--- title: "The100: Trends, lists & the Namib Desert" description: "Welcome back! Anyone else relate to this? Anyway…  An AI experiment from the Bali tourist board Whilst machines like ChatGPT are learning to be human, Ian Leslie argues that the problem is humans are becoming like machines. It’s a marvellous piece, stuffed full of examples. He says: “We should refuse, in whatever game we’re playing, …" image: https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/The100%20Banners%20(1920%20x%201080%20px)%20(71).png --- [![Bombayworks logotype](https://hello.watchmethink.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/WatchMeThink_September_2023/images/wmt-logo_inverse.svg "Bombayworks logotype")](https://watchmethink.com/) - [What we do](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Watch Me Explore](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-explore) - [Watch Me Develop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-develop) - [Watch Me Use](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-use) - [Watch Me Shop](https://watchmethink.com/what-we-do/watch-me-shop) - [Who it's for](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Consumer Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-insights) - [Shopper Insights](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/shopper-insights) - [Category Management](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/category-mangement) - [Innovation & Product Development](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/innovation) - [Sensory & Consumer Science](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/consumer-science) - [Packaging](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/packaging) - [Marketing](https://watchmethink.com/who-its-for/marketing) - [About](https://watchmethink.com/about) - [The 100 Blog](https://blog.watchmethink.com/) - [Contact](https://watchmethink.com/contact) - [Login](https://watchmethink.com/dashboard) - [Sign up](https://watchmethink.com/#) - [Corporate users](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Request registration here](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/client) - [Consumer](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) - [Get paid to review products](https://watchmethink.com/account/register/contributor) Menu # The100: Trends, lists & the Namib Desert - Home - [Blog](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) - The100: Trends, lists & the Namib Desert - [Blog home /](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog) [Alistair Vince](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/author/alistair-vince) 01/09/2023 [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100), [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) [0 Comments](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-trends-lists-the-namib-desert#postComment) 2 Minutes   Welcome back! Anyone else [relate to this?](https://www.tiktok.com/@bethanhislop/video/7182283506666491141?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7182283506666491141) Anyway…  **An AI experiment from the Bali tourist board** Whilst machines like ChatGPT are learning to be human, [Ian Leslie argues that the problem is humans are becoming like machines.](https://ianleslie.substack.com/p/the-struggle-to-be-human) It’s a marvellous piece, stuffed full of examples. He says:     > “*We should refuse, in whatever game we’re playing, to make thoughtless and predictable moves just because they’re the moves we’ve been taught or conditioned to believe are the correct ones. We should strive to be difficult to model*” **No short-cuts are available** Edward Appleton of Happy Thinking People has called for the industry to [put the human back into market research.](https://edwardappleton.substack.com/p/2023-research-needs-innovation)     > *“\[…\] in the case of video, researchers still have to look and listen to everything to make sense of it. No short-cuts are available”* Whilst technology has enabled the industry to gather data much more efficiently and effectively, without people actually watching those videos you miss the nuance. You miss the gold. Someone once said they were a TAPAS (not SAAS) company. Technology & People as a service. I like that. **The Noble Art** Something must be in the water at Barnes & Noble. Whilst the tech companies are stuck on buffer, the 100 year old store is thriving and recently announced plans to open 30 new book stores. I repeat. Real. Paper. Book. Stores. Ted Gioia has been looking into [how they’ve done so.](https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/what-can-we-learn-from-barnes-and)  **Trendz** There were a heap of trend summaries, both looking back and looking forward, doled out over the break. In case you missed them: - [A collation of (100) 2023 prediction decks](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f7jN70nG8gU1-L_cCJg8rbuj7UDZv62X?usp=share_link) - [Pinterest Predicts](https://business.pinterest.com/en-gb/pinterest-predicts/) - [A Year on YouTube 2022](https://www.youtube.com/trends/2022/us/media/) - [A Year on TikTok 2022](https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/year-on-tiktok-2022-truly-foryou-uk) I must admit, Pinterest’s *‘Back gardens are great, but your front door is ready for some love* ‘ makes me feel a little queasy.  **Life doesn’t change that fast** But, hold your horses, Tom Goodwin argues that [we should focus on shifts, not trends:](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tomfgoodwin_trends-shifts-future-activity-7015034960096952320-Fz49/?)  > *“\[…\] it would be easy to write about Generative AI or Nuclear Fusion or TikTok now, but the truth is that the trends that matter are movements that build over time. The latest trends are weather forecasts, but what matters is climate change. That’s where you make money”* **Listz** As well as trend summaries, the end of the year also served up some superb lists: - Tom Whitwell’s [52 things I learned in 2022.](https://medium.com/magnetic/52-things-i-learned-in-2022-db5fcd4aea6e) 12 and 39 are particular whammies.  - Vikki Ross’s [22 things I liked in 2022.](https://twitter.com/VikkiRossWrites/status/1603341685445910528) The door handle copy in 15 is superb. - The UK’s [top tv moments of 2022.](https://twitter.com/scottygb/status/1602973836059807747?s=20&t=yQ7IIQsmyv1WzYhpM015pA) Lest we forget 3 and 5. **And finally…** [A live stream from a watering hole in the Namib Desert.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydYDqZQpim8) Looks just like Basingstoke. Because who doesn’t want to watch a family of warthogs?   --- #### Tag: [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100) [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-trends-lists-the-namib-desert) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-trends-lists-the-namib-desert&text=The100:%20Trends,%20lists%20&%20the%20Namib%20Desert) - [Follow us on Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-trends-lists-the-namib-desert) - [Follow us on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-trends-lists-the-namib-desert&text=The100:%20Trends,%20lists%20&%20the%20Namib%20Desertdescription=&media=https://3461170.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3461170/The100%20Banners%20%281920%20x%201080%20px%29%20%2871%29.png) --- --- ## From the archives If you like The100, maybe even found it vaguely enjoyable (steady now), you can have a ganders at our previous issues. Fill your boots. [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100), [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) 19 September, 2025 #### [The100: Uber’s research playbook, online delivery models and polyphonic ringtones](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-ubers-research-playbook-online-delivery-models-and-polyphonic-ringtones) UberCool Back in 2017, Uber had a problem. Passengers were so unhappy with UberPool that Uber… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-ubers-research-playbook-online-delivery-models-and-polyphonic-ringtones) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100), [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) 05 September, 2025 #### [The100: Expanding time, talking to animals and Chile’s Atacama Desert](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-expanding-time-talking-to-animals-and-chiles-atacama-desert) SharkNinja’s $16B+ Product Machine SharkNinja must see more launches than a shipyard. Each year… [Read More](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-expanding-time-talking-to-animals-and-chiles-atacama-desert) [The100](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/the100), [Homepage](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/tag/homepage) 22 August, 2025 #### [The100: The price of American made, judgement economies and 1880s hipsters](https://hello.watchmethink.com/blog/the100-the-price-of-american-made-judgement-economies-and-1880s-hipsters) Does your brand need to be polarising to be successful? 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