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After you wear it enough, Nike’s latest Air Jordan 1 eventually becomes a one-of-one sneaker in a colorful, custom colorway just for you. The Air Jordan 1 High OG Self-Expression,” which will be released July 31 and retail for $185, comes in a shoebox that looks as if it was made from sanded down rainbow scratch paper, and it’s a preview of what happens when you wear the shoes inside. At first the sneaker is black, but its finish is designed to flake off with time, revealing blue, green, and yellow panels underneath. It give each pair a unique pattern that’s special to the wearer. Think of it as a data visualization of your walking patterns. [Photo: Nike] AJ purists may be used to leaving their purchase in the box to keep it in mint condition, but the concept of scratch-off shoes flips scuff marks from a negative to a plus. The Air Jordan 1 High OG Self-Expression gives scuff marks value: wearing in the shoe so it doesn’t look the same as when you bought it is intrinsic to the design. It’s an innovative alternative to typical product customization. [Photo: Nike] Nike has previously put out rub away Air Max 1s and Nike SB x Air Jordan 1s with wear-away uppers, while their Air Force 1 Low Dirty Triple White ages backwards to reveal a brighter, whiter, cleaner layer underneath an outer layer that already looks worn. Dr. Martens got in on the trend last year with color-changing shoes with brown and black topcoats that wore off to reveal bright green and blue as part of a collaboration with Supreme. [Photo: Nike] For Nike, bringing the effect to the Air Jordan adds a fun new way to experience one of the company’s signature shoes. “The Air Jordan 1 transcended its basketball origins to become a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s, influencing diverse subcultures such as hip-hop, rock, skateboarding, and youth culture,” Air Jordan’s Kenlyn Tyree tells Fast Company. “Its blend of style, comfort, and performance made it a symbol of self-expression and status for a generation of young people.” Typically, apparel made from materials like raw denim or leather are thought to get better with wear, but with rub-away shoes, that idea is taken to another level. The imperfections are the point, and with Nike’s color-changing Air Jordan 1s, the bold, bright colors draw attention to them even more.
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E-Commerce
President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the United States will win the artificial intelligence race. He made the declaration before signing three executive orders aimed at expediting AI-related infrastructure projects, promoting and exporting American-made AI technology, and preventing woke AI in the federal government. Earlier in the day, the White House released a 28-page AI Action Plan, which lays out a detailed policy agenda to accelerate AI innovation, build AI infrastructure, and lead in international AI diplomacy and security. The plan paints a bucolic picture of sorts, in which American workers will benefit from the opportunities created by this technological revolution, including high-paying jobs and scientific discoveries, while the private sector is unencumbered by bureaucratic red tape and onerous regulations. ‘Whatever it takes’ But Trump also made clear that his AI policy marks a stark departure from the AI guardrails endorsed by President Joe Biden. During a speech Wednesday at an event cohosted by the Hill and Valley Forum and the All-In podcast, Trump took swipes at a number of policies endorsed by his political opponents and told the audience, Were getting rid of woke. The White Houses AI agenda outlines risks to innovation from anything perceived as a hindrancebe it ideological policies or environmental regulationsand the executive orders continue a pattern of Trump revoking the policies of his predecessor. The president vowed to do whatever it takes to lead the world in AI innovation. With your help, that golden age will be built by American workers, it will be powered by American energy, it will be run on American technology improved by American artificial intelligence, and it will make America richer, stronger, greater, freer, and more powerful than ever before, he told the tech-heavy audience. Recommended policy actions Among dozens of recommended policy actions, the AI Action Plan calls for eliminating references to misinformation, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and climate change. Whats more, it notes that AI models must be built on what are referred to as American values, without providing specifics about what those values are. One of the executive orders that Trump signed Wednesday also calls for modifying various environmental regulations to streamline and accelerate the federal permitting of data center infrastructure. Silicon Valley’s role Trumps AI policy was heavily shaped by his Silicon Valley donors, including David Sacks, one of four cohosts of the All-In podcast and Trumps special adviser for AI and crypto. While Trump complimented the genius and creativity of Silicon Valley, he also called on change from the technology community. Winning the new AI race will demand a new spirit of patriotism and national loyalty in Silicon Valley. More than 100 groupsincluding the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Organization for Women (NOW), and Oxfam Americasigned a resolution opposing the AI action plan, which they describe as being written by Big Tech and Big Oil. These groups instead advocated for a Peoples AI Action Plan.” ‘Just popped out of the air’ But even Trump seemed, at times, dubious or just naive about the technological revolution he intends to lead. Though AI technology is hardly new, Trump said it was something that nobody expected, it just popped out of the air and also suggested that AI needs a new moniker because he doesnt like the word artificial and prefers the word genius instead. Whether we like it or not, were suddenly engaged in a fast-paced competition to build and define this groundbreaking technology that will determine so much about the future of civilization itself, he told the audience.
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E-Commerce
U.S. automakers worry that President Donald Trump’s agreement to tariff Japanese vehicles at 15% would put them at a competitive disadvantage, saying they will face steeper import taxes on steel, aluminum and parts than their competitors.“We need to review all the details of the agreement, but this is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content,” said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the Big 3 American automakers, General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis.Blunt said in an interview the U.S. companies and workers “definitely are at a disadvantage” because they face a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum and a 25% tariff on parts and finished vehicles, with some exceptions for products covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that went into effect in 2020.The domestic automaker reaction reveals the challenge of enforcing policies across the world economy, showing that for all of Trump’s promises there can be genuine tradeoffs from policy choices that risk serious blowback in politically important states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where automaking is both a source of income and of identity.The United Auto Workers said in a statement it was “deeply angered” by the deal. “A better deal would have held Japanese automakers to the same standards U.S. workers have fought for at GM, Ford, and Stellantis,” the UAW said.“If this becomes the blueprint for trade with Europe or South Korea, it will be a major missed opportunity,” the union added. “We need trade deals that raise standards not reward the race to the bottom. This deal does the opposite.”Trump portrayed the trade framework as a major win after announcing it on Tuesday, saying it would add hundreds of thousands of jobs to the U.S. economy and open the Japanese economy in ways that could close a persistent trade imbalance. The agreement includes a 15% tariff that replaces the 25% import tax the Republican president had threatened to charge starting on Aug. 1. Japan would also put together $550 billion to invest in U.S. projects at the “direction” of the president, the White House said.The framework with Japan will remove regulations that prevent American vehicles from being sold in that country, the White House has said, adding that it would be possible for vehicles built in Detroit to be shipped directly to Japan and ready to be sold.But Blunt said that foreign auto producers, including the U.S., Europe and South Korea, have just a 6% share in Japan, raising skepticism that simply having the open market that the Trump administration says will exist in that country will be sufficient.“Tough nut to crack, and I’d be very surprised if we see any meaningful market penetration in Japan,” Blunt said.Asked at Wednesday’s briefing about whether Trump’s sectoral tariffs such as those on autos were now subject to possible change, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the issue had been going through the Commerce Department.The framework with Japan was also an indication that some nations simply saw it as preferential to have a set tariff rate rather than be whipsawed by Trump’s changes on import taxes since April. But for the moment, both Japan and the United Kingdom with its quotas on auto exports might enjoy a competitive edge in the U.S.“With this agreement in place it provides Japan with a near-term operating cost advantage compared to other foreign automakers, and even some domestic U.S. product that uses a high degree of both foreign production and parts content,” said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars. “It will be interesting to see if this is the first domino to fall in a series of foreign countries that decide long-term stability is more important that short term disputes over specific tariff rates.”Autos Drive America, an organization that represents major Japanese companies Toyota, Honda and Nissan and other international automakers, said in a statement that it is “encouraged” by the announced trade framework and noted its members have exceeded domestic automaker production for the past two years.The statement urged “the Trump administration to swiftly reach similar agreements with other allies and partners, especially the European Union, South Korea, Canada and Mexico.”The Japanese framework could give automakers and other countries grounds for pushing for changes in the Trump administration’s tariffs regime. The president has previously said that he values flexibility in negotiating import taxes. The USMCA is up for review next year.Ford, GM and Stellantis do “have every right to be upset,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president at consultancy AutoForecast Solutions. But “Honda, Toyota, and Nissan still import vehicles from Mexico and Canada, where the current levels of tariffs can be higher than those applied to Japanese imports. Most of the high-volume models from Japanese brands are already produced in North America.”Fiorani noted that among the few exceptions are the Toyota 4Runner, the Mazda CX-5 and the Subaru Forester, but most of the other imports fill niches that are too small to warrant production in the U.S.“There will be negotiations between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico, and it will probably result in tariffs no higher than 15%,” Fiorani added, “but nobody seems to be in a hurry to negotiate around the last Trump administration’s free trade agreement.” St. John contributed from Detroit. Josh Boak and Alex St. John, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
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