The AI innovation revolution, the affordable-housing market, this week’s spotlight on geopolitics, and more: The Weekend Read

CURATED PICKS FOR YOUR DOWNTIME, FROM OUR EDITORS

Icon headshots of Alex Panas and Axel Karlsson

Brought to you by Alex Panas, global leader of industries, & Axel Karlsson, global leader of functional practices and growth platforms

Welcome to the latest edition of The Weekend Read. We hope you find our perspectives useful. Let us know what you think at Alex_Panas@McKinsey.com and Axel_Karlsson@McKinsey.com.

—Alex and Axel

As we near the end of June, finish strong with some intentional reading. This week’s highlights offer insights on the AI innovation revolution, affordable housing, and the great trade rearrangement—plus our weekly spotlight on geopolitics , and more.

A vibrantly colored 3D image of various types of coral in the shape of a brain.

Innovation has become slower and more expensive over time. But AI has the potential to supercharge R&D processes, unlocking up to $560 billion of economic potential. Senior Partners Alex Singla, Alexander Sukharevsky, Lareina Yee, and colleagues discuss three primary channels through which AI technologies can accelerate innovation.

Unlock innovation insights

An abstract ribbon that twists and overlaps, resembling a multicolored mobius strip. The ribbon is striped with colors including yellow, orange, teal, blue, and purple, and it is set against a dark blue background.

Amid mounting pressure on US–China trade, shifts across thousands of products stand to reshape global trade patterns. A ‘rearrangement ratio’ introduced by Olivia White, Chris Bradley, Michael Birshan, Sven Smit, and colleagues quantifies how seamlessly a country can shift its imports from one source to another.

Enhance your trade strategy

Weekly spotlight on geopolitics

The future of global trade is more uncertain than ever, with trade corridors projected to swing and shrink. In a recent article, Olivia White, Shivanshu Gupta, Asutosh Padhi, and colleagues dissect potential outcomes of the trade dynamics that have been playing out over the past decade—as well as strategies that companies can use to stay ahead.

An image linking to the web page “A new trade paradigm: How shifts in trade corridors could affect business” on McKinsey.com

Learn the tricks of the trade

An close up image of a person's hand unlocking a door with a key.

American families are experiencing a massive housing shortage. Addressing it could create a $2 trillion increase in GDP and approximately 1.7 million jobs. Partner JP Julien talks about three barriers to affordable housing—and what both public and private sector leaders can do to help solve the problem.

Listen to the podcast

As consumers become increasingly eco-conscious, how can packaging producers and brand owners build a sound sustainability strategy? David Feber and colleagues analyze global consumer sentiments, examining how certain beliefs—such as a willingness to pay more for sustainable packaging—differ across demographics.

Access sustainability sentiments

Ready to unwind?

—Edited by Audrey Kim, editor, Atlanta

The Weekend Read will be taking a break for the July 4 holiday in the United States but will be back in your inbox on Friday, July 11.

An image linking to the web page “Featured Insights” on McKinsey.com.

Introducing McKinsey’s Featured Insights hub

Now available: your one-stop shop for McKinsey’s latest expert perspectives. Discover our newest reports, research, interviews, and more—all carefully curated.

See this week’s picks 

Follow our thinking

McKinsey Insights - Get our latest thinking on your iPhone, iPad, or Android.

Share these insights

Did you enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to colleagues and friends so they can subscribe too. Was this issue forwarded to you? Sign up for it and sample our 40+ other free email subscriptions here.