It’s not difficult to imagine a world where algorithms offer us the services and products we need before we realise we need them. We have already placed our collective foot firmly in that door with data collection algorithms that amass and sort information at speeds that would make a Rolodex burst into flames, yet we’re still on the brink of pushing into the realm where AI takes advantage of our existing data collection to give another shot in the arm to our already consumerism-focused society.
How unrealistic is it to think automation might be the spark that ignites a cultural flame?
The Marketing of Big Data
Tying the needs of the consumer to buying patterns and spending habits are starting to feel like old hat, but there’s still plenty of room to expand as big data takes over retail and tracking the consumer’s dollar. No matter where a transaction takes place, automation ensures an extra line of information is neatly filed away into a customer profile whether it’s in person or over the internet.
This data is more than just a collection of ads waiting to be served, however; It’s the very heart and soul of automation and artificial intelligence as a whole. Without enormous sample sizes and a wide range of data to track it becomes nonsensical to position AI to enter the retail realm.
By weaving these technologies into daily interactions nearly impossible for a human to measure, our understanding of big data may even further expand. For example, if machine learning is turned towards the task of following customer habits on social media and websites through eye tracking, mouse movements and engagement or repulsion from certain media elements, data may shift away from simple lists of names and interests and suddenly incorporate abstract concepts like advanced presentation design tailored specifically just to reduce bounce rate and entice visitors subconsciously.
AI, Retail, and the Family Dollar
As stated before, ads are already targeted through machine learning, and basic behaviours are tracked accordingly, yet the true depth of AI application should step beyond the basic and unimaginative. Our current use of machine intelligence is currently oriented towards saving the human side of marketing time that would otherwise be spent on menial or rote tasks. One of the most straightforward and useful applications of this school of thought lies in product research tools that focus on cutting down human guesswork and manual data aggregation.
Putting that data to good use could be taken a step even further; While it’s one thing to serve an ad that is tailored to someone’s needs, it is another matter entirely to predict when that ad would be most useful or when taking an additional step may be even more beneficial. AT&T Foundry reports that industry experts expect 85 percent of business relationships with consumers will be done without human interaction within five years. Prediction is one thing, but the implementation is a different beast entirely.
An Eternally Shifting Work Landscape
Adapting to take advantage of these technologies and the incorporation of big data before they become utterly vital is, coincidentally, utterly vital. With the potential for tens of millions of jobs to suddenly become automated, a crisis of employment seems to be ever-looming beyond the horizon, just waiting to strike.
While not every prediction is doom and gloom, there is a very real possibility of once-steady jobs suddenly going to the ever-ready hands of the machines. If this era of product sales prediction and delivery grows, so will the need to maintain the ever-growing fleet of robots that produce, package and deliver these consumer needs. Human employment may shift dramatically from menial labour to maintenance and managerial positions. Reacting to the technologies we face is no longer enough; Adapting through immersion is the imminent future.
The wave of the future is a never-ending tsunami pounding against the shores of our understanding. At its core, the influence of AI on the world of consumerism seems to be just another step towards the inevitable future where products arrive before we know they are wanted and precious little human interaction takes us to that point. Putting that amount of data into action is our next measurable test.
