The Future of Personal Tech: ‘AI Agents’ & The Empire of You
Hello Forecasters,
Welcome back to the Inflection Point.
This week, we’re covering ‘Autonomous AI Agents’
TLDR;
- Agents will be the intermediaries between companies and consumers.
- Similar to how apps and services run on platforms like iOS, Windows, and Android, AI agents will be the next platform on which digital products are built.
- With rich and nuanced knowledge about you, agents will make decisions for you — but will agent dependency make us lazier?
Let's dive in.
The use of AI virtual assistants is nothing new.
We've been asking Siri and Alexa to set alarms, remind us of tasks, and reply to texts for almost a decade.
Agents are smarter.
They won't just make suggestions for you; they'll act on them.
They'll 'know you,' understand nuanced context, and be proactive.
Agents will also improve over time.
They'll remember your activities and recognize the intent and patterns of your behavior.
Ever open Uber or Lyft, and it somehow knows the address you're about to type in?
Using different apps for different tasks will be a thing of the past.
Your agent will operate across applications as a coordinator for decision-making and execution.
The degree to which your agent can help you will be determined by the amount of data you provide.
Deep personalization means intimate shares.
If allowed, agents will have context on:
- Work
- Interests
- Relationships
- Personal Goals
And act as your ‘co-pilot.’
If you're feeling uncomfortable at the idea of sharing personal data, you're not alone.
Paul Graham's philosophy comes to mind.
In times of uncertainty, stay close to the technology.
Doing so allows companies to leverage emergent opportunities when certainty returns.
Preparing for what's possible: a day in 2030.
*story alert
You wake up and use your smart toilet.
Your stool is analyzed, and your agent gets the results.
Based on the microbial makeup of your gut that day, you're recommended certain foods.
Maybe you drank last night or just started antibiotics.
'Behind the scenes,' your agent is getting pitched on products and services to fulfill its tasks. Brands are bidding to have your agent select their electrolyte powder or probiotic.
You get an email receipt— your boss just got out of surgery, so your agent sent them flowers.
It's now 8:30 am.
Your agent knows you'll be late if you take the train, so it asks if you want to order a car.
Your health tracker shares your heart rate.
Your agent switches from communicating with you on your phone to your earbuds.
"We should prep for today's presentation, but I know you’re anxious."
It starts playing a 10-minute somatic meditation.
"Ok, let's practice now."
As you recite the pitch, your agent starts roleplaying.
It gives you feedback as your client.
"I see on LinkedIn that Greg's daughter just graduated; you should congratulate them after the pitch."
Your boss asks to speak with you.
Your glucose monitor tells your agent that your white blood cells are high (inflammation). It also gets word that your resting heart rate (active nervous system) is irregular.
Your therapy agent gets an update.
You sit down with your boss.
Her agent is reviewing the pitch through her glasses and getting a sentiment analysis of how the client responded.
"Great work"
You had nothing to worry about.
*Ping
Your agent gets back to you about a beauty procedure you’re interested in.
“Your medspa face analysis came back. I booked a laser micro-needling appointment with Nina; her ratings were the best. Groupon offered a deal, but only on Saturdays, so I pushed back your brunch with Erika.”
You're waiting for the train.
You start scrolling on Instagram and see your ex got engaged. You stalk their fiancé and see all the trips they took this summer.
You feel upset. You start to cry.
"Remember that rejection is protection and redirection" — a quote from your favorite author.
Your progesterone and estrogen levels are dropping.
“Be gentle with yourself; you’re nearing that time of the month.”
You get home, and your favorite show is queued.
"I think a little zone-out time could be good for you."
Agents will be the intermediaries between companies and consumers.
Will the evolution of DTC (direct-to-consumer) be DTA (direct-to-agent)?
What will the future of corporate sales look like if you're pitching to your customer’s agents?
New data systems will be required for this level of deep personalization.
If an agent holds a consumer's blood work, how will a supplement brand work with them to develop a custom vitamin blend?
If agents are smarter and can shift through hundreds of brand offerings, how will you stand out?
In the past three years, consumer interest in wellness wearables has exploded.
The NWO.ai signals for:
…are all forecast to see significant growth in 2024.
Consumer interest in health data curation and personal recommendations is on the rise.
AI agents will offer new ways for consumers to act on their personal data.
The integration of agents are endless.
While we're years away from this level of agent intimacy, companies like Olympia are showing us what's possible.
For $20 a month, you can have an entire AI team as your council.
Have a business idea? Have your agent role-play as a VC or potential customer. It can build the business plan, create the pitch deck, and launch the website within a day.
Agents will be talking to other agents.
Imagine you sit down with your boss for a salary discussion. You're both wearing glasses that are recording and suggesting negotiation prompts in real-time.
Agents will be inexpensive.
If we look at the number of AI companies that started this year, we can assume that the competition will be fierce.
Agents have the potential to democratize services that today are unattainable for many.
- Therapy
- Senior Care
- Personal Tutors
- Business Coaches
- Medical Assessments
The promise of AI agents depends on our ability to face complex questions and challenges.
Who owns the data you share with your agent?
No one wants to start getting ads related to something they told their therapist agent. Can law enforcement use your agent as evidence against you? When will your agent refuse to do something that could be harmful to you or someone else? Who picks the values that are built into agents? – NYT
What are the ramifications of people becoming reliant?
In June 2023, Nature published a report concluding that AI impacts our decision-making capacities and makes us lazier.
How will this show up in our interpersonal relationships? Will wedding vows be as meaningful when our agents write them for us?
We’re only scratching the surface of imagining what's possible.
NWO.ai will continue monitoring how consumer behavior will be affected by the ‘AI Agent’ trend.
For now, that’s all we’ve got.
Thanks for spending time with us on this week’s Inflection Point.