Mumbai: Family life can often include bickering and trivial quarrels over differing opinions, and this could extend to the behavior of virtual assistants. What will happen whenwelet different types of virtual assistants, such as Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri and others, into various devices in our homes?
Ericsson has today released the eighth edition of its Consumer Lab trend report, 10 Hot Consumer Trends 2019, representing predictions of 34 million early technology adopters.
The latest edition of the annual report evaluates consumer thoughts and predictions on near-future technology including AI, VR, 5G and automation. The report reveals that autonomous and mood-predictive technology could soon play a bigger role in people’s everyday lives.
The report revealed some interesting facts that 31 % of the surveyed think virtual assistants in their own household would start quarrelling with each other like family members, while 66% believe such family scenarios will be common 3 years from now.
Dr. Michael Björn, Head of Research Agenda at Ericsson Consumer & Industry Lab, and main author of the report, says: “Imagine a smartphone that not only knows what you do but also knows who you are. Today, artificial intelligence can understand your personality just by looking into your eyes. It’s clear that technology adopters see a future where our devices know us better than we know them.”
The 10 hot consumer trends for 2019 and beyond are:
- Awareables: More than 60% of virtual assistant users think devices that understand our moods will be mainstream in three years.
- Smart quarrels: Over 65% of virtual assistant users think smart speakers will argue like family members in three years.
- Spying apps: Over 45% of consumers think apps collect data about them even when they don’t use the app.
- Enforced agreement: Always having to accept data collection cookies annoys 51% of consumers.
- Internet of skills: More than 50% of AR or VR users want apps, glasses and gloves that give virtual guidance for practical, everyday tasks such as cooking or carrying out repairs.
- Zero-touch consumption: Around half of virtual assistant users want automated bills and subscriptions, as well as self-restocking household supplies.
- Mental obesity: 31% of consumers soon expect to go to ‘mind gyms’ to practice thinking, as everyday decision-making becomes increasingly automated.
- Eco Me: 39% of consumers want an eco-watch that measures their carbon footprint.
- My digital twin: 48% of AR or VR users want online avatars that mimic them exactly, so they can be in two places at once.
- 5G automates society: Around 20% of smartphone users believe 5G will better connect IoT devices, such as household appliances and utility meters.
On whether we should see this near-future technology as a threat or an opportunity, Dr. Pernilla Jonsson, Head of Consumer & IndustryLab says: “We have already entered the age when humans and intelligent machines are interacting and working together. So far, we’ve only taken small steps into the future. Most of the zero-touch future is yet to be developed – and how we create that future is still in our hands.”
The insights in the report are based on Ericsson ConsumerLab’s global research activities over more than 23 years, and primarily draw on data from an online survey conducted during October 2018 of advanced internet users in 10 influential cities across the world.
