if we can help unlock this idea that the pet could be your well-being superhero . . . then theres a real opportunity there, he says. To do this, the Mars team needed to seek further expertise. We have a deep knowledge of pets and we actually have a deep knowledge of the bond between people and pets. But we aren’t experts in human mental health, says Reilly. The solution was to collaborate with consumer mental health company Calm. Together, Mars and Calm collaborated on a collection of content meant to help pet lovers think about their bond with their pets as ways to improve their own well-being. Its launch marks the first pet-inspired collection featured on Calm. [Image: Mars, Calm] The content on Calm will include: A series of sleep stories inspired by the emotional connection between people and their pets. A series of guided meditations meant to help listeners reflect on the ways pets support their mental wellness. A series of breathing exercises. On Marss pet advice platform Kinship, Mars and Calm are launching the interactive quiz My Pet Guru, which helps pet owners learn which of six wellbeing superpowers their pet has based on questions about their personalities and behaviors. Together, were helping more peopleand their petsexperience the proven benefits of the human-animal bond through real stories, science-backed tools, and supportive content, says Greg Justice, chief content officer at Calm. Once the insights are rich . . . it doesn’t need to be overly clinical says Reilly. The researchers, pet experts, and content creators, worked together to find the sweet spot of ensuring that the content was true to what we’d heard, but also really accessible and also engaging for pet owners or other people who love pets. Mars and Calm are also seeking touching stories from pet owners to inform the wave of pet stories from Calm. What I’m looking forward to, honestly, is hearing the stories that people share. Pets genuinely make a really incredible impact on people’s lives, says Reilly.
Category:
E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. The world is at an inflection point unlike any before. AI isnt just a toolits a tidal wave, rewriting the rules of power, wealth, and survival. The corporate dream is in flux. The systems we were taught to trustcollege degrees, career ladders, the safe path to successare morphing in real time. AI is detonating industries, stripping white collar jobs down to algorithms, while the value of human labor is being rewritten before our eyes. The workers we once ignoredthe welders, the electricians, the buildersare skyrocketing in demand. This is not a prediction. Its happening now. The AI arms race: The new Manhattan Project AI is both an unprecedented tool of creation and a force of destruction, reshaping economies, governments, and labor forces at breakneck speed. According to Peng Xiao, CEO of G42, AI is the defining technology of our eraan essential utility that will reshape economies and societies, much like electricity did in the past. AI is recalibrating industries at an unimaginable pace. Meanwhile, the jobs AI cant touchconstruction workers, electricians, welders, mechanicsare becoming more valuable than ever. The AI wrecking ball: Skip Wharton? In 2019, an MBA from an elite school was the equivalent of winning the professional lottery. Today? AI-powered algorithms run finance, operations, and consultingfaster, cheaper, and without a 401(k). Companies like OpenAI, DeepMind, and Anthropic have unleashed AI models that make traditional knowledge workers obsolete. Banks are automating the work of employees. At the Cisco AI Summit in Palo Alto this year, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon noted that AI could draft 95% of an S1 document for IPO filing. A recent report states that 23% of 2024 Harvard Business School grads were still unemployed 3 months after graduation. Over 4 million members of Gen Z in the U.S. are currently not employed nor matriculated in school, joining the NEET movement instead: not in education, employment, or trainingand prioritizing self-actualized careers outside of traditional degrees. Meanwhile, something unexpected is happening on the other side of the labor market The jobs AI cant kill (yet) AI cant repair a busted water main, install solar panels, or build a skyscraper. Industry-defining laborers dont disappearthey evolve. In the 19th century, steam engine workers shaped economies. In the 20th century, oil refinery workers fueled the modern world. In the 21st century, AI maintenance workers, robotics technicians, and skilled tradespeople will be the ones keeping automation in check. Skilled labor jobsonce dismissed as fallback careersare now in high demand. The average salary for an electrician in major U.S. cities now outpaces some college-degree salaries. An achievable salary for an elevator technician or power plant operator? Over $100,000. In an age where AI strips knowledge jobs down to data points, the ability to physically build and repair may become the new currency of success. Geopolitics, immigration, and the 2025 labor crisis Theres another wrench in the systemimmigration crackdowns and labor shortages. The U.S. has escalated mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. The fallout? Potentially, abandoned construction sites, rotting crops, and shuttered restaurants. The solution? More automation. Chick-fil-A introduced lemon-squeezing robots, cutting 10,000 hours of labor. But heres the twist: Robots break down. Robots need maintenance. AI cant currently fix AI. The labor shortage is fueling demand for highly paid, hands-on workers who keep machinesand societyrunning. AI: The new arms race The world is racing to control AI, much like the atomic race of the last century. But this war isnt fought with bombsits fought with data, computing power, and intelligent automation. Nations, tech giants, and corporate behemoths are pouring trillions into agentic AIa new breed of AI that autonomously executes tasks. Yet even with AI agents taking over workflows, humans will still be essential. AI still needs oversight. AI still needs repair. AI still needs direction. Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, says it best: No AI can replace 100% of a job, but many can replace 80% of what we do. We are literally at the beginning of a new Industrial Revolution. Social media and the collapse of the corporate dream Some Gen Z and Millennials are rejecting corporate jobs. Social media has reshaped the perception of work. Why grind in a cubicle when you can make a living flipping houses on YouTube? Why get an MBA when you can have a lucrative career teaching people how to weld on TikTok? Why work a 9-to-5 when Kylie Jenner built a billion-dollar empire from Instagram? At the same time, these generations are about to inherit an unprecedented $100 trillion from baby boomersthe wealthiest generation in history. But this isnt just a transfer of capital; its a transfer of knowledge, control, and priorities. The new elite arent climbing the corporate laddertheyre building their own empires. As MrBeast puts it: “The creator economy is only going to get bigger.” The new workforce hierarchy: Who wins and who loses? AI isnt eliminating laborits creating a new elite class of skilled workers required to manage and maintain automation. While AI wipes out jobs, the long-term trajectory is clear: New industries will emerge. Humans will train AI-powered agents and tools. AI maintenance, robotics, and automation oversight will become critical fields. History prove that every disruptive technology creates new opportunities. Wages for some technical jobs are soaring past white collar salaries. The real winners of the AI revolution wont be consultants in boardroomstheyll be the workers keeping the machines running. Elon Musk once said: AI will make jobs kind of pointless. Correction: AI might make your degree pointless. The future belongs to those who can do what AI cant. Scott Cullather is chairman and chief growth officer of INVNT.
Category:
E-Commerce
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