OUR ARTIFICIAL FUTURE
The new ways AI can streamline your life.
Regardless of how AI makes you feel – excited or anxious – about the future, we’ve only just scratched the surface of its ability to streamline our lives. With so much more AI landscape to explore, developers are quickly creating the next wave of products and features that will further unlock its potential. Here’s how... THE SMART PHONE Until recently, phones and data systems weren’t designed for AI. But new architecture is set to revolutionise the way we interact with our devices. “AI makes smart phones quick, intelligent and adaptive, as well as able to understand and respond to real-world situations,” says Steve Lai, senior director of product marketing for Huawei Consumer Business Group. Their latest phones come with Kirin AI processors, which can translate text (offline) and extend battery life by automatically closing apps that aren’t frequently used.
THE SMART HOME Amazon’s Alexa is getting even more personal. “We realised many customers have a routine in the morning as they head to work, or at night when they get home,” says Heather Zorn, director of Alexa engagement at Amazon. So the company recently launched “Routines”, which sets a series of actions with one command. For example, saying “I’m awake” prompts your lights to turn on and coffee machine to start brewing. AI can also allow home appliances to predict and alter settings automatically. Over time, sensors get better at tracking and interpreting wellness factors like sleep, nutrition and stress, and in turn make adjustments to the environment to optimise health. How can this help you? Jo Aitken, founder of Atelier Aitken, a future-focused design studio, imagines a kitchen that concocts the perfect meal based on a daily health or mood scan, and a bed that offers aromatherapy or even a massage as needed.
THE FASHION FRONT We’ve seen AI improve the buying experience through services such as subscription shopping platforms, but soon it will play a role in the actual development of products, too. According to researchers at the University of California San Diego, who have been working with Adobe Research, we’re entering a time when AI will not only help customers find what they’re looking for, but generate new designs in real time, based on their preferences and shopping habits.