Many fear the ramifications of AI. While there certainly are downsides, as with any technology, many overlook the potential upside and what is being handing to people.
AI is going to change society completely. The reflects what went before. Transformative technologies always have that impact. Whether we are referring to the automobile, steam engine, electricity, or the Internet, these general purpose technologies (GPT) alter everything.
With AI, we are moving into the age of personalization. This is something that has long been promised, with some of the early stages being seen in the digital world. However, what is about to happen is another level completely.
Data is the new oil.
We all heard this phrase. However, if we dig deeper, we see it is the thread that allows for total personalization.
Image generated by Ideogram
How do you feel about customized AI ads?
The knee jerk reaction is to resist this. Why would we want that? The answer to this question resides in the fact that ads are shown to us daily. Wouldn't we prefer to see something that is more aligned with our likes or interests?
For example, do you want to see movie trailers about romance films? If that is your thing, certainly, That said, what if you are a horror film fan and would rather sit on an ant hill than attend a movie like Beaches?
Customization, or personalization, comes from the data that is known about one. As an AI system learns more about the individual, contouring to specific interest is possible. This is all part of an evolving system that will ultimately lead to fully personalized AI assistants.
The challenge is that, in the digital world, we end up with choice overload.
Consider the number of videos we can choose from on a daily basis. There are millions (if not billions) of videos available on YouTube alone. Factor in the number of tweets that are sent out each day and add in the Instagram posts.
Just from these 3 sources, we are overwhelmed.
How many products does Amazon carry? It is easy to get lost in there, looking at hundreds of items that capture out attention. Surveys reveal that online vendors notice how cart abandonment is due to overload in the majority of the cases.
Of course, we all realize the flaws with recommend engines. We look up something once and are bombarded for weeks with results tied to that. If the interest was passing, this can be annoying. Obviously, we are looking at radical improvements required in the technology.
AI agents are going to factor into this a great deal. The Internet is going to change completely. Presently, it is designed for humans. Web 3.0, at its core, is computer based. Agents are going to operate on our behalf.
Few people like booking a hotel room or airline ticket. Even worse is researching this. Our personalized AI agents will be able to take care of that for us, factoring in our needs, desires, and interests.
The last half century saw standardization becoming the norm. This was one tactic used to increase productivity.
For example, customized home building has given way to centrally planned communities with a few different models to choose from. The difference between the homes is cosmetic at most. This allows for efficiency in building yet removes personalization.
It is true for most products. Economies of scale comes from the same product manufactured a number of times. Alterations slows down the process and cost money.
This is where technologies such as 3D printing hold potential. The ability to print one or a thousand is the same. The machine is taking the data from a drawing. Even if it changes between items, the system is designed for that.
The digital world leads the physical. Bits are faster than atoms. What we see emerging in the digital space will eventually more into the real world.
Over the next 5 years, we are going to see customization becoming the norm. It is the result of the advancement of AI.
