LSN : Daily Signals : World’s first flying car receives FAA certification

Ragged Edge develops humanised branding for AI platform Kili

Kill by Ragged Edge, France

France, US – Artificial intelligence is friend, not foe. This is the message that AI training company Kili hopes to convey with its warm and human-like refreshed brand identity.

Since its foundation in 2018, Kili has been helping businesses apply human expertise to tech, training AI to create high-quality and unbiased data sets. Conscious that for many, AI is synonymous with hostility and suspicion, the French company enlisted Ragged Edge for a rebranding. Together, they chose to create a friendly and unintimidating mascot to embody artificial intelligence. The strategy behind this move was not only to humanise AI via the cartoonish animated mascot, accessible UI and warm colour palette. The aim was also to encourage positive and empathetic AI sentiment, rooted in pragmatic expertise instead of science fiction.

‘The rebranding recognises that we have a lot to gain from AI. But first AI has a lot to learn from us,’ says Max Ottignon, co-founder of Ragged Edge. ‘In an industry marked by its soulless hyperbole, we built Kili around something more grounded: good data and human intelligence.’ At LS:N Global, we have been monitoring the spread of AI Optimistic mindsets and the mavericks trying to weave emotions into the technology.

Strategic Opportunity

Although the AI revolution is under way, it would be inaccurate to say that AI doesn’t need a publicist. Companies in that space have a role to play in easing its adoption, creating safe guidelines and boosting AI’s emotional intelligence

World’s first flying car receives FAA certification

ALEF, US

US – The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded a special airworthiness certificate to Alef Aeronautics’ Armada Model Zero, making it the world’s first real flying car to be FAA-certified for public flight demonstrations. This prototype electric car can transform from driving to flying by taking off vertically with its integrated eight rotors, eliminating the need for a lengthy runway.

The Armada Model Zero, a precursor to the upcoming Model A prototype, features a carbon fibre frame with a passenger cabin that can fit up to two people. Once in the air, the vehicle’s frame rotates 90 degrees so that the front and the back of the car become two wings on either side of the cabin for maximum speed.

Certification from the FAA ‘allows the company to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week,’ says Alef Aeronautics CEO Jim Dukhovny. The potential of petrol-free flying cars aligns with our insights in The Future of Urban Mobility Lies in Sustainability report.

The company aims to begin production and deliveries of the Model A by the end of 2025, with pre-orders starting at £233,655 ($300,000, €270,490).

Strategic opportunity

With both Volkswagen and Klein Vision also working on flying car models, it is evident that this futuristic vision could soon become a reality. From interior design to auto-entertainment, consider how your goods and services can adapt to a new kind of vehicle and driving experience in the air

Stat: 36–55-year-olds in Australia most likely to buy alcohol online

Beck’s Brewery, Brazil

Australia – Released in July 2023, the Online Alcohol Sales and Delivery in Australia report suggests the critical targets for online alcohol purchases are not the youngest consumers. Published by Frontier Economics and commissioned by Retail Drinks Australia, the report analysed millions of real-time transactions from retailers, marketplaces and delivery partners nationwide. Contrary to popular belief, the results showed that the primary users of online alcohol websites in Australia are aged between 36 and 55. Those older Millennial and Gen X consumers also spend more money when buying than younger demographics.

‘There is a growing misperception that online purchasing is fuelling a generation of tech-savvy liquor-consuming Millennials. But this report debunks such myths with empirical evidence,’ says Michael Waters, CEO of Retail Drinks Australia. ‘Rather than relying on extrapolations from anecdotes or sample surveys, this exhaustive research reveals that consumers only use online purchase and delivery a couple of times a year; the vast majority are comfortable receiving their products in the days after placing their orders, and it is mostly used by people aged over 35.’

Another key conclusion of the report is that online alcohol sales are less popular than traditional in-store shopping experiences. ‘Nationwide data shows that most people still prefer the traditional in-store experience, with online purchases representing just 13% of all retail liquor transactions, although there are signs of growth,’ says Waters.

In Youth Culture is Entering its Flat Age Future, we previously analysed how the digital divide between generations born with the internet and older consumers has evolved – elderly people are now online and tech-savvy enough to become TikTok influencers in their 60s.

Strategic opportunity

As drinking among young people declines in many high-income countries and social media platforms continue to restrict the promotion of content featuring alcohol, drink e-tailers should consider how to invest in better UX, CRM tools and loyalty programmes to retain and attract new Gen X and older Millennial consumers