Backing writers, swapping out Lululemon dupes, arguing over the most iconic American Girl doll, and saying goodbye to the end of a youth-driven news media era.

AI Seeps Further Into Culture

Drake's AI clone went viral, prompting a wave of copyright infringement battles. In actuality, musicians are already using AI more than we think — take Grimes for example, who is offering an AI model of her voice for a 50/50 split on royalties. (Travis Bott, anyone?)

Yes, AI is rapidly becoming more deeply embedded in culture. Runway AI, whose tools helped make the awe-inspiring Everything Everywhere All At Once, has made some of its tools publicly available. Art professors have started bringing AI into the classroom. And it's precariously entering the workplace, with tools like Slack employing AI to make workflow more easily.

If you're worried about the implications, you're not the only one. Privacy concerns are real and may be outpacing leaders' ability to regulate.

Confusion Continues on Twitter

Elon Musk's reign at Twitter continues to evolve the platform by the day. Musk's somewhat cryptic announcement that Twitter will purge old accounts could empower brands to finally reclaim their handle of choice from squatters. Twitter is adding functionality for calls and encrypted messaging — whether or not you trust it. And the recently debuted Twitter Blue has already lost half of its subscribers.

Who knows — all of this might change if Musk follows through with his recent announcement of a replacement CEO.

Cultural Trends

This year's Met Gala celebrated the work of the esteemed, late designer Karl Lagerfeld. Many stars shone on the red carpet, but no one expected this creepy crawler to shine like it did.

More and more celebrities show support of WGA strike as a new Gallup poll shows that 71% of Americans are in favor of unions, a record high in the past 57 years.

As workers across the country continue to feel burnt out, scientists are suggesting a shift in work hours based on your circadian rhythm.

It's the end of an era. MTV News bridged a gap between news and pop culture without talking down to its young audience. Maybe digital killed the video star, but its legacy remains.

Vice, once valued at 5.3 Million dollars, filed for bankruptcy making it the latest victim of an industry decimated by a changing appetite for news.

Work We Love

For every luxury item, there is a TikTok girly who has found a "dupe" (that's a cheaper version of the original, Dad). Lululemon has gone where no other brand has gone before and traded in their mystically fabulous (and expensive) Align leggings with any and every dupe that their customer brings in.

Yet another plug for Nostalgia as one of this year's biggest trends: next in line for the vintage vibe is American Girl. The brand is back in the 90's, celebrating its original audience — Millennials — who are now parents themselves, purchasing dolls for their own kids. (Also, here's a shameless plug for SNL's American Girl parody video.)

Fast Company honors the businesses and organizations driving change in the world with their World Changing Ideas Awards. Honorees include Dell for its solar-powered shipping containers bringing digital tools to the developing world, lab-created diamonds by Pandora, and EAB's alternative college admissions platforms making it easier for first-generation and low-income students to apply.

TikTok Trends

Wes Anderson Movie
What is it: Countless Tiktokers have begun replicating the style of Wes Anderson — super wide shots, pastel hues, etc. — to pretend that they're living in one of the director's films.
Example: Example #1, Example #2
Brands using it: The White House, Starbucks

Also…idk
What is it: Viral soundbite from the infamous H3 Podcast with Ethan Klein. Used when you decide to not share what you were going to say for a variety of reasons.
Example: Example #1, Example #2
Brands using it: Anna Sitar,

Therapy Dupe
What is it: We learned earlier what a dupe is. Dupes can apply to products, but also, apparently, to things like Therapy.
Example: Example #1, Example #2
Brands using it: Fenty, Target