AI Unleashed: From Political Disinformation to Cannabis Cultivation and M&S’s Fashion Reinvention

Back for more, AI enthusiasts? 🤗

You’re here, Max is here, the news is here. The vibe is here, the drive is here, and AI is here. This means—welcome to a 3-minute newsletter on the unstoppable world of technology! 🎉 Today, I’ve mixed up a cocktail of topics for you to explore: a dash of politics, two spoonfuls of drugs, and a sprinkle of (old) fashion, all topped with a humorous twist. Enjoy, reader! 🍹

1. X-Man 🦸🏻‍♀️

We’ve talked about fake swifties for Trump, let’s look on the other side of elections now. Recently, on his platform X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk shared an AI-generated image depicting Vice President Kamala Harris as a communist, wearing Soviet-era symbols and falsely claiming she vowed to be a "communist dictator." 🤦🏼‍♂️ Fun fact: the post should have violated X’s policy on manipulated content, but instead, it was followed by another inflammatory post where Musk shared a misogynistic statement suggesting women and men with "low testosterone" shouldn’t participate in government 🤔. No doubt these posts have garnered millions of views, raising concerns about Musk’s use of AI to spread disinformation and radical content to his vast audience.

It’s a little bit of a double standard, don’t you think? ⚖️ Musk’s amplification of false and sexist narratives comes as he openly supports Donald Trump in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. His platform has been criticised for not fact-checking or moderating these posts, despite his claims of fostering transparency through X's "community notes" feature. I must admit a disturbing fact that the situation reflects Musk’s growing political influence and the transformation of X into a hub for pro-Trump content, challenging his earlier promise of political neutrality 🤪 on the platform. I mean, he who pays the piper calls the tune. But in the current environment, it feels rather unsafe and disturbing ✋

2. Long Live Cannabis 🍃

To release the tension of the previous piece of news, artificial intelligence is revolutionising cannabis cultivation by enhancing precision, efficiency, and consistency in indoor growing. Look at that! 👀 Technologies like Neatleaf’s Spyder AI use sensors and cameras to monitor plants, detect stress and optimise growing conditions by analysing data such as leaf colour, temperature and humidity. This tech-driven approach allows cultivators to reduce labour costs, as seen at the Arizona-based 🇺🇸 cannabis company 22Red, where AI has replaced manual monitoring and led to significant cost savings. AI also helps improve crop consistency across multiple locations by providing actionable insights based on data from previous grows ☝🏻

Cannabis companies are increasingly adopting AI not only to streamline operations but also to lower the resource-intensive costs of indoor cultivation. Machine learning aids in managing environmental factors like humidity 💧 and airflow 💨, ensuring that facilities operate optimally. As AI continues to evolve, it will further improve growth rates and reduce costs, helping cultivators predict future needs and adapt cultivation strategies accordingly. So here we are. And to sum up: What do you call a stoner with two spliffs? Double-jointed 😎

3. M&S: Vol.Z 👙

Marks&Spencer are working hard to transform it into a shop that will interest audiences under 55. And even under 35, can you imagine that? 🤯 Now, M&S is using artificial intelligence, which is quite unexpected for this brand, but well done. To enhance its online shopping experience, the chain is offering personalised outfit recommendations based on shoppers' body shapes and style preferences. The new AI-driven tool tailors the shopping experience, suggesting relevant products and customising communication styles to better suit individual preferences. Don’t stop me now, even more to come - as part of this initiative, M&S offers a quiz 👩🏻‍💻 for customers to input their size and style, generating personalised outfit suggestions from over 40 million options.

You might laugh and grin, but apparently, it is working: with 450,000 customers ↗️ using the AI tool so far, M&S’s online fashion sales have already grown by 7.8%. Good old Marks&Spencers is very enthusiastic and aims to increase its digital fashion sales to 50% by 2028, up from one-third currently. The retailer has also boosted its social media marketing efforts, increasing spending on platforms like TikTok, Facebook and Instagram by 80%, attracting new customers and driving online revenue growth. Next thing you know, Gen Z cues are needed to get some M&S 😯 Big plans, my old mate. But whatever it takes, just know I always appreciated your cotton 💔

And there you have it, and whether you're here for the tech updates or the occasional sarcastic jab, you’ll never be short of surprises. Remember, in the world of AI, the only thing evolving faster than tech is our sense of humour. Until next time, if you see a robot offering fashion tips, roll with it!

Stay curious! 🤖

Max 

xx

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