Latest news with #GenA
Skift
3 hours ago
- Business
- Skift
Hilton Opens Garden Inn Gen A in China as Brand Bets on Young Travelers
By focusing on franchise and joint venture deals, Hilton's found a way to grow quickly without spending a lot of its own money. It's a smart, low-risk strategy and one that seems to be paying off. Hilton on Tuesday debuted its first Hilton Garden Inn Gen A hotels in China, a new regional prototype designed specifically for younger, more design-conscious travelers – Gen A stands for Generation Alpha. The openings are in multiple cities, including Chongqing, Sanya, and Harbin. At its 2025 Hilton Garden Inn Investment Summit, the company also announced 19 new signings for the brand across Greater China, adding to a growing pipeline of 185 planned properties, in addition to the 115 already operating in the region. Hilton's 2025 Trends Report revealed that 88% of Gen Alpha and Gen Z in Asia Pacific are likely to travel in the next year. Gen Alpha and Gen Z's appetite for travel is particularly pronounced in China, India and Singapore, where young travelers have gone on two to three trips on average in the past ye
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Glance AI And Samsung Bring Personalized Shopping To The Lock Screen
Glance AI, an AI commerce platform which uses Google's Imagen 4 AI image generator from DeepMind, allows users to upload a selfie, then scroll through photorealistic renderings of themselves wearing clothing pulled from a marketplace of more than 400 brands. If they like what they see, they can purchase the item directly from the screen. In an interview with CNBC two weeks ago, CEO Naveen Tewari, CEO of Glance and InMobi, said "We are fundamentally launching an AI commerce platform that is going to disrupt shopping in the world." Glance takes a selfie and turns it into a fashion model. "It is to us an equivalent of an Uber moment,' Tewari continued, 'or more recently, a GPT moment. All of these are fundamental shifts in the way consumer experiences change in the world and I think Glance AI is exactly that for commerce." With powerful backers like Google and Jio, Glance is scaling quickly. Today they're announcing a new partnership with Samsung, Glance AI will now be available to over 50 million of Samsung phone users as a lock screen app, giving them access to AI-generated outfit recommendations based on a single selfie of themselves, too. Glance AI says the platform also incorporates local data and trending topics to update recommendations in real time. The result is a feed of context-aware images designed to be both visually convincing and commercially actionable. Glance AI knows what you like. It knows what you click on. Connecting the algorithm that knows you to generative AI that creates a likeness of us, wearing anything, anywhere, creates a new kind of shopping experience we've not seen before. Abhay SInghal, cofounder InMobi & Glance Traditional virtual try-ons are user initiated. You pick a product and see how it looks on you. Glance AI flips that model, showing you in products you may have never considered, yet they feel instinctively right. The experience is less about validating a decision and more about sparking inspiration - all right from the convenience of your lock screen. 'It's about discovery and immediacy,' says Tewari. 'You're not searching for a product. You're reacting to an image of yourself in it.' In an interview, Jason Shim, who leads the U.S. Galaxy Store for Samsung, said the goal is to offer something more dynamic than a standard app marketplace. 'We're trying to bring relevant, high-quality experiences to the forefront,' he said. 'Glance AI gives us a way to personalize that from the start, without requiring users to search or install anything.' Its Galaxy Store team is working directly with Glance AI to preload the feature on select phones. Glance shaved twenty years and twenty pounds, making me look very fashionable indeed. The Glance AI interface allows users to browse looks, save them, or set them as wallpaper. It also highlights limited-time offers and seasonal styles. The app is fully opt-in, and Glance AI says it does not retain user photos once a look has been generated. Still, if Glance AI, or GenA in generalI, can make you look like a movie star, it could make you look like… anything. Anyone with a photo of you can. The company has committed $200 million to further develop Glance AI. It's not yet clear how much of that will go toward expansion beyond Samsung's ecosystem, though Tewari hinted at similar partnerships with other Android handset makers. It's hard to resist a click when you're the star of the show! Early coverage of Glance AI has emphasized its visual fidelity and responsiveness. In February, TechCrunch noted the company's push to bring generative tools out of sandbox demos and into daily use. More recently, Yahoo Tech reviewed the app's U.S. rollout, describing the interface as 'intuitive' and 'uncannily good at image placement.' Lock screen content has long been associated with passive engagement like news headlines, and Uber updates. By adding personalized e-commerce to that list, it's safe to say Glance AIis taking us in a direction no e-commerce app has gone before.
Newsweek
14-05-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Man Who Speaks Dozens of Languages Gives Speech in Gen Alpha Slang
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Capturing the attention of an audience of high-school students can be tricky, but the linguist and polyglot, Xiaoma found a clever way around it. Taking his "skibidi rizz," to the highest level, he was invited to a high school to give a speech about the importance of languages. Which he did, entirely in Gen A slang, much to the delight of his audience. Newsweek has reached out to Xiaoma via email for comment. Why It Matters According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 78.3 percent of individuals aged 5 and older speak only English, and around 20 percent of the U.S. population is either bilingual or multilingual, meaning they can speak more than two languages. Stock image of students in a classroom. Stock image of students in a classroom. MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images As of 2024, 21 percent of adults in the U.S. were found to be illiterate, with 54 percent of adults having a literacy rate below a sixth-grade level, according to the National Literacy Institute (NLI). Low literacy costs the country up to $2.2 trillion a year, according to the NLI. What To Know Xiaoma is a polyglot and linguist who not only speaks dozens of languages, but has built up a significant online following (he has 6.6 million subscribers on YouTube), where he creates content about languages. That content has racked up millions of views online, and he has seen him surprising strangers in different languages. He has even gotten a free pint of Guinness in Ireland when he orders in Irish (Gaeilge). In a video viewed over 1.1 million times as of reporting, Xiaoma visited Westtown School, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he delivered his speech. "Your school invited me to give a guest lecture about the importance of learning languages," Xiaoma he told the audience of high schoolers. "But it occurred to me that all of you are already in some sense multilingual, whether you realize it or not." Xiaoma, who describes himself to the audience as an "aging millennial," explained that he had spent "weeks" immersed in videos on TikTok to try to learn the dialect. He then tells the children that he will try to deliver the speech in Gen-Alpha slang, to which the audience bursts into laughter, and then applauds. Luckily for older generations, he included a standard English subtitle in the video. "It's low-key a huge w to be vibing here [It's genuinely a tremendous honor to be here]," he said. "Now, I know it's giving delulu for this cheugy millennial to speak in such skibidi brain rot [Now, I know it seems ridiculous for this outdated millennial to speak in such bizarre slang]." He continued, telling the students that "Language evolves because you're constantly cooking new ways to pass the vibe check, [Language evolves because you're constantly innovating new ways to express yourselves]." "Languages aren't just suss grammar rules fam [Languages aren't just a bunch of confusing grammar rules, friends], they're the ultimate rizz for becoming a real one everywhere you pull up [They're the ultimate social tool for genuinely connecting wherever you go]." And Xiaoma didn't stop there either—he took his new dialect expertise to a college graduation ceremony, and delivered a formal commencement speech in Gen Alpha dialect. What People Are Saying Xiaoma, in his speech to students: "No cap, I was deadass pressed about understanding this language, but I has to absorb the drip so I wouldn't get aired by your generation. High-key people think Gen Alpha slang is just memes and brainrot, but on God it's giving linguistic glow-up core happening IRL. [Honestly, I was really stressed about trying to understand this language, but I had to learn it so I wouldn't get ignored by your generation. Seriously, people assume Gen Alpha slang is just memes and nonsense, but honestly it's a linguistic revolution happening right before our eyes]." What's Next Xiaoma may well continue to cause a stir with his unconventional content and approach to getting people interested in language and linguistics.
Buzz Feed
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Gen Z'ers Are Calling Out What Millennials Should Stop Doing, And Oh Boy
We recently asked the Gen Z'ers of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what they wish more millennials knew or would stop doing, and they were so honest, it's kind of brutal. Here's what they had to say: Note: Some responses were pulled from this Reddit thread by u/slappywhyte. 1. "We don't care about how you dress. We don't care about your trends. Not in a mean way, but we just genuinely do not care. We're not gonna judge your socks." —22, USA 2. "Many millennials are angry with the state of American consumerism yet heavily contribute to it by being massive consumers when prices climb." — FuckWayne 3. "In my opinion, the way a lot of millennials parent their kids is very lazy — especially with a lack of discipline and unlimited device usage at a young age. I think Gen Z can be guilty of this as well, but I see it a lot with millennial parents." — None "They TEND to raise poorly behaved spoiled brats to the point where seeing a well-behaved child is a rarity rather than the norm. My Gen Z wife quit her preschool career because millennial (Gen A) children made it hell on Earth. Gentle parenting and tablets/cell phones have completely mind-rotted Gen A." — warrior55q 4. "Stop the pet worship. Like, sure, pets are nice, but a lot of millenials seem to think they are exactly the same as human children." — None 5. "They're way too obsessed with how great their '90s childhood was, sometimes to the point of refusing to move on with their lives and be a functioning adult." — bobbyboy1018 "The '90s obsession. Modern media glorifies a lot of the '90s, and even the good projects have sooooo many scenes that are basically, 'Hey! Remember this thing from when you were a child? Wasn't it so cool?' No. I don't remember the 90s. I was born at the tail end of the 90s. I lived in a decade that didn't really know what it was yet. The '90s things were there but were quickly being replaced with new media, playthings, and fads. I only have a vague memory of a few of these things, and since I don't get the nostalgia kick from them, I just find them mildly obnoxious with how much they keep getting brought up again and again." — Northern_boah 6. "The overly curated Instagram feeds and the obsession with avocado toast probably seem pretty cringey to Gen Z. Gen Z tends to value authenticity and spontaneity more, so they might find these millennial trends a bit too polished and predictable." — Fantastic_Ebb2390 7. "Stop saying, 'We did a thing!'" —26, California 8. "We need millennials to stop acting like a Disney character on social media. Or kissing the Magic Kingdom ground. One instead of the other would be fine, too." —21, South Carolina 9. "Hipster culture and all this upscale, old town, faux folksy type of stores, restaurants, etc. need to go. You sell soap and knickknacks — I don't care how artisanal the process is or where you source it; it's not worth half the price you are charging it." "Same with breweries; you've just made another lager or light beer. Now, the entire block smells like piss whenever you're making a new batch." — PStriker32 10. "What really bugs me is the way millennials still try to act hip, especially online. I believe there comes a time in a person's life when they need to accept that they are not 'cool' anymore and start to take on that older person's role. Millennials don't do that, and it shows, especially with words like 'adulting' or saying things like, 'I'm a ___-year-old kid' or something." "It's embarrassing to see these 30+-year-old adults hop on trends and or use social media in a way that isn't just posting about your family, etc., like still sh*tposting at that age. Time to grow up." — ratfuckersam_ 11. "Stop making those cringe TikToks with the faces. They think the faces they lipsync with are not." —21, Ohio 12. The 'Jim and Pam' style relationships they love broadcasting. Quirk Chungus stuff. Millennials love telling you they fart in front of their girlfriend of 11 years." — Magehunter_Skassi 13. "Millennials have this aloof, generic snarkiness to them like they feel so clever and funny for repeating the same beaten-to-death quips over and over again. Gen Z does this, too, but it's way less pretentious." — None "Millennials need to stop doing that style of communication where they're desperate to come off as aloof and cynical, but they are obviously very, very mad about whatever they're talking about." — Magehunter_Skassi 14. "Millennials are the most intolerant generation." "I get it, though. You want to start beef so you can change things, and that is respectable if you believe in debate." — shyscissors434 15. "We are not obsessed with homeownership like y'all are." —26, California 16. "Stop idolizing celebrities. I'm sure Gen Z do it, too, but I feel like we're starting to get away from it a little." — GreenLightening5 17. "They need to stop their obsession with Harry Potter. I'm a part of several fandoms, but I would never walk around and say things like, 'Ugh, I'm such a Hufflepuff,' or still have very real crushes on teenagers 30+ years old." — Weak-Tie4626 18. "Stop the brand loyalty, particularly with fashion. Having an iPhone and a Gucci handbag is not a personality trait." — SK1Y101 19. "Millennials generally take the internet too seriously. Like, they missed the memo that social media is a hellish, nothing place where people go to be a-holes. That's pretty much ALL it is, and there's very little value. Nobody will ever change their minds on these apps, and we'd all be better off if we didn't use them — but millennials ALWAYS want to dig into some granular debate about some topic that both sides will forget about five minutes after it's over." "But when I say, 'This is Reddit; I'm not gonna argue with you ☠️,' they smugly declare themselves intellectual victors. Like, bruh, no. I'm just not gonna waste my time arguing with a stranger I will never meet about things that don't matter." — None 20. "I swear millennials are the new boomers. Sitting on the internet hating on an entire group of people you've likely never met. I can't wait to see what Alpha has to say about you." — NicosRevenge And finally... 21. "I wish that millenials knew that Gen Z isn't trying to steal their thunder. Not everything has to be made into a generational competition, and we could get so much more done if we could quit bickering about things that don't matter." "Ultimately, all Gen Z and millennials want is to make it through the day, week, or year. We don't hate y'all! We wish less of you hated us." —21, USA WHEW. Millennials, what do you think of this? And fellow Gen Z'ers, what are some other things you think millennials should know (or stop doing)? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below, or you can use this anonymous form below.
Globe and Mail
17-03-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
ForwardPlay Announces Expansion of Gaming Consultancy in AI Sector
Firm to Broaden AI Powered Development and Machine Learning Services in 2025 San Francisco, California--(Newsfile Corp. - March 17, 2025) - ForwardPlay, a leading gaming and technology consultancy, is expanding its AI-driven services in 2025 to meet the growing demand for intelligent, responsive game environments. With a focus on AI-powered game development and machine learning integration, the firm is scaling its consultancy to help game developers create more immersive, adaptive gaming experiences. A Gaming Industry at a Crossroads The gaming sector is undergoing a rapid evolution. According to News, gaming console revenue in the U.S. grew 9% in 2022, dropped to 1.9% in 2023, and further dropped to 1.7% in 2024. Statista notes that over 60% of console gamers are between the ages of 20-39, illustrating a significant deficit among Gen Z and Gen A gamers. Gaming demographics are shifting, development costs are rising, and younger players prioritize social, cross-platform gaming experiences. AI is emerging as a key tool to address these challenges—not just as a cost-saving measure, but as a way to enhance engagement and storytelling—precipitating ForwardPlay's move to prioritize AI-enhanced gaming experiences for its clients in 2025. "The gaming industry is facing a transformation," says Michel Coulon, founder of ForwardPlay and former head of Global Insights at EA Sports. "Studios need to rethink how they build worlds, how NPCs interact, and how AI can create more dynamic, player-driven experiences. ForwardPlay is expanding its services to help developers navigate this shift." Michel Coulon, founder of ForwardPlay To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: AI as the Next Frontier in Game Development ForwardPlay has been working with gaming startups to implement AI-driven character behaviors, procedural storytelling, and adaptive game environments. With the 2025 expansion, the firm will provide broader consulting services to studios looking to integrate AI-driven mechanics that improve game responsiveness and player immersion. "Developers have talked for years about games that evolve based on player interaction, but the technology hasn't been there—until now," Coulon explains. "Machine learning and AI can finally deliver on that promise, making NPCs smarter, worlds more reactive, and gameplay more engaging." Adapting to Industry Shifts Recent restructuring, layoffs, and shifting consumer preferences underscore the need for gaming studios to adapt. Major players are already shifting their strategies, and ForwardPlay's expanded consultancy aims to provide the expertise needed to implement AI solutions that not only streamline development but also elevate gameplay, allowing smaller studios to stay abreast of these changes. "This isn't about replacing creativity with AI—it's about using AI to create better, more responsive games," says Coulon. "Studios that understand this will set themselves apart in the next evolution of gaming." ForwardPlay logo To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: About ForwardPlay Founded by Michel Coulon in 2014, ForwardPlay is a gaming and technology consultancy specializing in AI integration, strategic growth, and next-generation game development. The firm works with startups and established studios to implement AI-driven solutions that enhance player engagement and streamline production.
