Critical Themes in Emerging Tech
At Winter Sun we keep a finger on the pulse of emerging technologies as they move from early adoption status into the mainstream (see here for our early take on gen AI last October). Having worked with some of the world’s most future-shaping brands, we believe the real opportunity in innovation lies in building things right, not rushing them for the sake of first-mover status.
While we are bullish on most categories of emerging technology, we believe their ability to positively impact society comes by applying appropriate guardrails and precautions. The unintended consequences of moving too quickly has, in some cases, made irreversible damage to generations of consumers. For example, we witnessed the rapid adoption and proliferation of social media during the rise of the attention economy and its negative effects on mental health.
As product, innovation, R&D, and marketing teams across industries explore ways to unlock the potential of Generative AI, VR, AR, NFTs, we encourage leaders to learn more about the existing research and learnings available. We believe in the positive impact that these technologies can have if we find ways to deliver value and values-driven solutions:
(Mis/Dis) information in VR — Research from Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab run by Prof. Jeremy Bailenson introduces the concept of “mis-experiences”, a more immersive variant of misinformation. While the barrier to create AR/VR experiences is still high, generative AI solutions will quickly evolve and lower that barrier and invariably introduce bad actors in the process. Establishing governance as these solution mature will be critical as they continue to reach the consumer market en masse (20 million headsets sold in the US between 2021-23 alone).
Implications of unregulated AI — From the Center for Humane Technology, the team that brought us the Social Dilemma comes the AI Dilemma. A far reaching call to action reminding us that with new technologies come new classes of responsibility. Following the open letter released in late March 2023, we’re already seeing restrictions from national governments on AI tied to privacy concerns.
Impacts of AI on the future of work — Goldman Sachs made headlines with their projections that upwards of 300 Million jobs could be impacted in some manner by Generative AI. Viewed as a tool rather than a threat, a new class of jobs and professions are bound to emerge, AI prompt engineer being the most recent example.
Slowcial Media — Researchers are proposing “constructive friction” tactics to drive “mindful consumption of information” as a means to curb mental health issues brought about by social media experiences. Gen Z is already beginning to self-regulate their screen time by resorting to feature phones (aka “dumb phones”).
As you explore integrating emerging technologies to your products, services and operations, we encourage you to reach out to learn more about how to best leverage these exciting new technologies.
