Future+ Fridays | Issue59

1. TED 2025 Humanity Reimagined

What’s Happening: TED2025, themed humanity reimagined, lit up Vancouver with a bold, urgent question: how do we stay human in an age of accelerating AI, climate shifts, and cultural reinvention? Over five days, thinkers, builders, and visionaries offered answers — sometimes provocative, sometimes poetic, always pressing.

TLDR:

• Who controls the future?
  From Carole Cadwalladr’s warnings about democracy being reshaped by tech monopolies to Palmer Luckey’s AI weapons pitch, the tension between innovation and control is front and center. Power is shifting — but to whom?

• Rethinking intelligence — human, machine, and beyond:
  Yoshua Bengio and Jeffrey T. Reed explored new frontiers of intelligence — from ethical AI to decoding how wolves communicate. Machines are getting smarter, yes — but the question is how we evolve alongside them. Later in the week, Claudia Passos Ferreira offered a stunning insight into newborn consciousness, while Sam Altman walked us through the slow, strange climb toward AGI — and the guardrails we’ll need along the way.

• Systems that empower — not just sustain:
  Wawira Njiru’s hyper-local food ecosystems for schoolchildren and Yancey Strickler’s “Headless Brands” both point to a deep need to redesign broken systems — not just patch them. Julienne Oyler’s work with Inkomoko and Sitoyo Lopokoiyit’s talk on M-PESA showed how economic inclusion can be real, scalable, and culturally grounded. These aren’t fixes — they’re new models.

• Restoration and imagination as infrastructure:
  Philippe Villeneuve’s rebuilding of Notre Dame and David Fajgenbaum’s drug repurposing work showed that healing — in architecture, in medicine — requires both innovation and reverence.

• Optimism that’s earned:
  Angus Hervey reminded us that progress is happening — we just need to look in the right places. And across all five days, that progress didn’t feel like blind optimism, but rather, clear-eyed hope paired with practical, often poetic action.

Why It Matters: By the end of TED2025, a pattern had emerged: we are rewriting the human operating system. The collision of AI, ethics, art, power, and play demands more than innovation — it asks for imagination, responsibility, and new structures. This wasn’t just a conference. It was a prompt. To build the future.

2. Google showcases new AR glasses and XR headset at TED

What’s Happening: At TED2025’s Humanity Reimagined event, Google showcased prototype smart glasses with an integrated display and Gemini AI, a proof of its return in the wearable glasses space over a decade later. The demo highlighted how lightweight glasses could work with smartphones to deliver real-time assistance, including translation, transcription, and memory cues.

TLDR:

• Google revealed AI-powered smart glasses with a built-in display.

• The glasses feature Gemini AI integration and work with phones for real-time processing.

• Demonstrations included translation, transcription, and object-tracking via camera.

• Nishta Bathia showcased a “Memory” feature using visual context.

• The glasses are part of Android XR, the new operating system for extended reality.

• Samsung’s upcoming Project Moohan headset was also mentioned at the event.

Why It Matters: These aren’t just glasses with a screen — they’re a preview of ambient, embodied computing. By blending AI with spatial awareness, Google is turning everyday eyewear into an intelligent co-pilot that quietly processes, interprets, and enhances the world around you. As vision, voice, and presence come together, smart glasses are shifting from novelty to necessity. With major players racing to define this category, the real question is: who gets there first — and who shapes how we’ll experience reality next?

3. Adobe X TED reimagine the future

What’s Happening: Adobe has renewed its partnership with TED as the Strategic Design Partner for TED2025, themed Humanity Reimagined. This collaboration aims to showcase how AI can enhance human creativity through Adobe's AI-driven tools.

TLDR:

• Adobe continues as TED's Strategic Design Partner for TED2025.

• The partnership focuses on demonstrating AI's potential to augment human creativity.

• Adobe is showcasing AI-enabled products: Adobe Firefly, Adobe Acrobat, and Adobe Express.

• Launch of "Creative Types Shape the Future," an interactive quiz powered by Firefly.

• The Reimagination Lounge offers hands-on experiences with Adobe's AI tools.

• A Spotlight Conversation on AI, creativity, and design is scheduled for April 10.

Why It Matters: As AI continues to evolve, the conversation around its role in creative work has never been more urgent. Adobe’s presence at TED2025 signals a commitment to ensuring that innovation doesn’t come at the cost of human imagination. Instead of replacing creativity, Adobe's tools show how AI can support and expand it — helping people bring ideas to life faster, more efficiently, and with greater accessibility. This collaboration reflects a broader shift in how we think about creativity in the digital age: not as something to be automated but as something to be elevated through thoughtful technology.

4. Prada takes over Versace in €1.25 billion deal

What’s Happening: Prada Group is acquiring Versace from Capri Holdings for €1.25 billion, bringing the iconic brand back to its Milan roots. The deal is expected to close by mid-2025, with Prada aiming to revive Versace through a strategy focused on long-term, sustainable growth.

TLDR:

• Versace’s revenue is projected to drop to $810M in 2025 from $1B in 2024.

• Prada is acquiring Versace for €1.25B (~$1.38B), a discounted price from the initially discussed €1.43B, partially due to tarriff-related adjustments.

• The deal sets a lower benchmark for fashion M&A, compared to Zimmermann’s 4.4x multiple just 18 months ago.

• Versace’s operations will move from New York to Milan and follow Prada’s direct control model with a focus on storytelling, brand appeal, and long-term growth.

• Prada will apply a strategy similar to Miu Miu’s turnaround, which drove a 93% revenue jump in 2024.

• Versace will keep its bold, glamorous identity, with updates from new creative director Dario Vitale, formerly of Miu Miu.

• CEO Emmanuel Gintzburger will remain in place, and Donatella Versace will stay involved as brand ambassador.

• This has led to a drop in the the US Capri Holdings Share.

Why It Matters: This deal sends a clear message about the state of fashion M&A: valuations are down, and liquidity events are harder to come by. Brands may now need to accept lower exits or delay sales altogether. For Prada, this is a strategic win — acquiring a globally recognized name at a significant discount, with the potential to turn it around using proven methods. For the industry, it resets expectations on what buyers are willing to pay, potentially reshaping how future deals are priced.

5. Etsy unveils AI-powered discovery experience to help creators 

What’s Happening: Etsy has launched a new AI-powered discovery experience alongside its second annual spring/summer trend edit report, making it easier for shoppers to explore curated collections and uncover emerging styles crafted by independent creators.

TLDR:

• Etsy is introducing a scrollable, AI-enhanced shopping experience within its app.

• Curated collections are built using both machine learning and expert trend insights.

• The seasonal trend report highlights aesthetics like Literary Girl, Island Luxe, and Galactic Metallic.

• Etsy creators are credited with identifying trends early and responding in real time.

• Shoppers are increasingly drawn to personalized, creative, and story-driven styles.

Why It Matters: The shift toward AI-driven experiences isn’t limited to fashion or retail — it’s happening across industries. From Etsy to Canva, where a full suite of AI tools was recently added, platforms are using intelligent technology to enhance creativity, streamline workflows, and personalize user experiences. Etsy’s approach stands out by pairing this tech with a strong human element: its global network of independent makers. In doing so, it’s not just adapting to change — it’s shaping what discovery looks like in a digital-first, creator-led economy.