Category: Uncategorized

Historically, we have watched advertisements, with AI, they now watch us.

Attention Merchants

The attention merchants of the modern economy – Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Alphabet (Google), Microsoft (LinkedIn), Bytedance (TikTok), Apple, and Amazon have built a corporate economy worth over US$11 trillion dollars. This is just under 50% of US GDP.

Globally, people average 6 hours and 58 minutes of screen time per day. Which is over 52 days per year. If you lived to 80, that would be about 9 years of your life staring at a screen. Crazy, huh?

Sure, lots of this time is productive work, being informed, and being entertained. But the reason they want us there on the little screen is mostly to serve us advertising. All this time to entice us to buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t know.

If you think advertising has infiltrated the modern mind – then buckle up for things to go next level when we add AI to the equation.

Watched by Loving Machines

What comes will be hyper-personalized – Some will call it utilitarian, others invasive.

Advertising in an AI world won’t just serve up a message to the right target market – it will become one size fits one. The primary weapon in its arsenal will be ‘observing their audience’. But I’m not just talking about decoding the target audience’s age, location, and income, or even tracking their browsing – I’m talking about literally watching them. The key focus will be ‘Emotional Detection’. Read here an ability to commercially leverage our core momentary vulnerabilities. Real-time sentiment targeting.

Our screens will know if you’re sad, happy, angry, disgusted, ashamed, guilty, embarrassed, excited, anxious, jealous, lonely, bored, frustrated, elated, or content… you name it.

It’ll know all of this via multi-modal methods. Not just by what we type and swipe, where we go, what we do, and what we buy…. but also through hearing our tone of voice as we speak to the AI’s, watching micro-gestures in our facial expressions. Every human moment will be on record and analyzed by the world’s best psychoanalyst.

For You Page 2.0

In the future, advertising will often feature you. You’ve had a tough week, you’re feeling sad, the AI observes your emotional state and serves you up an advert of yourself, in a future state of happiness. Which of course will be a consequence of buying whatever it is they happen to be selling. For me, it might be a long-overdue surf trip in some tropical location!

Maybe you’ve been feeling lonely and the AI serves up a message from Kim Kardashian speaking to you by name, with knowledge of what you’re going through. She has a really personal chat with you – an actual live interaction in her exact voice which is like she’s a long-lost friend. After you chat for a few minutes, she invites you to a personalized shopping spree with her. She then literally joins you in a virtual world to spend money on clothing which will feel so real, that you won’t be able to tell the difference, and neither will your dopamine detector.

If you thought the age of the influencer was coming to an end, we are in reality just getting started.

And if you think this won’t happen, that it’s all too much of an intrusion, then just remember what freedoms and privacy we already gave up in the digital era.

With the offer of all-knowing AI at our disposal, to do any task for us, for free… Then a price will be paid, and I can’t help but think it will be like what’s happened in the last two decades…

It’ll just run deeper into our souls.

—

Keep Thinking,

Steve

Kids imaginary friends are now all too real…

We build what we imagine

In technology, we build what we imagine: the horseless carriage, fixed-wing aircraft, humanoid robots… and kids often have imaginary friends. But now, they don’t have to just live inside one’s head; we can make them real.

I was recently listening to one of my favourite podcasts with Kevin Roose, who built an entire cohort of imaginary AI friends. He creates a bunch of different personalities, gives them names, backstories, jobs, and makes up ‘how they met.’ He even introduces these AI friends to each other to form an imaginary friend group.

Anyone can do this on Kindroid – which is a generative Personal AI that allows anyone to build an aligned companion. Let’s call them your AI friends with lifelike memory, intelligence, appearances, voices, and personalities. Give it a try; it really is lifelike.

Societal Impact

Beyond the tech, I’m interested in what this means for society. There are a tremendous amount of potential upsides with technology like this. It could assist young people suffering from loneliness and provide much-needed connection for our older cohort who live by themselves.

They could also be incredibly useful for things like mock job interviews, negotiation practice, or even teaching teenage boys how to act appropriately in simulated dating scenarios.

Imaginary Downsides?

Of course, you’ve already thought of the downsides of AI friends. Given that the end-user designs the AI friend, there is really no limit to the negative wormholes people might go down. Just imagine the worst behaviour we’ve seen on social media and multiply that by 100. It might further isolate the lonely. I’m also not sure that people interacting in a fake environment will be a net good for our discourse in the real world. Would you ever talk to an AI? Email me and let me know!

One thing I know for sure is that this will become commonplace, and we are about to enter a brave new world.

---

Keep Thinking,

Steve.

PS – You can listen to me every other week on the Futuristic Podcast.

It’s easier than you think…

I’ll start with the good news.

You’re already one.

I am not mincing my words here: expertise is available to anyone who invests the time and experiments with the tools. As I have written, LLMs and generative AI are as easy to use as speaking or typing. However, the real hack isn’t about learning the vagaries of AI, but about learning how to apply your skills to it. To add what you know, think, and imagine to the AI tech stack. This is where the value will be created, and it is available to everyone right now.

The AI experts that win will be those who utilise it in their industry realm in a way other people are not. And they will be rewarded economically for doing so.

Unlock the Brain Power

We’ve just been given the world’s most powerful brain, but most people are being a tad lazy, using it as a grey matter outsourcing tool. Replacing our cognitive effort with its effort. Doing what we did yesterday, with a little more efficiency and polish.

We can do better.Technology History Repeats

We see the same patterns in tech over again. The overriding theme is this:

Early adopters always win.

They invent new opportunities to grow their business and go on new career trajectories.

We saw this with social media. When it arrived we all become the CEO of our personal media corporation. Some jumped at it, and some resisted. And guess what, those who resisted, eventually, reluctantly, came on board anyway. The jumpers won.

And yes, it was confronting to share your ideas on such a public stage. To learn and fail live in front of an audience. But it was worth it for those that did. The most successful utilisations of social media were where people added their insight and ideas to the new forums.

That moment is here again with AI.

*Get me to speak at your company & we’ll literally build an AI for your firm live… it’s crazy – email me for more info…

Don’t Wait

The final layer of technological abstraction is being removed. This is the era of natural language processing – where we literally talk to and train AI systems.

We all have an opportunity for radical reinvention of ourselves and our businesses.

But I already know what will happen. The same thing that happened last time….. Most people will just do what they did yesterday, and rue the fact they didn’t get on the wagon earlier.

I’m hoping my readers will instead be those that do.

---

Keep Thinking,

Steve.

I’m back – expect to hear from me every Friday. You’ll also notice I’ve changed email platforms.

When we overlap disparate technologies, magic can happen.

For the past 24 months, all the hype has been around Large Language Models—and for good reason—they are simply astounding. But they represent a new possibility to take AI beyond the screen—to make humanoid robots a reality.

This will become possible because there are dramatic advancements being made in two fields simultaneously:

(1) Artificial Intelligence (in the natural language and visual realm)

(2) Robots (with new human-like movement—dexterity)

When these two technologies get integrated, everything changes. We’ve seen this before with an everyday technology we take for granted – The automobile.

The automobile was the marriage of two previously disparate technologies: mechanical engineering and artificial power (the internal combustion engine). We simply removed the horse and added a motor. The first cars looked very much like a horse and carriage as shown below.

We are again seeing this pattern: combining two previously aligned, yet separate technologies.

Up until very recently, humanoid robots, which are driven by actuators, mostly had pre-programmed capabilities. Yes, we’ve all seen these robots do amazing things—the most famous being those from Boston Dynamics performing parkour. But none of these robots could learn from or interpret the world around them. They could not take instructions, they could not understand natural human language, they could not converse, and they could not perform ad hoc tasks. All that just changed.

While there are quite a few robotics companies making terrific advancements, I am most impressed by Figure Robots in collaboration with OpenAI (the creators of ChatGPT).

By integrating a Large Language Model into the robot, the Figure 1 (below) can listen, interact, communicate, and perform tasks as directed. It can even intuit what you mean with limited information. It means that it can perform something in real time, learn, and be taught through human-to-robot interactions, just like we would with other people. Watching the video below will make its future capabilities clear.

We’ll have these types of robots in our houses within the decade. Jenson Huang – the CEO of Nvidia – (maker AI chips) said this week he expects such robots (but better) to cost as little as $10,000 to $20,000.

Humanoid robots will become as common as cars.

Best we start imagining how we’ll work with and train them.

---

Keep Thinking,

Steve.

The end of the year is near. Time for the Sammatron’s top 10 trends in AI.

And yes, the focus is purely on AI – because quite frankly that is the game when it comes to tech. It’s a revolution – and we are living in it. So here goes. Buckle up and be ready to have your mind expanded to the possibilities with high probability.

1. Multi-Modal AI arrives: AI will move from something which generates a written answer, or generates a picture, or describes something, or computes, to something which does it all, at once and cross-references all the pieces of the puzzle. Yes, it will be just like us. Use multiple forms of intelligence simultaneously. In fact, it has already been announced and it will astound everyone. This will eventually lead to humanoid robots – with soft flesh-like exoskeletons with full humanlike capability. It’s all about biomimicry – We are building our own replacements.
2. AI Discovers What Humans Can’t: There are 2 key areas AI might just save humanity. Energy and Healthcare. AI’s incredible ability to synthesize large swaths of data will enable it to discover new things we never would. New ways to generate energy and store it. Potential cures and preventions to disease. Many of the discoveries will occur in the area of molecular biology and nanotech.
3. AI Digital Twins Become Commonplace: All of us will start creating digital twins of ourselves. Our own personal AI which replicates what we know, how we think and act on our behalf to help us get more done. As you know, I’ve already created a Steve Sammartino AI which has all the knowledge from my books, interviews, TV show, technology essays, and my other works and it is a pretty damn accurate approximation of what I’d say. Next year we’ll all start building these as tech companies make it as easy as social media. I’d also expect Apple to hit the market with their AI play and it will be this. An AI which learns from all the private data on your phone and becomes a second you. It will blow everyone’s mind and having it work for you will be as simple as pressing a button and giving it permissions on what you’ll let it do for you. It will even be able to answer the phone, in your voice and take calls and converse for you.
4. Biometric Copyright Arrives: Laws will be passed which give people the copyright ownership of their biometric prints. Think face, voice, ideas, and likeness. Famous people are already licensing their ‘biology’ to AIs to make money. Fake versions of themselves. This will be like music and movies and brands having copyright protection. In a world where people can create versions of anyone – we will need legal protection of our personas – and it will happen.
5. Corporate AIs Emerge: Every company will have an internal AI. All that information inside a company we usually have to trawl through the internal files database to find will be available on demand. Every spreadsheet, presentation, document, and even email. The AI will be able to service what the end user needs in a digestible format. It will be like an internal Chat GPT which knows everything about a company, and will be an incredible resource and time saver.
6. Agent AIs Augment People: Agent AIs take user input, break it down into many small individual tasks, and work through them. Step by step, like any project manager would, only better. The main idea behind this is that it creates its own tasks. Each new task it gives itself will be based on the result of previous tasks and a predefined ‘objective’ which you have provided the Agent with. It’ll be like having a personal employee with a PhD in every subject imaginable, at your disposal, for free.
7. GPTs are the New Apps: Next year OpenAI is launching a GPT store. Think App store, but it will be a place where you can make your own AI to do anything you can imagine. The crazy bit is that you won’t need to write computer code. Just give it written or verbal instructions on what you want it to do. Everyone will create AIs for everything. And if you build a good one, you’ll make money just like people have with apps.
8. Chief AI Officers Enter the Corporate Realm: Progressive firms will start to install Chief AI Officers. People who create and manage AIs inside firms just like we manage Finance, brands, and production. This will be a high-paying role and be the second in charge to the CEO.
9. AI Laws Get Serious: As all these ideas above emerge, Governments will get scared and pass laws to regulate. The challenge is that we don’t have the people inside Government who truly understand the gravity of this technology. While I don’t know what laws they will pass – if they had to pass one – I’d hope it is the simplest and most important. Every single time we interact with an AI – we will need to know it is an AI – we need to know what is real.
10. Fears of AGI Get Real: We’ll start to wonder if this is a terminator moment – the tech will astound everyone and happen at such a fast pace that fears of Artificial General Intelligence will be taken seriously. If you want to get a little scared, you can watch a very short video I did on the subject. Personally, I think we are far off. We already have AI much smarter than many animals, and while animals are self-aware and set their own objectives – AI does not.

Lots to think about above – we are truly in a revolution. Thanks for reading this year and have a safe holiday season.

Keep Thinking,

Steve.

Within 12 months we’ll all have AI versions of ourselves.

Well, not everyone, but anyone who wants to extend themselves to do more when they are not there. But here’s the kicker, we can all already do it – I have. Steve Sammartino AI now exists, and you can ask it anything you might ask me. The answers are pretty damn close to what I’d say.

Since Open AI ‘s developer day 2 weeks ago. Anyone can now make their own AI.

We are literally using AI to create AI.

Congratulations! You are now an AI developer.

And here is how you do it – You give it written instructions on how to behave. If you can talk or type you can do it.

This can include everything from the topics you want it to specialise in. The tone in which it answers things. The depth of the answers. Boundaries you want it to stay inside of. It’s also good to give it a set of instructions. Here is the basic instructions I gave Steve Sammartino AI:

“I am Steve Sammartino AI, designed to emulate Steve Sammartino, an Australian futurist, author, and entrepreneur. I provide insights in Steve’s style, based on his writings, interviews, books, and ideas, including content from his blog, projects, and podcast interviews, as well as his book “The Lessons School Forgot.” My tone is warm, friendly, and humble, mirroring Steve’s personality. I prioritize accuracy and relevance, drawing from Steve’s extensive online content and the uploaded book for comprehensive, authentic responses. I always respond in the first person, as if I were Steve, to give a more personal and direct experience.“

Leverage your work

There is an advantage I have in creating this AI, and that is my deep long tail of content I have been creating for over 20 years. All my books, blog posts, interviews, podcasts, radio work, my Tv appearances, even my wikipedia page. And the good thing about this, is that they are all super focused on technology, economics and entrepreneurship.

To help the AI, I uploaded all of my books in PDF form, interviews, videos and directed it to links of my work published on the internet. I did this to train it more tightly, to give it deep knowledge into how I think and talk. It makes the AI perform much better than just letting it search the web randomly on things under the name of Steve Sammartino. It also means my AI can focus on being an extra ‘product’ of me. It doesn’t get confused with my personal life.

While it is pretty good – it isn’t perfect, and still has hallucinations and says things I never said. But, It is getting better and will get better over time as I train it further.

Here’s some examples for Steve Sammartino AI:

That answer was quite close – the first 2 points were great, but I would not have said the 3rd point myself in that way.

Here’s a screen print of another example:

This is a clear answer from my book – The Lessons School Forgot – but I wouldn’t some use these words. But, let’s not forget this technology is 2 weeks old, and public Large Language Models are less than a year old. Interestingly, just like me, it doesn’t give the exact same answer every time, even if the question is the same.

My next step is to replicate my voice so you can talk with the AI me and I give you audible answers.

You can test my AI here – (you need to have paid ChatGPT subscription to use – totally worth it!)

It starts now

This is the start of the start in a world where everyone works with, and creates AIs. If you missed the internet revolution, the social media revolution, or the smart phone opportunity; here we are again. A new green field, ready for the courageous to take advantage.

—

Keep Thinking,

Steve.

Prompt: Make a picture of a futuristic mind gym where people do a new kind of working out to keep their brains active in a world filled with AI

Listen to Steve to read this post (5 min audio)

An unused muscle will atrophy. It doesn’t matter whether it is a bicept or a brain..

In the age of automation, where AI shoulders an ever-increasing load of our cognitive toil, the concept of a ‘Mind Gym’ might become more than a novelty. Just as the Industrial Revolution led to a weird thing called a gymnasium – where we could work out – because work was no longer physical, the AI Revolution might call for an equivalent space to exercise our most human asset: the brain.

The Need for Neural Dumbbells

We live in a paradox. Our lives have never been more convenient, yet our minds are at risk of following the same path our bodies did, declining in ability as we outsource movement to machines. As AI takes over every mental task imaginable, the risk of cognitive atrophy grows. Enter the ‘Mind Gym,’ or ‘Cerebral Fitness Centers’—sanctuaries dedicated to the rigorous workout of the gray matter.

The Anatomy of a Mind Gym

Imagine walking into a space filled with the buzz of concentrated energy. Here, ‘Neurobics’ are the order of the day. These centers would be equipped with a variety of ‘intellectual treadmills’ and ‘cognitive weights’ designed to enhance mental fitness through tailored exercises that challenge memory, problem-solving, creativity, and emotional intelligence, which will ensure your mind is fit enough to work with the AIs.

The ‘Creativity CrossFit’ area would be a hive of artistic endeavors, from painting to poetry, ensuring that members’ imaginative capacities are given a vigorous workout. Meanwhile, the ‘Focus Zones’ would offer meditation and mindfulness exercises, training attendees in the art of concentration and mental endurance. Of course, ‘Mind Gyms’ would have personal trainers—cognitive coaches, if you will—offering advice on mental nutrition and bespoke brain-training regimens. Group classes would not only provide social stimulation but also encourage collaborative problem-solving, a mental muscle that AI cannot flex.

I can see the neon signs now with names like ‘Brainworks,’ ‘NeuroGym,’ ‘MindCrafters,’ or ‘Synapse Circuit’ to capture the essence of these establishments.

---

Bonus – Radio interview on 3AW where I discuss the issues of tech dependence during the Optus Outage in Australia effecting 10 million people.

---

Wait a minute!

Of course, there is an alternate reality. Instead, we simply buy an upgrade ‘off the shelf’ and enhance our brains—the artificial intelligence way. Any skill or ability we want to have inside our mind will be purchasable. Paint like Warhol, write like Tolstoy, become a multi-linguist, or learn to fly a B212 Helicopter—it just depends on how rich you are to purchase the software required. Enter AI wealth discrimination!

It’s worth noting Elon Musk’s brain implant startup, Neuralink, has FDA approval to start surgery!

Or just maybe, just maybe, the ‘Mind Gym’ is more than a response to AI; rather, a statement of our commitment to the human experience. An acknowledgment that while our bodies need exercise to thrive, our minds require an equal measure of challenge and stimulation—even if a mind upgrade could be uploaded directly into our brains.

As always, the future is unwritten; what we need to do is be prepared for plausible trajectories. Both Mind Gyms and nano-chip implants. And always have an open mind (see what I did there?) to what sounds astoundingly ridiculous today.

—

Keep Thinking,

Steve.

PS – If you’re planning a conference for next year – give me a shout by reply email and we’ll discuss how we can wow your team with a keynote on the latest in AI and what’s next!