Blog – Page 3 – Linda Ricci Jacobs

Over 15 years of blogging about emerging technology

I’ve been exploring, reflecting on, and writing about the future of technology for many years, with a dedicated blog since 2010. My focus goes beyond immersive technology—delving into topics like facial recognition, AI, wearables, IoT, blockchain, and the interconnectedness of these innovations. My work examines their convergence and the direction they’re taking us.

Book published!

January 17, 2020/

Excited to announce that I've joined the ranks of published authors, and some illustrious colleagues - I'm Chapter 19, "Immersive Media and Branding: How Being a Brand Will Change and Expand in the Age of True Immersion" in the just-published-today Handbook of Research on the Global Impacts and Roles of Immersive Media.

My chapter explores the impact immersive technologies—augmented reality and virtual reality—will have on consumer branding and business in the near and longer term future. Weaving multiple use cases and examples throughout, I discuss the next phase of experiential marketing: how immersive branding will develop as spatial computing becomes more mainstream, and how brands can start thinking about how they can leverage the technology.

I also examine the rise of virtual influencers, how they will affect social media marketing—and how artificial intelligence will ultimately enable true one-to-one interaction with customers through virtual avatars. Finally, I outline and discuss the risks, rules and recommendations for how to successfully proceed as a brand curious about how to best harness the technologies.

This was a great experience, and I want to thank Jacquelyn (Jacki) Morie for the opportunity to be included, and for being an editor par excellence.

Link to purchase here: https://www.igi-global.com/book/handbook-research-global-impacts-roles/236585

CES 2020

December 30, 2019/

In a week! - I'm going to CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas for the first time; while I'm increasingly daunted by the sheer SIZE of the event (multiple locations, miles and miles of walking) I'm also increasingly excited about what I'm going to experience there. Tons of amazing talks on the future immersive tech, entertainment, healthcare, living...and AI...and...and...phew, I'm tired already 😉

Thankfully I'm getting a tour with David Polinchok, an industry old timer who's been giving tours around the floor for a few years now.

Looking forward to seeing everything and anything about AR, VR, haptics, architectural applications for VR (something I've been talking about for ages), new headsets, holograms, and a million other things that have been dutifully bookmarked in their floor plan / app.

And while the large companies are pulling out all the stops (which will be a-mazing to experience), I'm particularly interested in seeing the startup section, where the small newbie companies will be presenting what they are working on; will be good to see the trends there. Where are people putting their efforts?

I'll be tweeting on the way, and while I've not been a dedicated Twitter user think it's the easiest and best way to give quick update and insights. Follow me at www.twitter.com/decahedralist.

Digital humans

December 6, 2019/

Digital avatars, ultimately fueled by AI…it's a thing, and I talk about how brands will be using this tech in my book chapter being published this January.

Deepak Chopra aims to bring a digital version of himself to a critical mass of 1 billion smart phones.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/05/deepak-chopra-is-coming-to-phones-as-an-ai-chatbot.html

Never be lonely again: Digital humans

December 1, 2019/

I spend a fair amount of time in my book chapter talking about intelligent (AI) bots / artificial humans and how brands can use them to create more meaningful relationships with customers. Fascinating stuff. And as AI and natural language processing improves (eg, real conversation) continues to improve in parallel with improving graphics and streaming, we'll be able to interact in ways that will be indistinguishable from "real".

This New Zealand based company is one of a handful working on developing that dream.

UneeQ (previously FaceMe) has taken in $10 million in funding so far to develop digital representations of humans that interact with you in much the same way as a real person would to drive emotional connection, loyalty, and trust between a business and its customers. And while this is a business application, I have no doubts that we will "have" digital humans as friends, companions, advisors - whatever we need. Interacting with computing through natural language, and with something that looks, sounds and "feels" completely human is the ultimate goal of spatial computer.

Competitios to Uneeq include Neon, Didimo, Soul Machines (love that name), and others; and while many currently think the uncanny valley a barrier, I believe that as time progresses we'll *expect* our technology to seem natural.

https://www.nanalyze.com/2019/11/ai-chatbots-digital-humans

TEDx RoseTree 2019 done and dusted!

November 11, 2019/

TEDx RoseTree 2019 done! What a fabulous experience - I met so many amazing people, and thoroughly enjoyed being in the middle of the vortex of ideas and creativity. My talk "How VR will supercharge grassroots movements" will be posted by TED soon, and I'll update it here when they do.

In the meantime, I'd like to thank Stacy Olkowski and her team for the herculean amount of work pulling this all together must have been. Well done! It always takes one person with a vision and a lot of persistence to get the ball rolling on something, and she sure did deliver in a remarkably short amount of time.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lindaricci_tedxrosetree-vr-virtualreality-activity-6607083648019681280-q7te

#publicspeaking #tedxspeaker #tedx #tedxrosetree #vr #virtualreality #grassroots #LindaRicci #Decahedralist

Reading my mind

October 31, 2019/

Fascinating stuff. And, whoa. The inevitable march towards brain-computer interface continues! "Researchers from Russian corporation Neurobotics and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have found a way to visualize a person's brain activity as actual images mimicking what they observe in real time. "

We are rapidly moving from keyboard and mouse input - which, although we've done it so long that it *seems* natural, but it is not - to spatial input; this is truly an astounding leap towards natural computing.

I applaud the application that this particular work is working towards (helping post-stroke patient with rehabilitation devices controlled by brain signals), but imagine a world where we don't have to interact with technology - and each other - through screens!

One of the many challenges is that although there is a standard model for brain architecture, everyone has their own variation, so there are no specific templates that can be applied. No doubt there will be a "training" period for the interface. But once "trained" our personal brain reader will be able to function across all interfaces; unless of course Apple and Microsoft put up the usual walled garden model (personal gripe, also true with VR headsets; this game only works with this system etc).

But inevitably, the early stage development is paid off, enough people adopt, the squinky convoluted hoops early adopters need to jump through are ironed out, and mass adoption takes off. And while I realize that true brain computing interface is a long way off, I'm heartened by all the work I've seen by teams like this (CTRL-Labs in particular - interestingly, just bought by Facebook) . And hope that it will help the quality of life for both patients with limitations, and mundane every day life.

https://techxplore.com/news/2019-10-neural-network-reconstructs-human-thoughts.html

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Over 15 years of blogging about emerging technology

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