digitally numb

Mind over Matter: The Singularity is Near

Singularity 4 by *james119 on deviantART

No matter what your opinion is on the feasability of hard Artificial Intelligence and the emergence of concioius machines,  you have to admit that it’s fascinating to wonder where the digital age will take us in the next 50 or 100 years. Luckily, you don’t have to think too hard, because a few big minds recently weighed in on how advanced AI may be in the year 2100.

Not only do I find Ray Kurzweil’s vision to be the most articulate, but also the most likely scenario. I do have reservations about a fully human-level (Turing-test capable) AI by 2029, but no one can deny that the next logical step in the evolution of the digital age will probably be the end of physical interfaces between humans and computers. We’re already on our way towards enhancing our memory and knowledge with internet services. Next will come the end of the limitations of current human-computer interfaces and the advent of augmented reality and networked objects. Then, the merger between biological and non-biological intelligence — the singularity!

The the Brain Computer Interface is one small step in that direction.

Rock n’ Roll is alive and digital

I suppose its old news that the Internet has transformed the music industry. We know how that story turned out (so far at least). Surprisingly, it happened sooner than anyone could have predicted. In less than 10 years we went from passionate debates about the digitization of recorded music and the legality of peer to peer file sharing services to barely talking about the issue. The problems have not gone away, but legitimate business models have emerged to minimize some of the concerns. I haven’t bought a CD in over 10 years and I don’t miss them. Unlike most people, mp3s did change my listening habits. I still prefer albums to singles and I don’t care for mixed playlists much. The iPod just made my life a lot easier.

However, recorded music is only one aspect of music appreciation. Live music is, for lack of a better term, the real thing. The digital age has not really been able to find a way to take that experience out of clubs and arenas and bring it into our homes. Yes, concerts have been streamed live, filmed in 3D and there are numerous other efforts to digitally bring the concert experience into our homes and elsewhere. However, no matter how far we go in terms of adding innovative interactive features to streaming concerts, will they ever be able to replace the feeling of actually being present at a concert? Anyone who really appreciates music and has enjoyed a live concert experience knows that a good performance can draw you into a place where you’re no longer just a viewer or listener but actually completely immersed in a dazzling multimedia experience. Your senses get swept away by the crowd, the atmosphere and the collective energy that resonates between the performers and the audience. It’s unlike anything else and for some; it could be the closest they come to a spiritual experience. Can that truly be recreated?

Obviously there are tremendous opportunities to add new revenue streams by making concerts available to live audiences via the Internet, but I doubt any are being designed as a real replacement. Theoretically, more revenue opportunities should result in a drop in concert ticket prices, which should then increase concert attendance — thereby keeping live music alive. Of course, there will be fans that will prefer the comfort of their homes, but streaming concerts (no matter how interactive) will probably not replace the experience of attending live performances in the foreseeable future.

What I’m really excited about when it comes to digital technologies enhancing the way we experience music, is what will actually happen at live concerts (and not what will be simulated in a home-viewing environment). Live concerts are a prime candidate for augmented reality implementations. Lighting, stage design, sound, lasers and pyrotechnics already play such a crucial role in enhancing the overall atmosphere at a live concert setting, but imagine layering augmented 3D visuals. These developments combined with how Artificial Intelligence is going to change the live performance landscape could not only lead to augmented performances of real musicians, but could also one day make it possible for us to attend a simulated Beatles or Nirvana concert in person. So much better than bringing Kurt Cobain back to life and making him sing Bon Jovi songs.

I’m all for technology that enhances the entertainment value of an art form without ruining the art itself and I look forward to the promising future of live entertainment!

Related Post: 5 Real Problems in an Augmented World

5 real problems in an augmented world

Augmented (hyper)Reality: Domestic Robocop from Keiichi Matsuda on Vimeo.

It’s finally here — our view of the real world need not be limited by what our naked eye can see. Gadgets and terminals are not the be-all and the end-all in our quest for more information, real time access to data and most importantly, a reliable secondary storage mechanism for our memories. Why miss out on the physical world if you want to be immersed in and enjoy the benefits of digital media? Why not just augment the physical world with it? Yes, it’s the new buzz word, but Augmented Reality is here (and here to stay). The potential for this technology is undoubtedly endless, but what we’ve seen so far has mostly ranged from gimmicky and cute to somewhat useful. Nothing groundbreaking so far — no mass adoption of wearable technology or any of the entertainment possibilities. However, it’s just a matter of time when some of these implementations become part of our daily lives. If you hate how people are constantly distracted by their iPhones and Blackberry’s, brace yourself, because it’s about to get much worse.

Augmented Reality, just like any other technology will have some incredibly beneficial uses and some absolutely useless ones. However, all forms of Augmented Reality will likely be accompanied by some risks. Here are just five potential problems we can expect in the years ahead:

1. Profiling: The use of facial recognition technology, combined with geo-location and augmented data will lead to a seamless integration of our online and offline lives. As a result of these developments, a person walking around in the physical world will no longer just be a person, but will be their physical self along with a digital profile and other information that either the person itself or others make available online. Imagine walking into a social gathering and getting ignored by a bunch of people because you have self-identified yourself with a political or religious affiliation that they don’t particularly care for. Or worse — imagine being singled out for additional security screening at the airport because of it.

2. Unauthorized Augmented Advertising: Advertisers and tech companies are drooling over the possibilities of monetizing objects & spaces in the physical world by augmenting digital ads onto them in real-time. Think of the physical and intellectual property rights implications if the technologies that drive augmented advertising do not come with inbuilt controls — controls that would prevent advertisers from augmenting their marketing messages on building surfaces and other physical objects (including private or public property or other trademarked or copyrighted material) without adequate permission.

3. Augmented Behavioral Targeting: Ad targeting based on real world behavior using a combination of geo-location data & publicly self-disclosed information via social media services is just around the corner. For example, let’s assume you live in Los Angeles, travel a lot and have been checking into the local airport via services like Gowalla, Brightkite or Foursquare every time you leave town. Let’s also assume you have been checking out websites selling home security systems lately. Thanks to your online activities and your eagerness to share, you get served an ad that states “Given your busy travel schedule & the rising crime rate in LA, don’t you think it’s high time you installed a home security system?” (Actually this example may not be that bad considering sites like Please Rob Me have emerged). It does raise questions though. Who would have to provide privacy notice and choice in this scenario and how would you control what information is collected and how it is used for advertising that blurs the boundaries between your physical and virtual worlds?

4. Physical danger: Augmented Reality, like any mobile media technology presents some real physical safety issues. If you think mobile phones are currently a distraction while driving a car, think of an augmented windshield feeding you driving directions, along with more data about your surroundings than you may need. Or imagine crossing a busy street in an unfamiliar neighborhood, while simultaneously using an Augmented Reality interface to look for that hot new restaurant, checking out what people are tweeting about it and being bombarded with ads through it all.

5. Spam: Yes — where there is a marketing opportunity, there will be spam, deceptive advertising techniques and social engineering tricks to dupe gullible consumers into paying for things they don’t really need. If you think too many legitimate Internet companies (that are sensitive to your privacy concerns)  are harvesting all the data you publicly share on the Internet, there are even more scammers out there doing the very same thing. Be ready to be tricked and duped by too good to be true augmented offers in the real world — offers that will lure you in ways that unsolicited email from online pharmacies or belly-fat banner ads only wish they could.

The above list is by no means an exhaustive one. The dangers (much like the benefits) are far too many to be cataloged in one blog post. However, the sooner we start preparing for some of these problems, the more we increase our chances of arriving at timely solutions. There are a lot of smart people out there working incredibly hard on building the exciting future of augmented reality. Let’s hope there are also a few that are working at least half as hard on solving some of its incidental problems.