KANTAR CONSULTING GLOBAL ENERGIES | FLOW ASSISTANT AI As artificial intelligence grows more sophisticated and adaptive, it’s finally appearing in consumer-friendly forms and situations, giving people novelty, convenience and a range of solutions that save headspace. 1 FLOW: ASSISTANT AI WHAT’S THE STORY? Technological breakthroughs are allowing AI systems to sense, interpret and learn from the world in more sophisticated ways, while giving them the tools to learn from their past interactions. The result: a wave of consumer-facing, AI-driven solutions that are making environments more responsive to people, freeing up humans’ attention for other activities, and changing the meaning and nature of some tasks that were previously completed manually 2 FLOW: ASSISTANT AI LIFESTYLE SUPPORTERS 01 02 03 PERFECT FIT PETCARE AURA AND AUSCA LOSA UK SINGAPORE SOUTH KOREA “British people love their pets, and as people get more M Social Hotel, a trendy, Millennial-focused hotel in “Lotte Department Stores has launched an AI chatbot called interested in health, they are starting to take a greater interest in Singapore, has been praised for its deployment of two models Losa. It can answer all questions about services at Lotte as well of autonomous hotel helpers: Aura, a robot butler that can ride their pets’ health and wellness too. Mars Petcare has had the as give personalized product recommendations and advice. elevators and traverse the hotel’s corridors to deliver food and insight that animal owners want the kind of tailored advice they other supplies on demand to guests, and Ausca, a newer Losa is easy to use; it has been designed to learn more about a can get for themselves for their animals, through health apps model that serves as the hotel restaurant’s front-of-house chef customer’s preferences as they use it, and it can also and the like. The Perfect Fit AI provides this: via Facebook’s (as long as you want your eggs as an omelet or sunny-side-up. understand slang and colloquial speech. It is dense with Messenger, it provides personalized weekly tips and makes Other establishments in the city, such as the Park Avenue graphics, and shows pictures, videos and maps to explain things Rochester, Hotel Jen and the Hotel Singapore also have recommendations for each pet’s unique needs. to customers.” robot helpers. —GAËLLE, STREETSCAPER, LONDON —NICKY, STREETSCAPER, SEOUL 3 FLOW: ASSISTANT AI AI CO- PARENTS 04 05 MUSE EMELYA/PUDDING USA RUSSIA / CHINA Muse is the brainchild of Vivienne Ming, an friend). It can interpret other things too, like “Emelya is a voice-controlled personal assistant for families with children; it’s the Russian entrepreneur, neuroscientist and mother of snapshots of a child’s artwork or snippets of a version of the Chinese robot Pudding, and is one of the first of its kind in the country. Emelya is two. The Muse AI is Vivienne’s attempt to conversation with them. Then, drawing on the the name of a talkative character from a Russian fairy-tale, which suits the gadget’s main answer the most common question parents latest research on brain and child ask her: “What one thing can I do right now to development, Muse recommends easy function: Emelya can understand natural speech and answer children’s questions, tell tales, or best help my child?” Communicating through activities that parents can do with their child to give directions (“brush your teeth" etc.). Emelya is also a tutor, and can teach children the texts, Muse asks parents a single yes or no speed their progress. If they’re curious, basics of math, the Russian language, geography and biology, among others. A built-in video- question every day about what’s been parents can also access the science behind camera turns the device into a child’s monitor. It simplifies parents’ lives, making hands-off happening in a child’s life lately (such as the recommendations. parenting possible by taking over some of the more mundane tasks of bringing up children.” eating a new type of food or playing with a —ANNA, STREETSCAPER, MOSCOW 4 FLOW: ASSISTANT AI FASHION ASSISTANCE, FASHIONABLE ASSISTANTS 06 07 AMAZON ECHO LOOK CLOVA FRIENDS USA JAPAN The Echo Look is one of the latest versions sorting them into collections (which can be Line, the Japanese tech firm, is unveiling its of character.” Innovative features give the of Amazon’s Echo smart speaker series, now accessed and referred to later). Then, drawing second-generation smart speaker Clova to device a sense of tactility and personality: equipped with a camera. Echo Look offers on the latest machine learning and computer compete with the likes of Amazon Echo and users can buy clothes for their Clova Friend, consumers a powerful AI style assistant: out vision techniques—as well as the input of Google Home. Like those devices, it can and it responds to touch in interesting ways of the box, it takes pictures and videos, and fashion and style experts with whom Amazon answer questions and operate other devices (pushing its nose makes it stop what it’s doing, allows users to crowdsource their specific has partnered—it can make style wirelessly. But Line has other tricks up its for example, and its internal microphones are style questions to other users. Over time, the recommendations when a user doesn’t know sleeve, too: it’s calling its newest models actually situated inside its ears). Line wants to Look slowly learns a person’s style, what to wear, or needs help choosing Clova Friends, has given them the likenesses encourage users to talk to it daily, “with the cataloguing outfits and individual pieces and between options. of two popular mascots, and says that it’s the same sense of familiarity as a member of the first smart speaker “to be given its own sense family.” 5 FLOW: ASSISTANT AI IN- THE- MOMENT BEHAVIOR CORRECTION 08 SHEBOARD GLOBAL According to Plan such as “My daughter looks International, a global nonprofit pretty”, it automatically that does work for children, suggests un-gendered research shows that people alternatives, such as “My talk to their children differently daughter looks smart.” The AI depending on their gender: is a guard against—and a “We talk to boys about their powerful reminder of—how abilities, and we talk to girls pervasive and invisible sexism about their bodies.” Plan is can be. According to Plan: “We trying to change that with don’t always even realize Sheboard, an AI integrated when the words we choose into a downloadable strengthen stereotypes. smartphone keyboard. The AI Sheboard helps everyone interprets people’s texts as reflect on—and possibly they write them; when it change—the ways we talk to senses gendered language, and about girls.” 6 FLOW: ASSISTANT AI BREAKING DOWN LANGUAGE BARRIERS 09 AI TRANSLATION ASIA Travelers to and natives of Asia now Meanwhile Japanese company have a variety of cutting-edge Logbar is releasing its ili translator translation tools available for on-the- widelyin Asia; it is specially made for go-encounters. For example, the most common interactions Papago, from Korean company English-speaking travelers might Naver, allows two-way translation have (e.g., ordering in a restaurant or between Korean, Chinese and asking questions about a hotel room). English, with some functionality in It performs split-second translations Japanese, Spanish and French (and of English speech into Japanese, other Asian languages to come). The Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish Papago app can understand street audio, and though it does less than signs and written text, handle live some competitors, it doesn’t need an translations, and understand internet connection, unlike apps and subtleties such as slang or intonation. most other devices of this kind. 7 FLOW: ASSISTANT AI WHAT’S UNDERPINNING THIS ENERGY? CULTURAL CONTEXT AND MACRO- LEVEL DRIVERS Lack of consensus on ways *to regulate AI, clearing the way Rise of computer vision,* and more sophisticated for an explosion of diverse consumer-facing innovations techniques for processing natural human language Rise of algorithm-led lifestyles* and personalized solutions, Commercialization and commoditization* of Big data, leading to greater consumer trust in AI solutions providing AI with rich datasets for training and specialization Demographic trends, such* as aging populations, creating demand for automated services in new areas HOW WILL THESE FORCES SHAPE ASSISTANT AI IN THE FUTURE? 8 FLOW: ASSISTANT AI WHAT’S NEXT? FUTURE PROVOCATIONS AI agents will act on behalf of Except for a few iconic brands with As AI becomes mainstream, it The automation of many routine tasks consumers to secure a majority of high-demand products, consumers will transforms consumers’ relationship to will free up consumers’ time, goods, reducing the number of come to understand value as provided work and leisure; paid work, formerly encouraging many to spend more time possible touchpoints for brands. by service, and not products. As brands central to consumer identity, will be on entertainment and leisure. AI will Brands that take digital leadership will get used to marketing to AIs instead of devalued. Craft activities that require make shopping and purchasing so develop their own AIs to act as lifestyle directly to people, many products will specialized knowledge and skills (and frictionless and easy that consumer assistants; follow-on competitors will become more generic but higher-quality can’t be automated) will become debt and spending will increase. be forced to play on leaders’ platforms. (or filling more specific niches). important sources of identity for a Companies that can find new ways to majority of consumers. Professional harness this debt-driven spending will consumerism (earning a livelihood from profit. one’s spending habits, as digital influencers do now) will also become more widespread.