Alexa. Siri. Cortana. Our voice assistants power our lives. The artificial intelligence technology behind these assistants has led to a societal change not seen since the Industrial Revolution. What is artificial intelligence technology, and is there something dark hidden behind these devices? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on the verge of completely reshaping how businesses market to you. As you were reading through emails, shopping online, and visiting your favorite social media sites, AI was at work. Sophisticated AI algorithms are always scrapping, logging, and cross-referencing who you are and how to best connect with you. The motivation behind this connection? To get you to spend money. Whether you are a marketer or consumer, the lessons behind artificial intelligence are important ones. Today’s guest is William Ammerman, thought leader, technologist, and author of The Invisible Brand. William will show you how technology and the access to consumer data creates an opportunity like never before in history. Defining Psychotechnology When writing his book, William thought it was important to assign a name to the technology that impacts us psychologically. By giving a name to psychotechnology, we can talk about it in an open forum. What does it mean for us to interact with technology that can change our behaviors? According to William at 2:54, there are major trends to look at. One of these is the personalization of information – the ability of advertisers to customize ads based on your browsing history. This trend is shaping much of today’s technology. Is Mass Targeting Over? In the past, advertising was delivered en masse to the same people at the same time. We read the same New York Times, watched the same evening news, and listened to the same NPR. Today, we receive only the information we like and only when we want it. At 4:40, William speaks about how this opens up a Pandora’s Box. Only consuming the news you like can be detrimental. Connecting on an Emotional Level At 6:25, William talks about a recent study where a number of participants were asked to interact with a small robot. Over the course of the study, individuals formed a close relationship with the robot. At the end, they were asked to turn off the robot. Those in the control group had no problem with this task. In the study group, the robot said, “please don’t turn me off, I’m scared of the dark.” As a result of the empathetic relationship they had developed, some participants refused to turn off the device. This study shows that the more we interact with these voice-controlled devices, the more control the devices have. The Good and the Bad of Artificial Intelligence Technology At 7:53, William details how the use of AI creates two unique opportunities for marketers. The first allows them to influence us through our devices. The second allows them to hack us and have control over us in a negative way. It is important for everyone to understand these opportunities in order to avoid the bad. The Love of a Child Interacting with AI is new for most of us. We didn’t grow up with things like Alexa. What about the next generation? Listen at 8:40 where William discusses a social gathering with his neighbors. While at their house, William was invited by their 4-year-old son to “play a game.” The son then asked Alexa to play the theme from Star Wars. As the music played, the son exclaimed “Alexa, I love you” in an enamored voice. The boy’s mother had a pained, almost jealous expression on her face. William was left stunned after witnessing this declaration of love for nothing more than an inanimate voice. Seeing the Invisible What can we do about the relationships we have already formed with our devices? At 13:00,
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