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The Rapid Evolution of AI Assistants: From Chatbots to Agents

The swift transformation of AI assistants into agents marks a significant shift in how we perceive and interact with digital technology. Gone are the days when these virtual helpers were simply chatbots to interact with. Now, they’re evolving into proactive, autonomous agents capable of independent decision-making and personalized assistance.

Today, AI agents are focused on accomplishing relatively simple tasks, from proactively scheduling your appointments to booking your flights, but in the future, they may help run companies. This transition from assistants to agents is reshaping our relationship with technology and opening new possibilities. 96% of executives agree leveraging AI agent ecosystems will be a significant opportunity for their organizations in the next three years.

Understanding the shift

The distinction between AI assistants and agents is their level of autonomy and intelligence. While traditional assistants primarily respond to user-initiated commands, agents operate more autonomously, leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms to anticipate user needs and take proactive actions.

For example, an AI assistant may remind you to complete a task based on certain criteria. In contrast, an agent could automatically reschedule appointments based on your calendar and preferences without explicit instructions. When ChatGPT launched, some people assumed it was actively looking up information on the web. However, it was actually generating answers based on the vast amounts of data it had been previously trained on, drawing on the relationships between that data to provide users answers. Now, plugins enable ChatGPT to access the internet and AI agents to navigate the current digital world.

And ChatGPT is not alone. Recently, a startup called Cognition AI released a demo showing an AI agent called Devin performing work usually done by well-paid software engineers. While ChatGPT can generate code, Devin goes further — planning how to solve a problem, writing the code, and then testing, debugging, and implementing it.

Proactive personalization

One of the emerging characteristics of AI agents is their ability to provide proactive, personalized assistance. These agents can anticipate user needs by analyzing user behavior, preferences, and historical data to offer tailored recommendations or actions.

Imagine having an AI agent that reminds you of upcoming meetings or birthdays, suggests relevant articles based on your interests, orders groceries when your supplies are running low, and adjusts your smart home devices to optimize energy usage — all without asking it to do so.

Netflix uses learning-based AI agents to offer personalized recommendations based on your viewing history. Aomni’s personalized AI agents can handle sales tasks such as account planning and relationship building.

Empowering decision-making

As AI agents become increasingly sophisticated, they can be entrusted with more decision-making authority. These agents can make informed decisions on behalf of users, ranging from scheduling appointments to making purchase recommendations by learning from past interactions and analyzing real-time data.

In business, AI agents empower employees with insights and recommendations to enhance productivity and decision-making, enabling them to focus on other tasks. For example, in customer service, agents equipped with AI capabilities can analyze customer inquiries, identify patterns, and recommend solutions in real time, leading to more efficient and personalized interactions. This leaves them more time to focus on tasks that require a human touch. Several innovative startups are in this space. Ema, a Universal AI employee, is described as an operating system that makes Generative AI work at an enterprise level. The company believes that if there were fewer repetitive tasks, there would be more time for creative thinking. Gen AI offers an unprecedented opportunity to enable this. Watching apps like these transform the future of work will be fascinating.

Sierra AI is another great example of a startup making waves. Focused on elevating customer experiences with AI, Sierra AI enables customers to self-serve–getting answers, solving problems, and taking action through a natural, conversational experience. The AI agent is personalized to your business and its customers.

There is even work being done to explore the collaboration of Multi-Agent AIs working across an enterprise and various operations tapping into data across an organization to make faster and more informed decision-making.

Ethical considerations and challenges

While the evolution of AI assistants into agents offers immense potential, it raises important ethical considerations and challenges. Issues like data privacy, algorithmic bias, and accountability become more pronounced as AI agents gain autonomy and decision-making capabilities. We must all discuss and address these concerns proactively and ensure that AI agents are designed and deployed responsibly to uphold ethical principles and protect user interests. For example, the United States and Europe have enacted extensive legislation regarding employees and data protection. In Europe, Article 22 of the GDPR specifies that no employment decisions should be made entirely in an automated fashion.

AI’s future

The advancement of AI technology is expected to accelerate the transformation of assistants into agents, ushering in a new era of intelligent, autonomous digital entities.

AI agents promise to revolutionize how we interact with technology and navigate our daily lives, from enhancing productivity by adding time back in our day and personalization to driving innovation across industries.

While the journey to this future has begun, we are just at the beginning. We must all play a role in ensuring we manage it in a way that benefits humanity. A paradigm shift in human-computer interaction is blurring the lines between tools and autonomous entities. It includes everything from apps to agents, from point-and-click to natural language interfaces, and from static UI to UI, which is dynamically generated based on what the user wants. AI agents are becoming AI employees. As a society, we must learn how to collaborate with them as teammates and employees. It’s up to us — will we embrace this transformation with careful consideration of ethical implications and a commitment to leveraging AI technology for the betterment of society? If so, we can unlock our full potential to empower individuals, businesses, and communities in the digital age.

Potential to change the way we interact with computers. From apps to agents, from point-and-click to natural language interfaces, and from static UI to UI that is dynamically generated based on what the user wants to do.

AI agents become AI employees. As a society, we will need to learn how to collaborate with them as teammates and employees.

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Who is Generation Alpha? Understanding our future trendsetters

As the world evolves, so does each generation. Right now, the spotlight is on Generation Alpha, the demographic cohort succeeding Generation Z. But who exactly are they, and what sets them apart?

Meet Gen Alpha

Generation Alpha (Gen Alpha) consists of children born from 2010 to 2025. They are the offspring of Millennials and the first generation born entirely in the 21st century. Gen Alpha is expected to be the largest in history, with more than 2 billion people worldwide, and may outnumber Baby Boomers by next year.

They are also the most globally and racially diverse generation. Around the world, more than 2.8 million Gen Alpha are born every week, with the highest numbers in India, China, and Indonesia. In the U.S., there are over 51 million Gen Alphas. While just over half of Gen Z in the U.S. identify as non-Hispanic white, Gen Alpha will mark the first generation in which less than half of the population is white.

Our most tech-savvy generation yet

The Hyper-Digital Generation

For Generation Alpha, technology isn’t just prevalent; it’s omnipresent. The lines between offline and online life are blurred for these digital natives who have never known a world without smartphones, social media, or instant access to information.   

Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI) are not cutting-edge innovations for Alphas; they are part of their daily lives.

Gen Alpha has never known a world without iPads. Nearly half of Gen Alphas own tablets. They have been exposed to tablets, mobile phones, and other electronic devices since a very young age.   

According to Razorfish, many young Gen Alphas between the ages of three and five already have tablets: 43% have one before age six. As they reach six and seven, they become exposed to more complex technologies, including video game consoles, earbuds, and smart TVs. By eight and nine, laptop and desktop computers are introduced, with their millennial parents giving them their first smartphone around nine.

Welcome to the “screen-age”

According to research firm Gitnux, children aged 8 to 12 spend nearly five hours per day on screens of various devices. Because they have access to many devices, Gen Alphas are used to focusing on multiple screens at once. This means they consume content in a very different way than previous generations.

Noah Mallin, chief strategy officer of media and social agency IMGN Media, provided a great example: “For Gen Alpha, it’s more like studying on Quizlet on your smartphone, while YouTube is on in the background on the family Roku — and you’re using the computer to hang out with friends in Minecraft.” This makes them highly effective multi-taskers and can result in shorter attention spans.

Content consumers and creators

YouTube is Gen Alpha’s favorite platform. In a Breno Bain survey of 7 to 14-year-olds, YouTube was seen as the coolest brand. It is also the favorite platform for consuming content, with 86% of Gen Alphas surveyed consuming content on YouTube. This is thanks to brands targeting this generation on the platform, and Gen Alpha influencers and content creators continually popping up on YouTube and TikTok.

Take Ryan Kaji, a Kidfluencer with nearly 37M followers on YouTube, Everleigh Soutas with nearly 4M followers on YouTube, EthanGamer and his 3.2M followers who watch him play Roblox and Minecraft, and Nastya with her whopping 114M followers.

Creative gamers

Like Gen Z, Gen Alphas are also big gamers. But where Gen Z likes gaming to escape or relax, Gen Alpha sees it as a creative outlet, a place to build their worlds, and a place to socialize. Games like Roblox and Minecraft are their gaming worlds of choice. That’s why brands like Walmart, Nike, Barbie, and the NBA have all found their way onto Gen Alpha-heavy platforms.

AI natives

While Gen Z is referred to as “digital natives,” Gen Alpha has earned the honor of being coined “AI natives.” Gen Alpha has grown up alongside AI innovations, from Alexa to Google Assistant, AI-based characters in video games, deepfake YouTube videos, and ChatGPT. They’re the most comfortable generation yet when collaborating and conversing with AI.

What’s important to Gen Alpha?

Education, creativity, and independence

For Gen Alpha, education is becoming more personalized and technology-driven than any previous generation. They value creativity and are likely to pursue learning paths that allow them to explore their imaginative sides. Gen Alpha knows how to quickly navigate the digital landscape to find solutions, explore new ways of individual expression, and acquire knowledge independently.

Environmental concerns

Growing up with climate change as an ever-present concern, Gen Alpha places great importance on sustainability. They are already aware of our planet’s environmental challenges and are poised to be more eco-conscious in their choices, even more so than Gen Z. One-third of Gen Alphas surveyed said they want to make a difference, help others, or help the planet when asked what they want to be when they grow up.

Diversity, inclusion, and authenticity

Living in a hyperconnected world, Gen Alpha is the most globally aware generation yet. Their interconnectedness offers them access to news, resources, and cultures that have the potential to shape their views as global citizens and how they advocate for causes that are most important to them.

Gen Alpha expects to see these values reflected in society because they were introduced to diversity and inclusion from an early age. They are growing up in a world where gender fluidity and racial equality are increasingly recognized, shaping a more accepting worldview. 92% of Gen Alpha respondents understand the power of authenticity. They value standing up for people, understanding people who are different, learning new things, and self-expression.

Brand loyalty

While Gen Z has expressed its anti-consumerism sentiments, distancing itself from overconsumption, Gen Alpha is more like its Millennial counterparts, exhibiting brand loyalty and obsession. Examples of that can be seen in their recent obsession with Stanley Quenchers and Sephora products.

Gen Alpha also has a big influence on their parents’ purchases, with Morning Consult reporting that by age 5, they are influencing household purchase decisions, with 85% of parents saying that their five- to nine-year-olds have explicitly requested products they’ve seen in stores, on TV, or online.

Gen Alpha is already showing its discerning taste and is looking for authenticity in brand marketing and relatable spokespeople. Brands like Claire’s are creating The Collab, a community platform targeted at Gen Alpha and Gen Z to connect with musicians, dancers, skateboarders, fashion influencers, and more. Crayola is following its massive YouTube success with Gen Alpha-specific content that resulted in a 40X increase in organic views by bringing it to other platforms such as TikTok and Pinterest.

Future job market

Gen Alpha will make up 11% of the adult workforce by 2030, and 65% of Gen Alphas will work in jobs that don’t exist today. Unlike Gen Z, Gen Alphas will enter a job market dominated by AI and automation. Adaptive skills and continuous learning will be essential for success in their careers.

This generation is ready to embrace these new skills and technologies, with 59% of Gen Alpha believing that AI, virtual reality, and smart assistants will be integral to their future jobs. They see technology as a way of engaging with the world and will bring a more global view to their jobs.

They have also watched their parents transition during Covid to a more flexible work set-up, making remote and hybrid work not a nice to have for Gen Alpha but an expectation.

This generation has the potential to be innovative and entrepreneurial trailblazers, adept at research, problem-solving, online collaboration, and a strong desire to make a difference.

Generation Alpha is set to leave a bold imprint on our cultural, technological, and environmental landscape. Their ingrained understanding of technology, alongside a strong sense of social responsibility, may well propel us toward a future that prior generations could scarcely have imagined.

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How I manage my to-do list with email: Part 2

Keeping track of all your to-dos is never easy, but implementing a process and system to manage them can really help you function at your optimal capacity.
 
 I recently shared a strategy outlining how to:

  • Archive all your email so you never have to worry about deleting an email again
  • Declutter your inbox
  • Process your inbox
  • Track everything you delegate and everything you are ‘waiting for’ via a Pending folder.

In this post, I’ll cover managing and tracking your next actions so you never have to worry about dropping the ball again.

As mentioned previously, efficiently processing your inbox involves doing one of four things with each email:

  • Read and delete. No action is needed.
  • Do. If I think it will take me less than 2 minutes to respond to an email, I will do it then and there and then delete it.
  • Delegate. Forward, ask someone to do something based on the email, and then delete it. Per my previous post on this topic, remember to copy yourself when you delegate over email so you can track everything you’re waiting on someone for in your Pending folder.
  • Queue up for the next action needed. These are the emails I need to spend more time on and that I haven’t been able to delete, delegate, or do within the 2-minute rule.


Let’s focus on that last point: how to queue up things for the next action needed.

Constructing contexts

One core tenet of “Getting Things Done” is to group all your next actions by context. In its simplest terms, this means defining a set of mutually exclusive categories that you can use to group and prioritize your subsequent actions.
 
Everyone will have different contexts they want to work across (see below for mine). The trick here is to define those contexts in a way that makes sense for you and is as simple as possible. It is also important to define them so that each next action only goes into one context. This keeps the overhead of managing your next actions to a minimum. 
 
Here are mine:

I implement this for my email by creating an email folder for each “context” and then moving each “next action” from my inbox to that folder.
 
Here are a few examples:

  • My friend emails me and wants to catch up. I drag the email from my inbox into my Call folder.
  • My wife emails me and asks if I can pick up paper towels. That goes in my Urgent/Important folder 😊
  • My colleague emails me and requests I review a presentation, but in no hurry. It goes into my Not Urgent/Important folder.
  • Someone sends me an interesting article on Vegemite. Into the Someday folder it goes.
  • My boss emails me and says he wants to discuss an upcoming site visit. This goes into the Agenda folder for when I meet with him next.
  • One of my team members told me they just finished a presentation to an important client. This goes into the Recognize folder.

Hopefully, you get the idea.
 
Later, when I get ready to go on a drive, I check my Calls folder and call my friend.
 
When I next meet with my boss, I go to my Agendas folder to remind myself of everything I need to discuss with him.
 
When I’m at my desk first thing in the morning, I hit my Urgent/Important folder for all the urgent and important things I need to do. 
 
When I finish those, I hit the Not Urgent/important folder and get a start on those.
 
Then, when I’m done with all my projects and have time to breathe, I check my Someday folder for new things to do.
 
Never drop the ball again.

Creating a code

The above works great when you receive and act on emails, but what if you want to create and manage the next actions for things not associated with an email you have received? 
 
For example, you might think of something urgent and essential you must do or someone you need to call. How do you get these follow-up actions into your email system?
 
Here’s what I do.
 
Let’s take an “urgent/important” next action as an example. If I want to remind myself to complete an important presentation by the end of the week, I email myself the Subject line “Complete presentation $ui.” I then have a rule set that looks for emails from myself with a “$ui” in the subject line, which automatically moves that email into my Urgent/Important folder. Voila! Next time I’m at my laptop, I will check my Urgent/Important folder, and see my next action to complete the presentation.
 
 To break this down further, for each context:

  • Come up with a code you can put in the Subject for any next action you want to automatically move to the folder for that context.
  • Create a rule for the context that will look for that code as part of the Subject and then do the move.

For the example above, the rule would look like this:


 Note: The examples in this post are from Microsoft Outlook, but most other email applications allow similar rules and settings

Below are the codes I use for all the contexts mentioned above. All you need to do now is create a rule for each code that is the same as the example above but with the corresponding code for each context.

With the above in place, you can also handle the following scenario:
 
Someone sends you an email to ask you for something, and when you respond to say, “I’m on it!” you tag the subject with “$ui”, so your next action is automatically put in your Urgent/Important folder for follow-up. This saves you from having to respond AND manually move the original email to the folder yourself. Yes, it’s only a few extra steps, but it all adds up over a day, a week, or a year. And these posts are all about being an email ninja, not an email grasshopper.

Final reminders

Two more things and we’re done, but these are very important to remember.
 
First, the ordering of your rules in your email system matters. It’s essential that the first rule is to move all received emails to your Received folder. This ensures you will continue to archive all emails you receive, as explained in my first post. Then come the rules to manage context-based next actions as explained above. Finally, the last rule should be to manage Pending emails, which you copy yourself on when you want to track or monitor that something gets done. Ordering your rules in this way ensures they are applied in the correct order so that the system works.
 
Second, you will need to update your Pending rule so as not to move all these next-action emails to your Pending folder as well. To do this, simply exclude all these emails from the Pending rule, as shown below.

That’s it! Now, you have a way to track your next actions by context. When you complete each next action, you can delete it from the context folder and move on to the next one!
 
 At this point, you now have a way to:

  • Archive all your emails so you never have to worry about deleting them again.
  • Declutter your inbox.
  • Process your inbox.
  • Track everything you delegate and everything you are ‘waiting for’ via a Pending folder.
  • Track your next actions by context.

Stay tuned for my next post on using this system to manage projects and deliverables that require many next actions to complete. It will also include a few additional advanced techniques that will move you into black belt territory.

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How to automate email management 

Automate your Inbox so you have time for more meaningful tasks

Who doesn’t want to be more productive? When the end of your day rolls around, are you looking at your to-do list, wishing you could cross off more items? In my experience, I’ve discovered the most productive people do things differently. They use their time more efficiently and often achieve better results.

If you’re struggling to find time for the more meaningful tasks in your day and want to spend less time tied to emails, I’m sharing these tips for you.

If you’re into personal productivity, then Getting Things Done is a must-read. The author, David Allen, is widely recognized as the world’s leading expert on personal and organizational productivity.

The book inspired me to create an email system that lets me spend less time on emails and more time on meaningful tasks. Here are my tips around email and how to make it work for you. In order to succeed at making the most of your email, you’re going to need two things:

  1. An email program (I use Outlook, so that is what I’ll be highlighting today)
  2. Time (Don’t worry, it won’t take much of your time once you get the system established!)

So, without further ado, here’s how I set up my email to maximize my time:

Create a reliable archive for everything you send and receive. Create a folder called “Received” to archive every email you receive so that you always have a copy on hand, no matter what happens. Create a rule to automatically make a copy of everything you receive, except emails that you send to yourself, as those will be automatically archived in your Sent folder (I’ll explain that in a minute).


In Outlook, this rule might look like this:


At this point, a copy of every email you send will be in Sent, and a copy of every email you receive will be in Received. You’ll never have to worry about deleting an email again. Just follow one rule — don’t touch either of these folders, and you’ll always have a copy saved.

Additional tip: There’s no need to create a similar archive for things you send, as most email programs take care of this for you via the Sent folder.

This provides a few benefits:

  1. You can now use your Inbox as a real Inbox and not as a way of archiving your emails. For example, you can now delete things from your Inbox without worrying about saving a copy.
  2. You don’t have to create some complicated folder structure to store and find emails. You can simply use your email’s Search function across both the Sent and Received folders to search and find any email you’ve ever sent or received. More on this later.

Next, in order to get all the useless emails out of your Inbox and focus on the important stuff, you can use a service like Sanebox. Sanebox does many things, but the best thing it does is learn what you consider important and interesting and move everything else out of your Inbox into a folder called SaneLater. This means that everything left in your Inbox is the things you find most important, and the rest you can process periodically at the end of the day.


If you’re using Outlook, another way to do this is to simply use Outlook’s “Focused Inbox” to automatically sort messages into Focused (important) and Other (not important).

With all the above in place, your Inbox will only contain emails of interest at this point. Now onto processing those emails. For every email remaining, I will take one of the following actions:

  1. Read and delete. No further action is needed.
  2. Do. If I think it will take me less than 2 minutes to respond to an email, I will do it then and there and then delete it.
  3. Delegate. Forward and ask someone to do something based on the email, and then delete it.
  4. Queue up. These are the emails I need to spend more time on and that I haven’t been able to delete, delegate, or do within the 2-minute rule mentioned above.

The really fun part (have I mentioned how much I love productivity tips?) is how to set up email to streamline how you manage all the things you’ve delegated and all the next actions you have on your plate.

Let’s start with how I use email to track everything I’ve delegated and everything I’m waiting for:

  1. Create a folder called “Pending” to store every email request you make that you want to track the result of, or monitor that it gets done.
  2. Create a rule that automatically moves any email you receive from yourself to the Pending folder created in the previous step.


Now, all you need to do is copy yourself on any email you send where you want to track or monitor progress. This will trigger the above rule and store all the emails in the Pending folder.

You can then periodically (daily, weekly, whenever) look at the Pending folder for every ‘waiting for’ action you are tracking. When something gets done, simply delete it from the Pending folder! Remember, no need to worry about saving emails anymore, every email you have ever sent and received is safely archived in Sent and Received.

And voila! You now have:

  • A way to archive all your email so you never have to worry about deleting an email again
  • A way to unclutter your Inbox
  • A way to process your Inbox
  • A way to track everything you delegate and everything you are ‘waiting for’

Stay tuned for the next blog post on how to manage and track all your next actions so you never have to worry about dropping the ball again. In future blog posts, I’ll also cover my approach to personal knowledge management and how I manage my “Second Brain” to stay productive and free my mind from worrying about all the things going on in my life.

Keeping track of all your to-dos is never easy, but it’s within your power to foster a process and system that helps you function at your optimal capacity.

This is what works for me. What works for you? What are your productivity tips for managing your to-do list?


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Shaping tomorrow: Exploring digital behavior shifts [5 TRENDS + Key Takeaway]

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, we are witnessing a paradigm shift reshaping our online experiences and interactions. This transformative journey is not just about the advent of new services and technologies but also reflects our growing consciousness about the health implications of our digital lives. This shift is remarkably evident among younger generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

These digital natives, who have seamlessly integrated technology into their daily lives, are steering away from traditional online platforms like standard search engines and news or product websites.

Instead, they are gravitating towards social apps and seeking information, inspiration, and a sense of community in more dynamic and interactive spaces. This change coincides with a growing interest in multi-functional “Super Apps” among all internet users and a rise in immersive, more experiential digital tools.

Recent statistics vividly show this evolving digital behavior, particularly among younger generations.

Here’s a summary highlighting these key trends:

  1. Increased smartphone usage
    Gen Z spends over 6 hours daily on smartphones, indicating a heavy reliance on mobile devices for various aspects of their daily lives.

  2. Changing information sources
    Almost 40% of young people now turn to platforms like TikTok and Instagram for answers, bypassing traditional tools like Google Maps or Search.This reflects a shift towards more visually engaging and social forms of information gathering. Younger generations are beginning their digital explorations from a place of curiosity, favoring immersive and interactive experiences over traditional search and browsing methods.

  3. Rise of super apps
    Apps are increasingly becoming all-in-one solutions, bundling various services to ensure users have everything they need within a single platform. This trend is leading to a more integrated and streamlined digital experience.

    Superapps consolidate and replace multiple apps for customer or employee use and support a composable business ecosystem, according to Gartner. Examples of successful super apps include Rappi, a Colombian on-demand delivery app; WeChat, a Chinese social media platform; and Grab, Southeast Asia’s ride-hailing, taxi, food-delivery, and grocery app. Early super-apps are expected to emerge in Western countries by 2025.

    ShaQ Express in Ghana also exemplifies the transformation from a traditional delivery company to a super app, offering a number of Internet-based services under one roof, yet another example of this trend towards more versatile and comprehensive digital platforms.

    By 2027, it’s projected that more than 50% of the global population will be daily active users of super apps. This trend underscores the growing preference for integrated platforms that offer a range of services in one place.

  4. Brand trust as a key purchase driver
    Brand equity is now the top purchase driver for consumers. This highlights the increasing importance of brand reputation and reliability in consumer decision-making.

  5. High trust in online reviews
    A staggering 88% of customers surveyed trust online reviews from strangers as much as personal contacts. This statistic demonstrates the significant role of digital word-of-mouth in shaping consumer trust and purchase decisions.

The landscape of digital interactions in our daily lives is rapidly evolving, painting a future where technology, trust, and convenience merge seamlessly.

As we navigate through an ever-evolving digital terrain, it becomes increasingly clear that our world is transforming significantly.

The shifts in digital behavior, highlighted by the rise of all-in-one platforms and the nuanced journey of technologies like Generative AI, underscore the dynamic nature of our digital ecosystem.

We must all pay close attention to these changes. Understanding and adapting to these shifts is not just about keeping up with technological advancements; it’s about actively participating in a world that is becoming more interconnected and experiential.

Embracing these opportunities will be the key to thriving in this new digital age?

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How technology can enhance real-world experiences

From digital transformation to experience transformation

The concept of hybrid reality – blending our virtual and physical worlds – has gained significant traction, fueled by a desire for more meaningful experiences along with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and immersive technologies. 

The COVID pandemic accelerated the shift to digital experiences such as remote work, home food delivery, online shopping, telemedicine, and more. While these experiences were initially met with widespread enthusiasm, as they offered unprecedented convenience and efficiencies in various aspects of daily life, many individuals began to recognize what this technology didn’t provide.

The lack of tangible human interaction and richness of real-world experiences left consumers realizing they did not want to live a digital-only life. For example, they loved to shop online but still wanted to go shopping, and while working from home provided new, exciting flexibility, they still wanted to interact with their teams in the office.

We’re all increasingly living in a time where much of our day is spent moving between different environments, experiences, and ways of doing things. From hybrid work to other hybrid physical/digital experiences, consumers will experience the merging of our physical and digital worlds – leading to better, more satisfying, and useful products and experiences for their everyday lives.  There is an opportunity for technology to augment our hybrid world, making it more seamless and adaptable to our needs.

Let’s dive into some of the ways this blending of physical and digital will affect our lives now and in the future.

Hybrid applications

Hybrid reality applications span diverse sectors, including entertainment, education, and healthcare, demonstrating their versatility and broad appeal. Augmented reality (AR) is one technology that will have a massive impact on hybrid reality. The AR market revenue is expected to top $21 billion this year.

Work

Whether someone is attending a meeting remotely or in the office, everyone wants to feel like they are an integral part of the team. This works great when everyone is either in person or virtual but is especially difficult when meetings are hybrid. HP is very focused on using AI-powered audio and video to make hybrid meeting experiences more engaging, no matter where you are. For example, this involves moving from a static video feed of everyone in the room to being able to frame the audio and video of the person speaking automatically.

Poly and HP are Stronger Together

And HP is not alone. Sixty-three percent of high-growth companies have adopted a “productivity anywhere” workforce model.

Touch

Touch is a big part of our physical world experience, but it is not possible when remote or virtual…yet. A startup, Emerge.io, has developed a virtual touch technology that allows you to feel a remote hug, handshake, or high-five literally. The small device creates a precise, ultrasonic force field, so now you can physically feel what you see on the screen or through your AR glasses. This could also be used for games, media content and video calls to set the stage for new hybrid experiences that include touch.

Writing

Even with all the technology today, some people still prefer using a pen to write in a physical notebook. What if you can have the best of both worlds? One approach is by adding a very accurate sensor to the pen, enabling the stylus to create a digital copy of anything you write or draw on paper. Another is to use the power of Generative AI to enable this, allowing you to have the physical benefit of writing with all the power and benefits of digital. This is another example of hybrid reality, blending our digital and physical worlds to create an even better experience than is possible in just a purely physical or purely digital experience.

Looking forward

The impending arrival of hybrid reality, an innovative blend of physical and digital worlds, is poised to revolutionize our interactions and work landscape. As hybrid reality becomes a tangible part of our daily lives, it will redefine the boundaries between virtual and physical realms and offer new, dynamic ways to interact with each other and our environment, profoundly impacting both our personal and professional lives.

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Humans at capacity: Navigating the future with augmented intelligence

The plethora of economic, social, environmental, and political challenges, combined with a rapidly aging population, raises the question of “Are humans at capacity?”

How can people alone deal with all the problems being thrown at us and at the same time continue to innovate, advance, and produce without risking human wellness, empathy, and satisfaction?

While much has been made of what AI could take away from us, what if it was used to help us and augment our intelligence and capabilities? Working collaboratively, we could ask the right questions faster, speed up solutions to global problems, and give back valuable time. This would allow us to focus on what’s important, and be more human.

I like to challenge the prevailing narrative that AI is a looming threat, poised to replace and diminish human roles. Instead, another version of the future is one where AI acts as a collaborative partner, empowering humans to navigate complex issues more efficiently. By working in tandem with AI, humans could accelerate the pace of innovation, find solutions to global problems more rapidly, and increase the time we have to work on what’s important or spend more time doing the things we love. The aim is not to replace human ingenuity but to augment it, allowing individuals to focus on critical aspects such as empathy, wellness, and satisfaction.

At the heart of this vision lies the belief that collaborative efforts between humans and AI can lead to a more harmonious and productive future. By automating routine tasks and streamlining processes, AI could free up valuable time and mental resources for individuals to engage in more meaningful endeavors. A key aspect of this collaboration is the ability to ask the right questions faster — an essential skill in addressing complex issues.

Imagine a scenario where AI is a meaningful virtual assistant sorting through vast amounts of data to identify patterns and correlations. This can significantly expedite problem-solving, enabling humans to make informed decisions more quickly. With AI’s analytical prowess, humans can gain deeper insights into intricate problems, fostering a more nuanced understanding of global challenges. And that future is close. 50% of what we do at work in 2023 will be automated within 15 years.


Embracing AI as a collaborative partner can lead to accelerated innovation, too. Humans can dedicate more time to creative thinking, exploration, and experimentation by automating repetitive tasks. This shift in focus from mundane tasks to inventive endeavors has the potential to unlock new realms of possibility, driving progress across various fields. In a recent publication of a case study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, generative AI boosted workers’ productivity by 13.8 percent at a Fortune 500 company, increasing customer satisfaction while reducing employee turnover.


One of the key advantages of this collaborative approach is its potential impact on global problem-solving. As the world grapples with issues like climate change, resource depletion, and public health crises, the collective intelligence of humans and AI converges to devise effective and timely solutions. The speed at which these solutions can be generated becomes crucial in addressing the urgency of many global challenges.

This also applies to the global GDP. Breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence have the potential to bring about sweeping changes to the global economy, according to Goldman Sachs Research. As tools using advances in natural language processing work their way into businesses and society, they could drive a 7% (or almost $7 trillion) increase in global GDP.


However, the ultimate goal is a more holistic human experience. With AI handling routine tasks, individuals can focus on cultivating empathy, strengthening social bonds, and pursuing personal fulfillment. The future includes a world where humans are liberated from repetitive, mundane work, enabling them to lead more enriching lives.

While this vision paints a promising picture of the future, it has its challenges and ethical considerations. There is a need for responsible AI development, ensuring that the collaboration between humans and machines adheres to ethical standards. Questions of privacy, bias, and accountability must be addressed to create a symbiotic relationship that benefits our future.

The concept of humans at capacity opens the door to a paradigm shift in our approach to technology. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, I invite you to explore the possibilities of collaborative intelligence.
 
By leveraging AI to augment human capabilities, we can address global challenges more effectively, accelerate innovation, and create a future where humanity thrives. It’s not about replacing humans; it’s about empowering them to be more human in the face of an ever-evolving world. As we navigate the complexities of the future, the fusion of human ingenuity and artificial intelligence may hold the key to a more resilient and compassionate world.

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How to leverage change to impact the future

Change is a powerful force, and we all possess the capacity to harness it to shape the future.

I recently had the pleasure to speak at HP’s Greater Asia Partner Conference in Japan, where I emphasized the crucial role of being proactive change agents and futurists in our rapidly evolving world.

With today’s relentless pace of change, where everything around us is in constant flux, our ability to thrive hinges on our willingness to embrace change wholeheartedly. However, merely reacting to change is not enough; we must learn how to anticipate it, tap into it, and actively harness it to shape the future we desire.

This is the essence of being a futurist.

Reacting to change is not enough; we must learn how to anticipate it, tap into it, and actively harness it to shape the future we desire.

In a world characterized by lightning-fast technological advancements and seismic global shifts that are reshaping industries and societies, cultivating a futurist mindset is no longer a choice but a necessity. It begins with asking the right questions:

What emerging trends lie on the horizon?

How do we proactively prepare for the transformative impact of these trends?

How can we leverage these trends to create the future we want?

Addressing these questions empowers us to become proactive architects of the future, rather than passive bystanders. The truth is that we all have the potential to be futurists, and the future is an unpainted canvas waiting for our unique contributions.

Change is a powerful force, and we all possess the capacity to harness it to shape the future.

However, we must recognize that the journey toward predicting and shaping the future is most successful when undertaken collaboratively. It’s crucial to welcome diverse thoughts and perspectives from various domains. When individuals from different backgrounds and disciplines come together, they unlock the potential to tackle complex problems and innovate in ways that homogeneous groups cannot.

Diverse perspectives are the lifeblood of futuristic thinking, leading to more comprehensive, inclusive, and effective predictions that consider a broad range of factors. This benefits individuals, organizations, and society.

These principles provide a roadmap for success and resilience in our ever-changing world. By thinking like futurists, we take charge of our destinies, actively shaping the future we desire. In our pursuit of a brighter future, let us remember that adaptability, collaboration, and open-mindedness are the keys to unlocking the true potential of tomorrow.

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GenAI, much ado about nothing or a technology game changer?

In 1950 Alan Turing asked a simple question in his paper Computing Machinery and Intelligence, “Can machines think?” The last seven decades of computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning advancements have responded to that question with a resounding “Yes.”

From IBM’s Deep Blue program to Teslas, Roombas, Siris, Alexas, and now ChatGPT and Bard, the advancements in AI have lived up to and surpassed many of Turing’s early musings. Yet we find ourselves at a pivotal point, wondering if this advancement will fundamentally change how we work, learn, design, write, live, and communicate for better or worse.

Generative AI (GenAI), an AI system capable of generating images, text, audio, video, code, and other media in response to prompts, has turned up the volume on this line of questioning as it challenges what and who we believe can create new things, and how valid and unbiased are the things created.

To understand the challenges and opportunities GenAI offers, it is important to know how we’ve gotten here.

Technology advancements have led us here

GenAI has been enabled by significant advancements in AI technology over recent decades. The first was the development of deep learning, a technique for “learning” inspired by how the brain works via neural networks. At the same time, there were advancements in graphics processing units (GPUs) which allowed for complex tasks to be rapidly broken down into smaller subtasks and continuously performed in tandem. While initially applied to gaming, the calculations used by AI models are very parallel in nature, making them ideal for GPUs.

This combination of deep learning and GPUs ushered in a new AI development and adoption era. Deep learning allowed us to develop new AI models that, in many cases, could surpass human capabilities–image and speech recognition, self-driving cars, fraud detection, virtual assistants, and more. GPUs gave us the computational capacity and scale to create these AI models.

The deep learning architecture continued to advance, which in 2017 led to the invention of transformer-based models that give AI the ability to “remember” by tracking relationships in sequential data like the words in a sentence. Because transformers can “remember” what they’ve “seen,” they can build on this to create new content, not just recognize a face or detect spam. As such, transformers and GPUs have ushered in a new era of AI, the era of Creative AI or GenAI, which is poised to become the next platform shift after personal computing, mobile, and the cloud.

Boundless opportunities

It can be argued that in the same way, the internet brought down the marginal cost of content distribution to $0, GenAI could do the same for content creation. That’s why some estimates show the global GenAI market reaching more than $110 Billion by 2030. Couple that with user demand (ChatGPT reached 1 million users in just five days) and the fact that it’s one of the fastest-growing open-source projects, there is a strong case that GenAI could usher in a sea of disruptive change on par with the internet.

From email copy creation to bug testing, customer support, movie making, legal assistance, and invoice automation, the possibilities of GenAI are unprecedented.

Here are a few recent examples of the transformative nature of this technology:

  • Travel: Expedia developed a GenAI travel advisor enabling travelers to ask for recommendations on where to go, where to stay, what to do, and more. So, if you are planning your next family vacation to Maui or looking for tee times at St. Andrews, let GenAI do some of the work for you.
  • Shopping: Walmart expects GenAI will “be as big a shift as mobile, in terms of how our customers are going to expect to interact with us.” They have already started to use GenAI in their Text to Shop, allowing customers to add Walmart products to their cart by texting or speaking the names of the items they need as if talking to a human retail assistant.
  • Education: At the Khan Lab School in Silicon Valley, a GenAI tutor named Khanmigo helps students move towards finding the right answers themselves.
  • Sports Commentator: IBM partnered with The Masters to have a GenAI commentator provide detailed golf narration for more than 20,000 video clips over the course of this year’s tournament.

Who will lead the pack?

We are still in the early days of GenAI, so it’s still being determined who will be the driving force in bringing this technology mainstream and how. While some big tech players like Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and Amazon are already starting to stake their claim, other incumbents and startups are lurking in the wings.

There are a variety of questions about how the competitive landscape will play out, including whether it will be dominated by proprietary models or open source, whether it will foster a whole new set of “GenAI First” applications (think Uber for mobile) or just make today’s applications smarter, and the level of verticalization we might see (or not) across the entire value chain. These all factor into what the competitive landscape might look like.

And given the disruptive potential of the technology, it is also attracting a huge number of new startups that hope to beat out incumbents in tried-and-true ways:

  • New market disruption — Go after customer needs not served by incumbents.
  • Low-end disruption — Go after customer needs not attractive to incumbents.
  • 10x better products — Create products so good incumbents can’t compete.

So how does this apply to GenAI?

  • GenAI is different from AI until now. It is 10x better technology, meaning it will enable 10x better startups. We’ve already seen 10x better products from “GenAI First” startups like OpenAI and Jasper.
  • Incumbents and startups will battle it out at both the platform and application levels. Attracting the talent needed will be key.

Application startups will be susceptible to co-option by incumbents (e.g., via adding and bundling). They will need to quickly create defensive moats via time-to-market and network effects, focusing on customer needs not served by incumbents and through innovative business models not attractive to incumbents.

Growing pains

While GenAI offers obvious opportunities, it comes with its pitfalls and detractors. There is still much to be known about how AI is trained. OpenAI only says that GPT-4 was pre-trained using both publicly available data (think internet data) and data licensed from third-party providers. The amount of data and where it comes from matters, as there are already copyright challenges, and it will be hard to fully rely on GenAI or, worse yet, deal with misinformation.

Deepfakes abound, from Tom Cruise to the Pope to former U.S. President Barack Obama. A deepfake video can show a politician or celebrity saying anything and be very convincing, as seen in the deepfake video below.

Deepfake video example

There are also legal hurdles and regulations that will certainly have to be overcome. Just recently, Italy’s data protection authority ordered OpenAI to stop processing local data for its ChatGPT generative AI chatbot. It argued that the company breached the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regarding data access and protection of minors. Not to mention intellectual property and ethics concerns.

What does the future hold?

Just as we worked through the land minds of the early days of the internet, I expect we will do the same with GenAI. With the exponential increase in data coupled with compute performance, GenAI is likely on an exponential growth trajectory and will drive an accelerating pace of change in the world around us. As with any exponential change, humans could be better at predicting its future impact. Our brains aren’t used to thinking exponentially, and we tend to extrapolate linearly. As such, we consistently underestimate the impact of exponential technologies. The future will be on us before we know it, and we all need to prepare for it.

Companies need to proactively invest in understanding the technology and how it might impact their markets, customers, products, and operations. Maybe more importantly, how it could disrupt them and where it can be used to disrupt others.

As consumers, we should all invest time learning how to use it and understanding its limitations. It will soon become integral to nearly everything we do.

We shouldn’t be surprised or shocked by what comes next. GenAI will move quickly from the new kid on the block to an entirely new era of human-computer evolution. We will have AI doctors, AI lawyers, AI therapists, AI developers, AI artists and composers, AI actors, AI co-workers, and even AI friends. Some are even predicting this is a precursor to general artificial intelligence and digital lifeforms that will exist and evolve independently of humans, maybe even competing with us for the title of “dominant species” at some point in the future.

And, of course, legal and ethical pundits, governments, and the industry, in general, will need to collaborate closely to ensure the needed safeguards are in place.

Whatever happens, we should also remember that the future hasn’t happened yet, and we all get to create it.

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How technology is powering the future of the workforce

The pandemic has caused a shift in the way we work, with more people working from home than ever before. As we look to the future, it’s clear that technology will continue to transform how we work, both in and out of the office. Join us as we explore how technology has impacted the hybrid and remote workforce.

Increased productivity

Technology has played a crucial role in enhancing productivity while working from home. A Stanford University case study found that employees who worked from home for nine months were 13.5% more productive than their office counterparts. Another study by ConnectSolution found that 77% of remote workers say they’re more productive when working from home, with 30% doing more work in less time and 24% doing more work in the same period.

Technology has been instrumental in increasing productivity while working from home. With advancements in technology to revolutionize working from home, such as virtual and augmented reality, digital whiteboards, and advanced video conferencing tools, we can expect even more solutions to help remote teams work efficiently and effectively in the future.

HP is committed to helping the remote workforce by providing advanced technology solutions that enable seamless remote work. One example is our focus on providing home office tech for hybrid work success. With the rise of remote work due to the pandemic, HP has recognized the need for high-quality technology solutions to help workers transition between home and office environments. HP offers a range of products and services to support remote workers, including a powerful laptop like the HP Dragonfly Pro, the user-friendly HP 710 rechargeable wireless mouse, or an all-in-one printer like the HP ENVY 6000.

Video conferencing boom

Over the past three years, video conferencing has restructured how we work from home, enabling us to stay connected with our colleagues despite being physically distant. With the increased use of technologies like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, people can now conduct face-to-face meetings, collaborate on projects, and attend training sessions without being in the same room. Video conferencing has made remote work more manageable and reduced the isolation many remote workers face.

A study by HP Tech Ventures portfolio partner Owl Labs found that 71% of remote workers find it easier to present on a video call than in person and feel more connected to their team when they use video conferencing. By seeing each other’s faces and body language, employees can build stronger relationships and better understand each other’s perspectives, improving teamwork and productivity. Moreover, video conferencing has eliminated the need for long commutes and allows people to save time and focus on their work. Another study by Axios found that working from home saved workers around the world an average of 72 minutes in commute time every day in 2021 and 2022, leading to improved work-life balance and higher job satisfaction.

Streamlined communication and collaboration have been vital to keeping remote teams functioning smoothly. Technology has provided employees with a level of interaction never seen before. The influx of technology allows for effective employee engagement and entirely transforms communication norms. Video conferencing has become crucial in making remote work more manageable and connected. As more companies adopt remote work policies, video conferencing will continue to be vital for maintaining productivity, staying connected, and fostering teamwork.

HP acquired Poly last year, reinforcing our commitment to helping the remote workforce by providing advanced technology solutions that enable seamless remote work. We’re leveraging our combined strengths with Poly to create a unique, pro-grade experience for hybrid workers. According to a study by Lifesize, video conferencing leads to productivity for 94% of companies. As video conferencing is paramount for hybrid work, we are excited to see how HP will incorporate Poly into its software and PC offerings. The Poly Studio Room Kits for Microsoft Teams Rooms can now be paired with the Microsoft Teams-certified HP Mini Conferencing PC with Microsoft Teams Rooms to deliver a complete solution experience for meeting rooms of any size.

Ctrl + Alt + Secure

As more people work remotely, cybersecurity has become a significant concern. Cybercriminals are constantly looking for new ways to exploit vulnerabilities and gain access to sensitive information. Companies and employees must work together to fend off cyber threats. Between 2008 and 2021, the FBI recorded a 207% increase in cybercrime reports, with losses hitting almost $7 billion last year. HP Wolf Security’s Evolution of Cybersecurity report also details the rise of cybercrime and the importance of implementing advanced security measures.

As employees are often the last line of defense in an attempted cyber-attack, it is critical to equip them with the knowledge to recognize when such an attack occurs and what steps they should take to mitigate the threat. One of the most significant cybersecurity risks associated with remote work is using unsecured networks. According to the Norton Cyber Security Insights Report, 49% of people in the U.S. never use a virtual private network (VPN) when they connect to public Wi-Fi. To protect against this risk, remote workers should use a VPN to encrypt their data and prevent it from being intercepted. To minimize the risk of a data breach, remote workers should ensure that their devices are equipped with up-to-date antivirus software and that all software and operating systems are regularly patched and updated.

Overall, cybersecurity is critical when working from home. Remote workers should be aware of the risks associated with remote work and take appropriate measures to protect their devices and data. By using secure networks, regularly updating software, and utilizing strong passwords, remote workers can help minimize the risk of a cyberattack and ensure that sensitive data remains safe and secure.

Technology is transforming how we work from home, with increased productivity, improved collaboration, and advanced cybersecurity measures. As we continue to adapt to a new way of working, it’s clear that technology will play a vital role in ensuring that remote workers can work effectively and securely.

Source: HP
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