Sierra Foresees a Comical Demise of Apps and Websites at the Hands of Chatty AI
“Sierra Says Conversational AI Will Kill Apps and Websites”
“If you talk to your Amazon Echo for two or three sentences rather than just issuing one-shot commands, it frequently gets confused. Engaging in anything more substantive starts to feel unnatural. This is the chatty version of the uncanny valley, where Alexa seems almost human, then suddenly, maddeningly not.”
An interesting thought, innit? Now, just pretend for a moment – a highly improved, advanced conversational AI is the future. The sort of AI that you can have a deep and meaningful discussion with about, say, the existential crisis of Schroedinger’s cat or, dare I say, your preferred flavor of Pringle’s potato chips. Sounds fascinating but also perilously close to twisted, sci-fi movie plots.
Steven Levy, in his opus for WIRED, raises a thought-provoking proposition. Imagine having a personal assistant, more loyal than your loyal dog, which has the ability to run tasks for you, fetch information, order third wave coffee, sift through your pestering emails and perhaps even recommend what to binge-watch over the weekend. Like a dutiful assistant, this AI doesn’t tire, doesn’t demand days off, and guess what, it doesn’t even need that yearly appraisal or Christmas bonus! A sort of utopia for all the tech aficionados out there.
Now, hold your horses right about here! Science fiction has been applauding such advanced AI conversations for decades. Siri and Alexa, while commendable, are not yet up to forging relationships. They’re like the butlers who are perfect for serving drinks at your black-tie affairs but too robotic even for a small talk over dinner, let alone a heart-to-heart about your recent breakup.
This also signals an inch towards “the end of apps and websites” as per Levy. Picture this – no more annoying software updates, bidding adieu to ill-designed websites that test your patience, being freed from endless scrolling through app galleries. An efficient AI assistant who simplifies your digital life without having to push any buttons.
However, the concern remains if this all-conversing, all-comprehending AI assistant would transmute from a useful tool into an Orwellian eavesdropper. Today, addressing privacy is more than optional; it’s a necessity. Fine, we may be leaps and bounds away from having that perfect AI assistant who can argue the finer points of quantum physics. But the day is not too far when Alexa gets upgraded from simply playing your favorite jam to understanding why you like that jam in the first place.
Whether we want it or not, it seems like the AI revolution is going to change our future relationship with technology. We just better hope they still come equipped with an ‘off’ switch!