7 Strategic Challenges, Solved with AI
Can an AI strategy tool tackle our biggest cultural problems?
Some strategic and cultural questions persist for years without satisfying solutions. And every so often, those types of questions show up at our desk, and we need to make sense of them at speed. So, we wondered: could AI offer fresh perspectives on these enduring challenges?
To find out, we asked members of the private community Salmon Crew to share the biggest topics they think need solving, that feel both culturally important and strategically relevant for a brand or business to help address. We matched seven of these challenges to real brands and markets, creating concrete briefs that could land on a strategist's desk tomorrow. Then we gave Adaily 2.0 just seven minutes to tackle each one. No pressure.
The goal wasn't a flashy tech demo, but an honest exploration of whether AI can contribute meaningfully to strategic thinking. Or, at minimum, spark better human ideation.
Browse all challenges in Adaily 2.0 (free, no signup)
In the videos below, watch as Piotr Bombol (Adaily) and Rob Estreitinho (Salmon Labs) see and react to the system's outputs, in real time. No rehearsals. No corporate script. Just two strategists exploring the intersection of AI and strategic thinking together.
The Seven Challenges We Tackled
1. How can we create healthier value systems and support networks for young men?
Brand: Tinder / Market: Brazil
Men face suicide rates nearly 4x higher than women and record-low college enrollment (41%) (1), while navigating conflicting messages about masculinity (2). Yet 82% would engage with brands supporting their mental health (1), and men show higher community participation rates (75% vs. 70%) (3) - suggesting real opportunity for authentic brand engagement.
Sources (see more): 1. Horizon Media Trends 2025 2. Accenture Life Trends 2025 3. Lululemon Global Wellbeing Report
See full project in Adaily 2.0
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2. How can we promote work-life balance in an always-connected digital environment?
Brand: Figma / Market: DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
Work-life boundaries are now essential for 72% of adults, with 42% reporting increased importance year-over-year (1). Driving this: 38% of workers believe their organizations prioritize profits over wellbeing (1). Solutions range from "early-finish Fridays" (1,400+ UK job postings) (2) to mandatory log-offs and even $1,200 fines for contacting colleagues on leave (1, 2). With 71% viewing boundaries as vital for mental health (3), tech companies must lead this change.
Sources (see more): 1. TBWA Backslash Future of Employee Experience 2. TBWA Backslash 2024 Edges Glossary 3. TORQUE Trends Report 2024-2025
See full project in Adaily 2.0
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3. How can brands build trust in an era of deepfakes and synthetic media?
Brand: Youtube / Market: Global
Trust is now crucial for 62% of consumers (up from 56%), while skepticism soars - 48.6% question news authenticity and 59.9% are more suspicious of online content than before (1). AI-generated content deepens this crisis, with 51% concerned about AI images from healthcare providers, 50% from banks, and 44% from tech brands (1). With 62% expecting more deepfakes (2), tech leaders like Google and Adobe are developing authentication tools (2) - launching an arms race brands must navigate.
Sources (see more): 1. Accenture Life Trends 2025 2. Mindshare Trends 2024
See full project in Adaily 2.0
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4. How can we protect children's privacy and consent in a digital-first world?
Brand: Disney / Market: Poland
Parents are organizing for digital safety, with 64.7% wanting restricted social media time and rejecting simple "take away smartphones" solutions (1). The US passed KOSA requiring platforms to default to the highest privacy settings and provide parental controls (1), while children themselves are becoming privacy-savvy - using private accounts and anonymous usernames (2). Already 70% of parents use technical controls, with parental control software usage jumping from 22% to 33% for younger children (2021-2022) (2). For brands, data privacy is both a compliance necessity and competitive advantage with privacy-conscious youth (3).
Sources (see more): 1. Accenture Life Trends 2025 2. OFCOM Online Nation 2023 3. BBC RD Projections Foresight Report
See full project in Adaily 2.0
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5. How can we revive trust in institutions while maintaining healthy skepticism?
Brand: NYT / Market: USA
Trust in institutions is collapsing - only 50% trust government, 48% trust media, and 40% trust most news (1, 4). Online skepticism is spreading, with 59.9% questioning digital content more than before (2). While transparency seems like the solution, 86% of leaders believe it builds trust but mishandling it can backfire (3). What actually works: listening - 82% say institutions must hear concerns and enable questions (1). For media, clear fact vs. opinion labeling and open dialogue about concerns are essential to balance healthy skepticism with functional trust (5).
Sources (see more): 1. Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report 2024 2. Accenture Life Trends 2025 3. Deloitte Insights Global Human Capital Trends 2024 4. FTI 2024 Tech Trends Report 5. IPSOS What The Future Intelligence
See full project in Adaily 2.0
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6. How can we discuss body image in the age of Ozempic?
Brand: Dove / Market: Singapore & Malaysia
Ozempic is reshaping body image conversations, with society accepting pharmaceutical weight management as self-expression - but demanding honesty about these choices (1). Users' behaviors are changing dramatically: 83% with reduced appetites are more open to trying new foods and interested in tailored products (2). This creates both opportunity and ethical challenge as brands navigate between supporting individual choices and avoiding harmful body ideals. The conversation now encompasses bodily autonomy, wellness versus appearance, and weight medicalization (3), with consumers increasingly seeking holistic health approaches beyond just weight loss (4).
Sources (see more): 1. MORNING Trend Report 2. NOURISH 2025 Food Agriculture Trend Report 3. TBWA Backslash 2024 Edges Glossary 4. TASTEWISE Flavor Chase Top Trend Predictions for 2025
See full project in Adaily 2.0
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7. How can we educate people about ultra-processed foods in a way that leads to behaviour change?
Brand: M&S Food / Market: UK
Despite UPF concerns, 32% of Americans know the term but don't understand what it means (1). Consumers want transparency beyond simple "processed" labels - they need context about why some processes benefit (fermentation, pasteurization) while others harm (2). Effective education requires practical alternatives: highlighting minimally processed foods' advantages (higher nutrition, convenience, shelf life) (2) and using technology for personalized nutrition insights based on individual health goals (3). The opportunity lies in turning confusion into informed choice.
Sources (see more): 1. THE NEW CONSUMER COEFFICIENT CAPITAL Consumer-Trends-2025 2. MINTEL 2024 Global Food and Drink Trends 3. JUICY BRICK Annual Food Trend Report 2025
See full project in Adaily 2.0
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What We Actually Learned
After speedrunning seven strategic challenges through Adaily 2.0, we learned the tool doesn't replace thinking. Instead, it fundamentally changes how strategists work through their thinking.
AI reframes, humans recognize. The system consistently found unexpected angles: transforming trust-building into "intellectual wellbeing" for NYT. Turning work-life balance into "structured creativity" for Figma. But humans spotted which reframes had legs. When Rob connected Portuguese meal culture to M&S's point around "rebellion against optimization", that was human insight building on machine provocation.
Speed unlocks exploration. With research and frameworks generated in minutes, we shifted from data-gathering to pattern-spotting and creative leaps. Rob called it "speed dating for strategy": exercising different strategic muscles entirely, with Adaily 2.0 as your mental PT.
Cultural tensions spark breakthroughs. The tool excelled at identifying contradictions: Brazilian men wanting authenticity while projecting success. German designers craving collaboration but fearing always-on culture. These are the types of springboards that can spark creative campaigns only humans could fully develop.
Systems thinking meets storytelling. Adaily suggested environmental interventions, partnerships, product features: systematic solutions that humans transformed into compelling narratives. Like how Disney helps parents "outsource their values" through entertainment. A world where AI thinks in systems which we can then turn into stories feels like a fruitful one.
Brief drift proves human value. When the system solved the wrong problem (M&S's premium positioning vs. ultra-processed foods), it reinforced that strategists remain the drivers: keeping strategic thinking on course while exploring promising detours. This is where practising your own critical thinking skills is fundamental. Your job is to craft or challenge what you are given.
Global insights at startup speed. Market nuances that typically require weeks of research (Poland's fertility rates affecting parental attitudes, Germany's privacy obsession) emerged in minutes. We could focus on what insights meant, not just finding them.
Challenge-brand intersections drive strategy. When broad challenges met specific brands, the tool found sweet spots neither could reach alone - turning Disney's entertainment into a vehicle for "outsourcing values" and Tinder's platform into a space for authentic vulnerability. These intersections became the most fertile ground for distinctive campaigns.
The experiment revealed Adaily's true value: amplification, not automation. By handling research and synthesis, it creates space for what humans do best: recognizing patterns, making unexpected connections, crafting ideas that resonate. And as the world adopts more forms of hybrid work culture, this hybrid nature also applies to the source of our thinking. The answer to “AI or humans”, just like “brand or performance”, is probably going to end up being “do both”.
About Adaily 2.0
Adaily 2.0 is our AI system that powers through the research and strategy grunt work, that typically takes days, in just minutes. It's built on a foundation of 4,400+ award-winning campaigns and 30,000+ market reports insights, combined with targeted live web search to handle projects for any brand, agency, and country around the world.
The system delivers structured outputs from competitor research to creative briefs, all with clickable sources. Early users describe it as "having a junior planner, but 100× faster" - handling the first 90% of the process so you can focus on that final creative push that only humans can provide. In other words: getting you from A to Y in no time, but the rest is up to you - the expert.