Strands of Genius: AI In Cultural and Marketing Spaces, Search Engine of Choice, Remember Things Are Getting Better

Guest curated by Fern Miller, Founder and CSO of Uncharted

Jul 25, 2024

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, FERN MILLER ::

LOCATION: Leigh on Sea, UK

Hello, I’m Fern, I’m a British strategy leader and co founder of new creative agency, Uncharted, which is designed to lead brands into culture with confidence.

We built this place to help our clients and colleagues set out without fear, at a time bc when so much of our collective journey is still unmapped.

I’m very lucky to have started this business alongside relentlessly positive enthusiasts who keep me sane - because I am an over thinker, myself…

So, I thought for this issue I’d give you some links to resources that restore your confidence and optimism, too!

Editor’s Note (Genius Steals): We have known of Fern and her work at some great agencies and thinking for a long time but we were super excited to hear she had joined forces with Laura JB, who we love so much, and Hattie, a much valued former client. We are so excited to find out where Uncharted go! Thanks so much for a lovely edition, Fern!

:: THE LINKS ::

AI IN CULTURAL AND MARKETING SPACES

It’s easy to feel pessimistic about representation in the AI space - just when we were beginning to address bias in media representations of minority groups and women it feels like generative models can send us back if we let the algorithms take control.

However Hugging Face, a machine learning community offer us an interactive exploration of some tools and analysis that will help AI developers better understand and reduce biases in their AI models.
Using and promoting this resource will improve our confidence that embracing the possibilities of AI won’t entail reversing progress on representation and inclusion. (Hugging Face)

SEARCH ENGINE OF CHOICE

Who’s got time to read up on the ever changing social context and behaviour? Not me. This podcast is an entertaining walk through the human experience of WhatsApp and contains genuinely funny material as well as a good reminder of why I never join a school parents WhatsApp group. It’s the sort of thing you can play whilst making the dinner and as a result, gaining some applicable insights into how conversations on private messaging platforms works/don’t work. (BBC)

REMEMBER THAT THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER

Our natural tendency to notice bad news, problems and risks can be overwhelming, and ultimately, debilitating. Confidence comes from believing you can make a positive impact - on culture, society, and each other. So, fight the doomscrolling and remind yourself that there is plenty of well-evidenced good news to inspire that belief. I won’t be the first to recommend this extraordinary resource of facts about the real progress humanity is making toward a fairer and safer society but I will keep doing it because it’s so powerful to see the long view.
Our World in Data publishes research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems - specifically to encourage us to believe we can improve people’s lives. It is a noble, rigorous, and very helpful endeavour - a great resource if you are working in social purpose organisations, government or charities, but also invaluable for bad news days. (Our World In Data)

Looking for more from Fern? Coming Friday, look for an interview from her in your inbox!

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: I am a nerd so Ticket to Ride and (hides face) Rebel Inc / a mobile strategy game in which you play the part of a new governor of a region under attack from insurgents.

:: City :: San Sebastian

:: Book :: Orlando by Virginia Woolf. More recent fave: Tomorrow tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

:: Podcast :: Normal gossip/the rest is entertainment

:: Song :: I’ve got the music in me by Kiki Dee

:: CURRENT MANTRA ::

“The only way to know the future is to create it”.
- Margaret Heffernan in her book called, coincidentally, Uncharted

Hope you find a useful tactic in here somewhere to fight off the Doom!

If all else fails play Lithium by the Polyphonic Spree - a friend reminded me of it this week and I suspect this version of the song is nearly as effective in fighting the blues as its subject matter.

LinkedIn | Uncharted Studio

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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)

Strands of Genius