3 Services of the Future I Wish Existed Right Now
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We are living in a time of exponential growth. From the beginning of mankind, through to the end of the industrial revolution, and up to the 80s ( just taking a bit of a guess here), humanity moved in a linear fashion. What we learned about in on year, tended to remain true and last for a very long time. Until debunked many years later, or hold high regard up to this day. However, the point is things moved relatively slow.
Then computers came. The internet. WiFi. Cellphones. Tablets. Social media. Sensors. AI. Technology is moving at an exponential rate — one in which the human brain is having a hard time comprehending. More things will happen technologically, and at a much faster rate.
Here are a few things I wish already existed, and bet will exist sometime in the near future. They may already exist, and you might already know. This is funny to me because I get to imagine you shaking your head wondering about what this idiot is babbling on about, as you read my scattered thoughts. Sorry, not sorry.
1. Automated Address and Credit Card Updates
I’ve moved a lot. I’ve had to cancel credit cards a lot. I definitely haven’t had to as much as others, no doubt. But this is something that I feel should already be out there.
For example, how painful is it when you have to change your credit card, and then proceed to go to each individual service and update it. I just had to update my information with multiple services after there was fraud detection on my credit card. Two weeks later, I got an email from a website I was subscribing to, saying that my payment didn’t go through as it was linked to my old credit card. I forgot all about this service. And I forget about something every time I have to change my credit card.
There should be a secure database that stores all of my personal information such as addresses, credit cards, health card, insurance numbers, and subscriptions (Spotify, Amazon, etc). If I ever change addresses or credit cards, there should be a system that notes this change, and then proceed to notify and update the respective product/service/company of my information change.
Ideally, AI controls this. Right now, I’m not even thinking about AI controlling the us and our fate. So maybe we’ll keep this one up for discussion as an AI having access to all of our personal information may seem frightening to some.
2. Google Drive/Docs AI Learning & Idea Cross Pollination
Our brains produce a myriad of amazing benefits for ourselves. Creatively, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. And when we sleep, specifically during the dream stages, our brains begin firing in unimaginable ways. Literally. In wakefulness, we could not come up with the sheer madness of these dreams. Creatives have been discussing the power of dreams for a very long time now.
Unconscious Thought Theory to my understanding is the ability of our brains to make new, novel connections when we step back from the tasks we are working on. We let the subconscious mind take over. We study, and then step back. We do anything relaxing, with our attention on something other than what we were originally working on. By giving the brain this space, our minds can begin to make shapes, and connections that would otherwise never have come to fruition.
I take tons of notes in my Google Drive, specifically Google Docs. I write notes for pretty much every book I read.
There should be an AI, or something tinkering with those files while I’m not looking at them. New connections could potentially be based on:
a) my current interests, and preferences,
b) clashing them with ideas and notes I’ve already taken,
c) and then making educated guesses on other things I may not know much about. (To gain unique, and new perspectives)
Then, it should generate random ideas, thoughts, or anything I can read and move off on.
Surely, it is not as natural. And to outsource something as beautiful as the human minds natural creative ability would seem rather dull. I think there is a place for this sort of idea, though I haven’t thought enough about where it could fit in.
3. AI / Augmented Reality Coaching
This is already happening, and faster than we think. It may already be here, and I just don’t know about it yet. But imagine hiring a personal trainer you follow online from across the world, and have him appear right in your living room to lead you through a training session. Or getting a hands on, ahem — augmented hands on — learning experience with a world class chef. As you grab vegetables to chop, he or she is coaching you through the tasks with direct, real-time feedback.
Standard recipe learning is too slow. We are wired to be hands on. Mirror neurons allow us the ability to replicate what we see, without words being said. Having someone right by your side to watch you, guide and coach, and then have you emulate the task would be nothing short of amazing.
I would be all for this. As a trainer and health coach, I love helping people hands on. Getting myself online (even to get on Medium to write this) was always a battle for me philosophically. I want human connection. The goal for me is to have a few deep, meaningful connections. Not a vast amount of shallow acquaintances/greetings/connections.
Having this sort of teaching would offer an entirely new world of possibilities to people like me, and ultimately better for everyone who needs help, as the real-time feedback is so much closer to human nature.
Let me know what you think of these ideas, and please tell me if they already exist! Maybe if I’m on to something I should really get on with the first-mover advantage. And you’ll be the early adopters! Or you’ll steal my ideas. Whatever, I’m not afraid. Everyone has ideas, but it’s those that take action on them that we remember.
Thank you for reading my article. I hope you found it helpful or at least thought-provoking. If this did help you, consider sharing it with someone you think it would help too!
