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As AI-generated content becomes ubiquitous, products that reveal the time, care, and judgment behind their creation will offer a powerful point of emotional and commercial differentiation. With todays AI tools, its possible to generate a complete brand experience in just a few hoursa name, a logo, a campaign, even a polished website. These systems visualize concepts with startling speed, compressing what once took weeks into an afternoon. And while most outputs remain virtual, were already glimpsing a future where AI begins shaping not just ideas, but production. As the barriers to creation continue to fall, and design becomes both instant and infinite, a new kind of value is emerging: the kind that takes time. At Whipsaw, weve embraced AI for what it enablesfaster workflows, more iterations, and rapid ideation. However, as the process becomes more efficient, we find that clients and consumers are increasingly drawn to something more challenging to replicate: the human element. Evidence of judgment. Taste. Craft. Intention. In a world of instant outputs, human hours are the new luxury. When anyone can make anything Part of AIs early allure came from its black-box noveltythe delight of watching something surprisingly good appear out of nowhere. But novelty wears thin. What once felt magical now feels pervasive. Consumers are learning to recognize when content lacks context, authorship, or accountability. As AI-generated content becomes more common, people are beginning to look for signs of authorship and intent. Tools like Adobes Content Authenticity Initiative reflect a growing demand for transparency in the creative process. At Whipsaw, we hear a version of this question every week: When AI can generate high-fidelity mockups in minutes, how do you prove the value of design that takes time? And increasingly, the answer is clear. You show your work. History, handwork, and value Throughout history, cultures have prized what visibly took time to make. A hand-thrown ceramic bowl. An embroidered sash. A gold-leafed manuscript. The visible labor wasnt just aestheticit was a testament to mastery and care. In the late 19th century, the Arts and Crafts movement emerged as a response to the soulless standardization of industrial manufacturing. In Japan, the philosophy of monozukuricontinuous, respectful craftsmanshipremains a foundational design ethic. These werent just artistic ideals. They were economic signals. They showed that something, or someone, mattered in the making. Today, were seeing a modern revival of that ethos. Proof of process, proof of value Revealing the process behind a product isnt just an old ethos. Its a contemporary design strategyand a powerful form of differentiation. Mercedes-AMGs One Man, One Engine program allows performance vehicle buyers to trace their engine to a single technician, whose name is engraved on a metal plate under the hood. Its not just a car. Its someones work. And the value of that signature is reflected in the price. Across industries, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Products that demonstrate their creation processand the humans involved in itare commanding greater emotional and financial value. Authorship, on display Showing your work means embedding human decision making directly into the product experiencemaking authorship a feature, not a footnote. In physical products, this might manifest as exposed welds or tool marks that reveal the manufacturing process, or QR codes that direct users to a companys build videos or sourcing maps. Luxury brands have long recognized the value of visible labor: Each Herms Birkin bag is handcrafted by a single artisan, whose discreet signature marks authorship. That human connection helps justify a price point far above mass-produced alternativesbecause the object tells a story of time, mastery, and care. Digital products can do the same. Consider apps that annotate decisions, such as Headspace, which surfaces the humans behind its meditation protocols, or Are.na, which credits individual contributors to collaborative boards. Even subtle UI elements, like curated by tags or changelogs authored by designers, remind users that a personnot an algorithmshaped their experience. Brands can also spotlight their storytelling processes through behind-the-scenes content, documented iterations, or showing rejected directions that reveal how choices were made. The goal isnt to overwhelm, but to create touchpoints where human judgment is visibleand meaningful. The next innovation is intent As AI makes it easier to generate, replicate, and scale design, the rarest resource left is evidence of intent. Brands will increasingly compete not just on form or function, but on visible human investmentthe time, care, and discernment embedded in the work. Before AI, much of that effort lived behind the curtain. The magic was in the revealwhat was shown, not how it was made. But now that anyone can shortcut to a polished result, the real value lies in everything that cant be automated. Process. Judgment. Intent. For consumers in a world of automation, that kind of clarity signals trust. It says: This wasnt just made. It was considered. The brands and products that make human involvement visible wont just stand out in an AI-saturated markettheyll forge deeper, more lasting connections with users who crave authenticity. Thats not just good strategy. Its good design. Dan Harden is founder and CEO of Whipsaw
Category:
E-Commerce
Every living organism, from the simplest microbe to the tallest tree, contains a library of genetic information refined by billions of years of evolution. This biological data dwarfs even our most advanced digital systems. Nature has been running the ultimate machine learning experiment since life began, optimizing solutions for survival, efficiency, and adaptation at a scale we’re only beginning to comprehend. What if, instead of replacing nature with machines, we could work with biological systems as collaborators? That’s the promise of modern biotechnology. Nearly two decades ago, my lab-mate Alvin and I set out on what many considered an impossible quest. We were PhD students at UC Berkeley with a radical idea: What if we could apply emerging biological tools to awaken dormant capabilities in living systems that could work alongside farmers? The fertilizer problem While 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen, plants can’t access it directly. For millions of years, soil microbes solved this problem through nitrogen fixation, converting atmospheric nitrogen into plant food. But with the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers, many of these microbes went quiet. Their nitrogen-fixing abilities switched off. For years, farmers have been scattering fertilizer across their fields and hoping enough would reach their crops. Much of it didn’t. It washed into rivers and streams, creating dead zones in our waterways. Alvin and I imagined a different approach: a living system that could work in partnership with farmers. Microbes that would live at crop roots and respond dynamically to each plant’s needs. They would be tireless collaborators, optimizing nutrient delivery with a precision that comes from billions of years of co-evolution with plants. We collected soil samples from farms across the country, isolated promising microbes, and began gently reawakening their dormant nitrogen-fixing abilities and enhancing what nature had already perfected. One day in the lab as we peered into a test tube that contained a germinating corn seed. Our partner microbes had colonized the roots of the tiny plant, actively fixing nitrogen and sharing it with their host. That little plant, growing vigorously without any added fertilizer, was proof that we had succeeded. We hadn’t created artificial life. We had awakened life’s existing potential to work in harmony with human needs. Microbial revolution Today, these microbial partners work in the soil across millions of acres of farmland worldwide, helping farmers grow more food with less environmental impact. They’ve prevented over 1.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions since 2022 alone. They’re part of a quiet revolution happening at the intersection of biology and human ingenuity. This revolution extends far beyond agriculture. Scientists have discovered and enhanced microbes that naturally break down oil spills in marine environments, partnering with these organisms to accelerate ocean healing. Others have found bacteria that can digest plastic waste, turning pollution into harmless byproductsnot through harsh chemicals, but through the same processes that nature uses to recycle organic matter. Researchers are developing living materials that can sense damage and repair themselves, inspired by how our own bodies heal. In medicine, we’re seeing remarkable advances: bacteria that can detect cancer cells earlier than any machine, algae that produce life-saving drugs more efficiently than factories, and personalized therapies that work with our immune systems rather than against them. Each breakthrough represents a partnership between human creativity and nature’s tested solutions. A reimagined relationship with the living world Just as AI amplifies human intelligence by learning from the data we’ve created, this new biological age amplifies human capability by collaborating with the wisdom encoded in life itself. But unlike AI, which we build from scratch, we’re working with systems that have already solved many of our greatest challenges. We just need to learn their language. This is more than a technological shift; it’s a fundamental reimagining of our relationship with the living world. For the first time in history, we can have a true dialogue with naturenot to dominate or control, but to collaborate and co-create. The choice isn’t between nature and technology. It’s about recognizing that nature is the most sophisticated technology we’ve ever encountered. And we’re just beginning to learn how to work with it. In the biological realm, those partners have been here all along, waiting for us to learn their language. The future isn’t about making biology more machine-like. It’s about discovering that biology has always been more ingenious than any machine we could build. The real revolution isn’t in controlling life, but in joining it. Karsten Temme is chief innovation officer of Pivot Bio.
Category:
E-Commerce
So, weve all been there. Youre two paragraphs into a blog post. The headline was catchy enough, the intro kind of made sense, and now your eyes are glazing over. You read over a word, a blurb, a sentence that sounds vaguely all-too-familiar and now youre wondering, Wait…did a human even write this? Odds are, youre not imagining it. AI-generated content is everywhere. It is impossible to escape. While it’s efficient, especially for meeting summaries and article recaps, you and I know the best content is the content that feels particularly human. When you spend your days working with AI (and creating comprehensive AI training for your team), you quickly start seeing how its beginning to give itself away. Here’s how to spot AI writing before you waste another five minutes of your life reading machine-generated clickbait. 1. It reads like someone trying to win an argument at a networking event. If every paragraph feels like its trying to make a strong point without actually saying anything meaningful, youre probably in AI territory. Look out for generic phrases like in todays fast-paced world or leveraging innovative strategies. Ive read these phrases so often that it occasionally feels right to use them as filler, like an SAT tutor that teaches your kid three big, impressive terms to use to crush the written portion of the test. Ultimately, this is the biggest red flag that youre reading AI-generated content. 2. Theres 0% personality and 100% too much structure. AI content often follows a painfully clean format: intro, subheads, conclusion. The content might include some big words, but its not fooling anyone. It reads like it went to school and graduated with honors, but never worked a day in the real world. Great for a college essay, not so realistic (nor creative) beyond that. Theres no strong voice, no edgejust perfectly average takes. On this note, Im seriously considering creating a support group for copywriters and marketers who embraced the em dash long before AI came around. While its become popularized as an AI tell of a blog post or article, too often its a case of mistaken identity. Tread carefully. 3. Its bland, not very controversial. This flag can be a difficult one to spot in the moment, as its important to consider varying perspectives and points of view. AI doesnt like to ruffle feathers, so youll often find it hedging every single opinion. Itll say one thing, then immediately say the opposite to keep the peace. Look out for something along the lines of, While X has benefits, its important to consider the potential downsides of Y. Lets keep writing about things that may be controversial, with strong opinions and hot takes. When creatives are writing about a particular topic, and aiming to prove a point, it doesnt seem appropriate for them to include the counterargument. Right? Youre reading to gain insight and perspective about whatever topic is at hand, not ride the see-saw. 4. The conclusion is weirdly robotic pep talk. If the article wraps with something like, As we move into the future, embracing innovation will be key, congrats, youve hit AI bingo. These vague, motivational endings are a dead giveaway. The conclusion usually feels abrupt, as if AI knows its necessary for sentence structure but is not willing to spend the time on making it truly meaningful. I rarely see a real person sign off their blogs, newsletters, or other content with such blatant corporate optimism. 5. Your brain feels…untouched. Maybe the biggest tell is how it makes you feel (or not feel). Great writing sticks with you. Even a short blog post can inspire, surprise, or challenge you. But AI-written content, on the other hand, is like a lukewarm shower. Technically fine. Emotionally forgettable. I wouldnt go so far as to claim that specific words, key, crucial, robust, or comprehensive are always AI indicators, but it is true that most writing tools cant resist overusing their favorite buzzwords. Even ChatGPT refers to these words as its greatest hits list, so its no wonder that my mind is exhausted from seeing them in others writing. I use AI daily to optimize my workstreams, beat creative blocks, and sharpen my emails. And if I dont pay attention and refine my prompts, my results will be rampant with these tells. Dont believe me? Test it out using ChatGPT. With a little practice, youll soon be able to spot an AI-generated story from a mile away. Im not an AI-hater by any measure, but its been exhausting to find that every third article I read is missing that imperfect-but-human spark. If it feels too clean, too cautious, or like it was written in under 30 seconds, it probably was. Lisa Larson-Kelley is founder and CEO of Quantious.
Category:
E-Commerce
In todays unpredictable economy, more small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are feeling tight on time, resources, and bandwidth. Having the right tech in place can help; the past decade has seen an explosion of technology helping small businesses. The downside is that small businesses often need to juggle their data and attention between multiple apps, which is frustrating and expensive. Recent studies show 70% prefer comprehensive, all-in-one solutions that keep everything in one place. But where are these all-in-ones? Software companies have been struggling to create the ambitious all-in-one package because of the costs of building and supporting different types of software (e.g. invoicing, bill pay, accepting payments, accounting, customer marketing, payroll, and more). Thats where the embedded fintech model comes in. More tech companies are now working together to build better experiences, rather than going it alone. With embedded fintech, platforms can embed their tech into software and customize it to fit their audience. Embedded solutions often include APIs and customizable user flows, but also support and go-to-market components. As a result, platforms can launch new products and businesses, backed by the deep expertise of their embedded partners. The embedded fintech opportunity The embedded finance market is booming, currently valued at $185 billion and projected to reach $320 billion by 2030, with SMBs accounting for half of that growth. More than 60% of SMBs want embedded financial services that simplify payment processes; 50% of these businesses believe the solutions can provide valuable payment data and insights to improve their operations. Tech companies that successfully partner with others to offer SMBs tailored, embedded fintech options are tapping into a significant and often overlooked market. Over the past few years, weve partnered with dozens of tech companies like Xero, Lattice, and Collective, and financial institutions, like Chase Payment Solutions and U.S. Bank. Through the technology on our platform, Gusto Embedded, we help them offer payroll directly within their own platforms to their SMB customers. This gives SMBs the chance to access more of their operations on one platform, so they can handle their finances and run payroll all in the same place, using just one login. Five things to consider By helping partners build customizable payroll solutions, weve learned a lot about how to make embedded fintech solutions truly work for SMBs needs. For tech companies seeking to dive into embedded fintech to better serve SMBs, here are five key things to consider: Assess when to partner, and when to build it yourself: You should invest your R&D resources on your core differentiation and what makes you special in the eyes of your customers. Outside of this, consider testing demand with qualitative and quantitative user research as well as a referral partnership. When demand is sufficiently validated, focus on owning the user experience pieces that are unique to your platform, and outsource the rest to a partner. Another approach is a crawl-walk-run approach, where you start with a referral partnership and a light integration before graduating to an embedded or a white-label solution. Align leadership for success: If you decide to pursue an embedded partnership, ensure that your business and product leaders are on the same page with your partners leaders. Ensure everyone has bought into the product development process, the launch strategy, and customer support for the new product. This is vital for a successful rollout and for the best possible experience for your customers. Customization is key: Tailor embedded fintech experiences to be fit-for-purpose rather than relying on generic features. A recent example of this was our partnership with Vagaro. We worked closely with Vagaro to develop an embedded payroll solution catering to the complex wage structures of its customersprimarily salon, spa, and fitness businesses. Taking this approach cut the time spent on payroll processing in half and significantly increased user adoption. Take a thoughtful approach to rollout: Avoid the build it and they will come mentality. A lot of tech companies fall into the trap of building great software, while neglecting to create a strategic go-to-market approach. Ask potential partners how they can assist in promoting the solution to your mutual customers. Do they understand your customers’ needs? How can you work together to clearly communicate and educate customers on the new product? Build trust before launching: The pressure to quickly introduce new products can be intense, but its essential to innovate responsibly. Ensure the end-to-end experience is polished for your initial customers before expanding to a broader audience. In the fintech industry, trust is paramount, and a poor experience can jeopardize customer relationships. For SMBs, the path to growth in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape lies in embracing new technology, particularly through embedded fintech. It will be essential for tech companies to listen closely to the needs of small businesses and develop tailored products that address their most pressing concerns. Partnering with others can speed up that process and help meet SMBs needs faster. When your SMB clients succeed, you can unlock new growth opportunities, while helping SMBs thrive in a digital economy demanding constant agility and adaptability. Tomer London is cofounder and chief product officer at Gusto.
Category:
E-Commerce
If you follow any variety of outdoor-focused brands on social media, you probably noticed these that companies were less focused in recent weeks on pushing products and more focused on pushing advocacy. And those efforts paid off: On Saturday, a plan to sell off public lands for development was stripped from the budget reconciliation bill, also referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed in the Senate Tuesday. Thats a victory for public lands advocates who opposed the controversial provision backed by Senator Mike Lee of Utah to put millions of acres of federal land up for grabs. Even after the provision was found to violate Senate rules, Lee seemed intent to follow through with a smaller package of land before removing the plan from the bill altogether. Lee, a Republican who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, ultimately conceded to the opposition from Republican lawmakers representing Western states. Amid the political back-and-forth in Washington, outdoor recreation brands like Patagonia and REI, the outdoor mapping company onX, and the outdoor lifestyle brand MeatEater kept up a steady drumbeat of messaging to urge voters to voice their opposition to the plan. The last several weeks proved what Patagonia and our partners have been saying for yearsthat Americans of all political persuasions believe in conservation, J.J. Huggins, a spokesperson for Patagonia, tells Fast Company. If anything, he says, this year made it even more clear that the protection of public lands is apolitical. A page out of the Project 2025 playbook Bipartisan support or no, its impossible to ignore the inherent politics at play, as the Republican-backed proposal has been bandied about previously by people in the party, including in the Project 2025 playbook. Outdoor brands focused on rallying their followers around opposition to the policy, while steering clear of the politics, showing its possible to unite voters who have a shared conviction. A recent survey by Trust for Public Land found that 71% of Americans oppose selling public lands, while other indicators suggest the share is even higher. News that the provision had been stripped brought a sense of relief and satisfaction, along with an encouraging sign of the strength of this broad coalition, says Mark Kenyon, host of MeatEaters Wired to Hunt podcast. It also proved that when public landowners of all stripes band togetherhunters and anglers, hikers and climbers, conservationists and environmentalistswe are a powerful force. Collectively, outdoor-focused brands made a loud statement, even as many companies have opted to become quieter in todays polarizing political environment. The unprecedented sense of unity among the greater outdoor recreation world is reason for optimism, says Becky Marcelliano, senior brand manager for advocacy at onX. Like Ive never seen before, the community at-large put down their biases and political leanings and stood tall for what they innately believe in. Patagonia’s push While preserving public land access is core to the missions of MeatEater and onX, these companies are relatively young. Patagonia, meanwhile, has taken up many such causes since Yvon Chouinard founded it in 1973. Its baked into our DNA, Huggins says. The Ventura, California-based outdoor apparel giant has become a model for other companies to emulate, although its not immune to receiving blowback on its various advocacy efforts. We hear it all, were used to it, he adds. But there was a different tenor to this years push for preserving public lands access, even compared with 2017, when Patagonia campaigned against Trumps plans to reduce the size of Bears Ear National Monument. This year really feels more bipartisan, Huggins says. MeatEater’s Message Those party lines didnt completely disappear, however, and were evident in the comments on several of MeatEater’s social media posts, where some users took the opportunity to point fingers. Even though Kenyon says that MeatEater has a long-standing commitment to speaking out and taking action in defense of wildlife and wild places, some followers cited what they perceive to be hypocrisy by the company. A typical post by the MeatEater team on Instagram often garners dozens of comments, whereas recent posts about protecting public lands saw that number swell to as much as 800-plus. Ryan Busse, a Democrat who mounted an unsuccessful bid for governor of Montana in 2024, even weighed in, calling out MeatEater for platforming Donald Trump, Jr. and Tucker Carlson on past podcasts. Though Kenyon says he cant speak to past guests on other podcasts, he adds that the company has always focused on educating its community and will do whatever we can to defend public lands, waters and wildlife. Weve never shied away from tough conversations, and this win shows that its worth the pushback and that we’re not alone in this conviction,” he says. Moreover, he says, the Bozeman, Montana-based company has been putting our money and time where our mouth is with efforts that include organizing volunteer projects for public land habitat restoration, raising funding for its land access initiative, and engaging alongside the broader hunting community. Were not just doing this when its convenient and trendy, Kenyon says. OnX organizes While preserving access to public lands has been core to onXs mission for several years, advocacy is relatively new for the outdoor navigation company. Aside from campaigns related to corner-crossinga legal gray area in which people cross from one corner of public land to another where private land borders boththe company hasnt taken a ton of hard stances in the past, Marcelliano says. Coming into 2025, onX was bracing for potential threats to public lands and the Bozeman-based company wanted to stand a little taller in its policy beliefs, Marcelliano says. The risk of alienating some supporters is something the company considers, but the universality of support for public lands makes navigating this territory easier. We try to find these sweet spots where were all more similar than different. Saturdays news is a win worth celebrating alongside the people who made it possible, Marcelliano says. She credits the greater outdoor recreation world coming together and making a confusing process easier to digest for helping to rally the masses into action. A flood the ines campaign supported by several brands resulted in more than 500,000 letters and phone calls to members of Congress. After seeing outdoor enthusiasts of all sorts get fired up together, Marcelliano is optimistic that this sense of unity will stick with people. She also points to the alignment among onXs audience on social media. Most posts on the companys main Instagram page receive maybe a few hundred likes, at most, whereas its weekend post declaring victory for public lands has garnered nearly 19,000 likes. Its been incredible, Marcelliano says. More battles to wage But the victory lap may not last long. While announcing his withdrawal of the federal lands sales provision from the mega-bill, Senator Lee vowed to keep the spirit of this effort alive. I continue to believe the federal government owns far too much landland it is mismanaging and in many cases ruining for the next generation, he wrote on social media. Marcelliano and Kenyon point to the demonstrated strength and unity of the broader outdoor community as a harbinger of whats possible when this coalition inevitably rallies again in the future. For Patagonia, much of its focus will return to advocating for the protection of public lands in Alaska, which is facing numerous threats we hope to stave off in the coming weeks and months, Huggins says. More broadly, the company will remain focused on those issues where it can make the most difference. Not every company has the luxury of investing these kinds of resources, Huggins says. If you can afford it, if you have people dedicated to these things, it unlocks a whole other level of power.
Category:
E-Commerce
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