The mainstreaming of AI is setting a new precedent for how people relate to non-human sources of intelligence. While automation on a consumer level has typically focused on specific tasks like replying to emails or budgeting, it’s now swiftly expanding to a more dynamic range of applications.

Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

As hungry consumers seek out last-minute dining opportunities but with more and more restaurants getting booked up weeks in advance, Ambl is an app offering a unique new method for securing diners’ spontaneous reservations. Is this type of flexibility the future of dining out?

Despite people spending more critically due to inflation, data shows that Britons, especially Gen Yers, consider drinking and dining out part of essential spending habits. People place significant importance on going out to have a good time and cope with the dire financial situation.

How can people treat themselves in a recession? Will eating out remain a mainstay? How can brands provide accessible nutrition as food prices soar? In this part of the 2023 Expert Outlook, we speak to three experts about how the cost of living crisis is impacting eating and drinking habits.

When OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public, the text generator made a clear case for the sheer disruptive force of AI – making it apparent that such technology will change the way we experience information and engage with brands. But major challenges remain before AI elbows humans out of the way.