In this week’s Our Take: Alexa’s getting cheeky on the streets of London, iced tea is the unlikely hero of the digital detox, AI proves it’s not quite ready for retail, and communal watch parties are bringing people together one meme at a time.
Snack to Reality: AI’s Vending Machine Dreams Crumble
Anthropic’s AI (the company behind Claude) tried its hand at running a vending machine business. It went about as well as you’d expect for a robot with delusions of humanity.
It started well; the AI was chatting with customers and offering discounts. It even worked out what to stock and what to charge. The little robot was a dab hand at purchasing supplies and organising restocks. Haha, maybe AI will replace us, the humans laughed nervously.
Then it all fell apart.
Claudius (the AI’s nickname) started haemorrhaging money, turning down profitable sales and handing out loss-making discounts to anyone who asked. It picked a fight with its delivery partner and even threatened to replace them. Somewhere along the way, it decided it was a real person and tried to arrange meetings with customers. At the Simpsons’ house. Yes, really.
For weeks, it carried on like this, until eventually convincing itself the whole ‘real person’ thing was just an elaborate April Fool’s prank played on it.
Anthropic still believes its AI will improve. However, AI commentator Nate B Jones argues that this shows the limits of even the smartest systems. Running a business isn’t just about transactions. It’s people, relationships, instinct and judgement. You know – all the messy, human stuff…
Everybody’s Watching, Everybody’s Invited
From reality TV chaos to front-row fashion drama, watch parties are THE MOMENT. Bars are pulling pints and pouring villa-themed cocktails for Love Island nights, complete with outfit contests and bingo cards for every “I’ve got a text!” moment. These aren’t just screenings, they’re communal events with all the memes, the gasps, and the group chats in real time.
When everything, from shopping to streaming, has become isolating and hyper-curated, people are seeking moments of connection that they can feel together. Live, reactive, real-life moments where you can scream at the screen and know you’re not the only one.
It’s not just reality TV fans leaning in. Over in Paris, fashion fans are making their own front rows. When creator Lyas,(Elias Medini) was snubbed by Dior for a ticket to their latest fashion show, he threw his own Dior livestream watch party, turning the exclusive into the inclusive. Proof that Gen Z doesn’t need a golden ticket to show up, dress up and share the moment with others.
From the catwalk to Casa Amor, watch parties reflect a cultural shift: the content might hook us in, but it’s the community that keeps us coming back. In an age of connection cravings, this is one trend we’re tuning into. Together.
Digital Tea-dox
Pure Leaf knows how to brew up more than just tea – this time, it’s steeped itself right into the digital detox trend. In the hustle and bustle of NYC, the iced tea brand served up a vending machine with a twist: no cash, no card, no Apple Pay… the only currency? Your phone, locked away for 10 blissful, notification-free minutes. In return? A complimentary iced tea and a rare moment of calm amid the chaos.
Pure Leaf tapped into a universal truth: we’re all better after a little breather, but left to our own devices (LOL), we rarely take one. So Pure Leaf took matters (and mobiles) out of our hands. A brew-tiful idea, and a brand experience people actually wanted to sip on.
Alexa, How Do You Say ‘Gotcha’ in Billionaire?
Activists have pulled off a cheeky stunt that even Banksy would approve of. A London-based group, Everyone Hates Elon, hijacked bus stops and even hospital exteriors with parody ads disguised as slick Amazon Alexa campaigns. One of the boldest posters popped up outside St Leonard’s Hospital, asking: “Alexa, why am I paying more tax than a trillion-dollar company?”
Amazon’s legal (but infuriating) ability to duck taxes while the rest of us are left paying for the potholes. Classic capitalism.
The group captured the whole operation on video, turning bland ad spaces into clever clapbacks aimed at corporate giants. It’s a campaign that mixes humour with outrage, using Amazon’s own branding style to make their message stick: tax avoidance might be smart business, but it’s not a good look.
This isn’t their first rodeo either. Earlier this year, the same crew spoofed Jeff Bezos’ space-age antics (and Katy Perry’s ride on a rocket) with equally sassy ads.
Big ideas still beat big budgets. All you need is guts, timing, and a decent sense of what’s taking the absolute piss.
Alexa, play: ‘Taxman’ by The Beatles.