AI is embedded in workplaces worldwide by this point, and yet workers’ feelings about it vary dramatically. A study by Qualtrics examined how geography was related to feelings about AI in the workplace. They found that only 37% of workers globally believed that AI would improve their jobs. That average hides a 45-point difference between the most optimistic country, which is China, and the most skeptical, Japan.

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Nearly 80% of global companies report using AI in some capacity, and research indicates productivity gains, with lower-skilled workers benefiting the most. Even if this is the case, employee sentiment isn’t nearly as unified. The numbers the team shows here indicate a healthy level of AI skepticism. In fact, more than half of workers think AI will improve their lives in just 6 out of 32 countries studied. That means there are more skeptics than people excited about what AI will bring to the workplace. But why does optimism cluster in some regions while most remain skeptical?

Here are a few of the countries where optimism runs high:

• China – 62% of workers are optimistic
• Indonesia – 59%
• Peru – 57%
• South Africa – 53%
• Thailand – 52%

There is a mid-tier region with fewer optimistic workers, but still a healthy percentage. This includes Mexico, Brazil, India, Colombia, and Malaysia. Many of these countries have developing economies or a heavy state investment in AI infrastructure, as is the case in China. Workers in these places view AI as a tool to close skill gaps, raise wages, and improve living standards. These regional differences are easy to spot thanks to the map Qualtrics created, which color codes the level of optimism/skepticism.

At the other end of the spectrum, we find the highest number of skeptics in Western Europe and English-speaking countries. Here are the countries with the least faith in AI:

• United States – 31% of workers are optimistic
• Australia – 29%
• Great Britain – 26%
• Canada – 24%
• Japan – 17%
• Poland – 21%

The media narratives in these countries frame AI as a risk of automation-driven job loss, which shapes people’s perceptions even when AI adoption in their workplaces is the same as in optimistic locations. These nations are the same that rank lowest on the belief that AI will improve the job market.

Economic research suggests that AI tends to reshuffle tasks within a role rather than eliminate that job outright. New skills will be required to work with AI, and some positions will shift, but historically, new digital tools have created more roles than they’ve erased. The gap between the hard data and public sentiment in skeptical countries is definitely worth examining and tells a story.

As AI rolls out unevenly across the world’s workforce, it’s important for employers to understand where their employees actually stand on the issue. Beyond regional stereotypes or headline-driven assumptions, employers must look at facts like the data presented here to make thoughtful AI adoption decisions.

When a language disappears, a worldview, history, and culture fade with it. There are thousands of languages at risk of going extinct, as a report from Preply shows. Their Endangered Languages Report gathers data showing where the crises are most acute, while offering hope that extinction isn’t inevitable. They’ve shown areas where revival is working, too.  The study highlighted problem areas in vanishing languages, the reasons they are in danger, and hopeful signs that languages can be revived.

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Australia leads the world in the number of critically endangered languages indigenous to its borders (133). In general, the Pacific region and islands have the most endangered languages overall, at 250. Africa has the highest number of threatened languages at 217. In many of these locations, globalization puts pressure on Indigenous and isolated communities. A globalized world pushes young working-age people toward learning a globally dominant language like English or Mandarin, so they have expanded opportunities. It’s worth paying attention to the scale the study creates with at-risk, vulnerable, threatened, endangered, severely endangered, and critically endangered languages. This shows that risk is a spectrum in the world of language, just as it is in plant and animal species.

In the data, a language stands out as a relative success story. Welsh is a vulnerable language, with 19%–20% of the population speaking it. After over 50 years of effort and education, it rose to 30% of children between 3 and 15 years old who spoke it. The nation of Wales set a goal of a million fluent speakers by 2050. If they can meet that goal, it will prove that policy and education can revive a language.

The Lakota language is a cautionary tale of historical oppression. There are only 2,000 speakers today and it’s an endangered language. The United States assimilation policies pushed Indigenous people into residential schools, where children were forced to drop their language and speak English. Today, only 1% of the Lakota population of 170,000 can speak their native language fluently.

Cornish is a rare and unique language brought back from extinction. It officially went extinct in the 1800s, and thanks to a standardized written form revived and adopted in 2008, there are now 557 speakers of a once-dead language.

“Awakening” languages are revivals of once-extinct languages, like Cornish. Kaurna, an Australian language, was nearly lost when the last speaker passed away in 1929. But a program worked to revive it among 50 speakers using dictionaries, songs, and formal education programs. These aren’t the only awakening languages. Wampanoag, Palawa Kani, and Natchez have also awakened back into existence. Revitalization is slow, meticulous work, but these languages show that it’s possible.

Non-native speakers can do their part to support efforts by studying an at-risk language or helping out a revival group. Native speakers carry the heaviest burden and will most effectively save a language by teaching it to their children early. Schools and governments also have a part to play by offering classes in endangered languages. Language survival is possible when ordinary people decide the language is worth speaking.

Logos are among the most dramatic and important aspects of marketing, shaping how consumers view a brand in ways that aren’t always visible. Logo designs are based on psychology, which informs us how shapes and colors make us feel, and how they can shape a brand’s trustworthiness and credibility. If a brand changes its logo, it must be done with care and intention, and with a clear reason to justify the switch. The team at LogoMaker displays the most effective logo switches and rebrands in a graphic based on increased web traffic.

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The team chose web traffic as an indicator of a successful logo because in the world of marketing, clicks and traffic are closely linked with sales and brand awareness. It’s a quantifiable way to measure customer behavior. The team used SEMrush traffic data to estimate traffic changes in the three months leading up to their rebrand announcement, compared with the two months after the launch. Their graph isolates traffic rates to the time of the rebrand to get the most accurate depiction of the effects. The team also helpfully included the old and new logos so readers can form their own opinions about changes.

According to the team’s results, these were the brands with the biggest traffic increases after their new logo launched:

• Pfizer
• MLB
• Premier League
• The Guardian
• Southwest
• VISA
• Target
• Jaguar
• IHOP
• Spotify

We see a wide range of industries represented in these results. Pfizer takes the lead after redesigning its logo from a pill shape to a double helix. This is also a good example of other factors, in addition to the rebrand, causing the traffic spikes. The rebrand occurred in 2021, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world was hoping for a company like Pfizer to develop an effective vaccine.

After Pfizer, we see a few sports leagues on the chart. Major League Soccer, or MLS, is in second place, followed by the UK’s Premier League in third. Both of them dramatically simplified their logos, making them clearer and possibly more memorable, as the increased traffic indicates. In fact, many of the companies on the list seem to have opted for simpler logo designs. This is quite possibly so the logos are more visible when they’re small, like on a phone screen. This could also reflect a changing aesthetic, shifting from the more stylized and classical designs of the 90s and 00s to today’s more bold, minimalist style.

The trend toward minimalist logo redesign reflects evolving consumer preferences and the demands of digital media. Companies across diverse industries, from pharmaceuticals to sports and retail, are embracing simpler, more impactful designs that enhance brand recognition and visibility in an increasingly mobile world. These changes not only boost traffic but also demonstrate how branding adapts to cultural shifts and technological advancements, helping organizations stay relevant and competitive in today’s fast-paced landscape.