Under the Robinhood

Mustard Skittles. You read that right. The iconic candy is teaming up with French’s to release a limited-edition flavor in honor of National Mustard Day. While the tangy condiment isn’t our first choice for a confectionary crossover (#TeamTajín), the collab entices our inner foodie. Depending on the drop’s success, don’t be surprised if Skittles launches more unorthodox flavors in the future and becomes the Gen Z Jelly Belly.

Sidenote: Congrats to Derek H. for winning our iPhone 14 and AirPods Pro Bundle! We hope it makes all your tech dreams come true.

In other news… Regulators take on gamified investment apps, the summer box office scores a surprise hit, and AI tracks fashion’s supply chain.

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The Future. The Securities and Exchange Commission is taking on retail trading apps with a proposed rule that would curtail all the fun and ease that make these platforms so addictive — a reaction to the Gamestonk craze that swept the internet in 2021. With the agency seeking public comment over the next few months, don’t be surprised if Reddit whips it up in a frenzy and organizes testimonies in opposition.

Under the Robinhood
The SEC thinks platforms like Robinhood and Fidelity gamify stock trading too much.

And with the rules also targeting “analytical tools used by investment firms to predict or direct investment-related behaviors,” expect any AI systems integrated into these platforms to be put in the hot seat.

The Future. Amid “Barbenheimer,” Sound of Freedom, the fact-based thriller about a US federal agent who quits his job to chase child sex traffickers, has become an under-the-radar hit, scoring $125 million to date and even beating Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One last week at the domestic box office. Its success may be inextricably tied to its novel “Pay It Forward” concept, which other studios may try to emulate… but could come up short when it’s not in support of an issue-driven film.

Tickets vs. butts
Sound of Freedom’s ticket sales and audience numbers may not be exactly lining up.

Yet, some people have reported “sold-out” screenings of the film actually had mostly empty theaters. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron says that’s nonsense, while Angel Studios says it’s possible if a group buys out a theater and not everyone shows up… but stresses that people using the app agree they’ll use the tickets.

Whether people show up or not has no effect on the box office receipts. The tickets are paid for. Still, box office analysts, like Jeff Bock at Exhibitor Relations, say more transparency around deals like this would help quash any rumors of “artificially inflating” the audience.

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The Future. Fashion logistics firm Altana is using AI to track the ethics of clothing at every step of its creation — a “Google Maps for supply chains,” according to its CEO. While the US government is already adopting the tool to scan for the use of forced labor in imported goods, Altana hopes individual consumers all around the world will have the chance to make sure their clothing is ethically made — a move that could spotlight the brands that are doing it right.

Labor labels
A new AI platform may ensure the clothes you wear are as ethical as possible.

Altana got a major seal of approval when the US Customs and Border Protection agency signed a multi-year deal with the firm, aiming to use the system to track whether imported goods were made by Uyghur forced labor in China’s Xinjiang province.

Since the passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, CBP has already blocked 812 clothing shipments worth $34 million since last June. Using Altana, expect that number to grow exponentially.

It’s basically normal now to think about AI doing stuff for us — writing term papers, resumes, 2024 goals, world domination plans, etc.

But have you ever had AI edit your videos? Meet Munch. Using state-of-the-art AI, computer vision, and marketing analytics (plus a little help from ol’ GPT), Munch will help you turn your long-form videos into dozens of stellar social vids in just a click or two. All that’s left for you to do is publish more often and watch your viewership soar.

Here’s how it works: upload your video using any public link or directly from your computer. Then, Munch will present you with engaging little cutdowns to share on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram. Oh, and it even captions them for you.

Let AI do the editing.

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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.