Need to Know
31 : 03 : 23

Global – A recent survey by Adidas has found that 51% of women are afraid of being physically attacked when they go for a run compared to 28% of men. To create awareness of this statistic, the sportswear brand made a film, The Ridiculous Run, showing the absurd lengths to which women have to go to feel safe while out for a jog.

The brand surveyed 9,000 runners across nine countries in order to understand men’s and women’s experiences and perceptions of safety while out on a run. The survey also revealed that 38% of women have experienced physical or verbal harassment and, of these, 56% have received unwanted attention or sexist comments.

The research indicates the need for a shift in attitude, but also action to create a safe environment – physically and mentally­ – for women to run. The study also revealed that while 62% of men recognise the issue, only 18% believe they have a responsibility to help women feel safe.

Adidas’ commercial illustrates the steps the brand is taking to address the issue and takes our report on Safety Fits one step further, showcasing how brands can offer support to vulnerable groups.

France – Sustainably-minded fashion brand Pangaia has revealed its first Parisian location – a flagship pop-up space boasting an agile design and low environmental impact.

Pangaia commissioned Random Studio to design the semi-permanent space, located in the iconic Galeries Lafayette department store. The pop-up was conceived as a blueprint for the brand’s upcoming physical retail expansion. What sets it apart is a high adaptability, with a set-up that can be seamlessly replicated, scaled up or down, and adjusted depending on the location or the season. Each design feature can evolve alongside new collections – meaning that all visual merchandising elements can be retrofitted and re-used.

To reflect Pangaia’s commitment to textile innovation, Random Studio chose a lab aesthetic for the store, using display fixtures, clean-cut glass and aluminium. The centrepiece of the pop-up is the Innovation Table, a steel and glass cabinet displaying the journey of raw materials from the ground up and educating visitors on textiles.

Pangaia’s lab-like shop is only low-impact in terms of carbon footprint ­– the Hyperphysical Store’s educative, interactive and sensorial features elevate the shopping experience.

US – A new study released by researchers from OpenAI and the University of Pennsylvania suggests those who hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree and work in fields that don’t require much skills training are more exposed to job vulnerability courtesy of ChatGPT. ‘[AI models] are able to potentially replace humans in tasks that are fairly intensive in communication, and a lot of communication tasks are done by people with some degree in education,’ Simon Johnson, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Quartz.

Although the report doesn’t explicitly say that generative artificial intelligence (AI) will replace office workers, it states that about 80% of the US workforce could have at least 10% of their work tasks affected by ChatGPT and its successors. In comparison, about 19% of workers may see at least 50% of their functions affected. The latter predominantly refers to white-collar workers.

In our Work States Futures webinar on demand, we examined how early adopter businesses and organisations now focus on work state solutions, including incorporating AI into work processes.