Our recent podcast discussion about a screen-less future was fascinating. Rick and I came at it from different angles, yet converged on the essence of the concept of ambient computing. This isn't far removed from our episode about smart homes, a technology scenario that relies on the success of ambient computing to work, and statistics reveal there's demand for it. But how could it work better?

Advances in AI could be seen as an accelerant for the internet of things (IoT). This is an area Rick and I delve into, and I hope you might too. Generative AI may be stealing headlines and dominating public discourse, but AI as an enabler for seamless, technology-driven environments is flying under the mainstream radar. There's plenty to learn and write about, if that's what you do for a living, and I hope my Big Tech Little Tech episode 35 notes, scant as they are, encourage you to do so.
 
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AI as a driver for a screen-less future

1. The potential for a screen-less future will be driven by AI and the Internet of Things.
2. Introduction to the concept of a screen-less future and its potential impact on consumer technology.
3. Discuss AI's role in shaping a screen-less future, including examples like Amazon Echo and autonomous vehicles.

The Internet of Things is a key player

• Imagine the possibilities of a screen-less future.
• AI is making it possible for IoT devices to be more intuitive and responsive.
• Explore the IoT and its potential to create a more connected and responsive world.
• Interoperability between different technology companies and their devices is crucial for the success of a screen-less future. It would be really frustrating if every device required its own separate app or subscription. Standardisation and cooperation are key!
  
  

The changing nature of consumer technology

• Walt Mossberg wrote The Disappearing Computer in 2017, in which he argued for the invisibility of technology, which is what we might say is empowered by the concept of the IoT. Bill Gates coined the original term 'disappearing computer’.
• Consumers want technology that's easier to use and is more integrated into our lives. It should be seamless and less obtrusive.
• Imran Chaudhri on YouTube: ‘The entire world becomes your operating system.’
  Discuss potential challenges and ethical considerations in the development and implementation of screen-less technology.
• It's exciting to think of how we might redefine the human-technology relationship in the next few years. It almost seems reductive to hang this around the concept of a screen-less future, when we're adding or enriching how we interact with tech rather than coping with the what we might take away.
• Accessibility has to be considered. Not everybody is able to use voice-based interfaces easily. Gestures will help. Audio.
  
  

Examples of screen-less technology

• Humane Ai Pin is a ‘connected and intelligent clothing-based wearable device’. It's run by Imran Chaudhri, who worked at Apple for 20 years. In a Ted talk, he said AR+VR glasses 'merely move the screens we already have in our lives today to being just a few millimetres away from our eyeballs’.
• His demonstration of personalised machine learning was memorable: He had a Milky Bar in his pocket, showed it to the lapel pin on his jacket, which told him it contained cocoa butter and said, ‘Given your intolerance, you may want to avoid it.’