Innovation Tarik. L | 18 Janvier 2019

New Internet age , New Business models

futurism
 
A new Internet Age .

With the expected deployment of 5G networks around the globe and the availability of faster brodband connections , we're about to witness a new Internet age which is about to have an impact on the existing internet business models who are at risk of  becoming  obsolete . And here no one is gonna be spared , including the major players like Facebook , Google , Apple , Microsoft and Amazon who in spite of their huge infrastructures that allowed them to survive the last Internet bubble burst could be facing major "disruptions "  from" new " Startups  that will instinctively adopt the business models of the new Internet age that we're about to enter .
Faster Internet speeds , combined with more performing AI and Cloud services ,  faster mobile and computer chips , the emergence of more connected devices ,  smarter virtual assistants and other voice command devices , more VR and AR devices and applications will eventually transform the way we surf the Internet or use search engines , socialise , entertain , shop , learn , etc .
Because the subject is large and it impacts basically all areas of our connected lifes , we're gonna focus on a few aspects of this internet age that will evolve and therefore lead the way for change in the future .




Virtual "Cloud connected "Assistants powered by AI and their Contextual search .

Cloud access from a basic device or a wearable for more computing power coupled with AI services  is going to be in my assessment the one single element that will change the way we compute all together , once these  big data analysis and insights gathering tools become available to the everyday user  on an "on demand basis " and not only to businesses as it is now .

The online Search 

The user will be able to have more contextual results after performing a search , AI companies will compete for this market to seduce the user and the more contextual and intelligent and insightful the search result is , the more market share they will get .AI , if it is not an extension or a boost to human intelligence would obviously have no meaning in this new Internet age . 
The virtual Assistants will have the capability  to:
- Scan the internet and read several links and sources related to the subject of the search .
- Gather all the references related to the search and analyse them .
- Confirm the context of the search by using that data that was scanned than provide a specific  " Result " to the search within a very reasonable amount of time .
That result will come as an " output " meaning a result that is provided solely to the user , something which wasn't previously published , that's how AI will enter out lifes through online Search .
Noting that after the contextual answer is provided , the virtual assistant's  from the PC or mobile platform  will propose or display other related " results " from other " similar user searches " that were already Catalogued , as a sake of comparison , leaving the user to deduct his appropriate answer .
Published references and data or links related to the same search is then displayed at the bottom of the page and other pages  for the user in the case he would want to go deeper in his search ( here the traditional Google search result through the Links Algorithm is shown but only at a 3rd Stage ( in case AI result might not be fully satisfactory ), or if the user still has doubt in the accuracy of his search or lack of context thereof. 
After each search is finished it will be automatically recorded online " Catalogued or referenced  "  for use in similar contextual searches by other users  and a feedback option is then added for the user to give optional feedback after each answer is given , with a satisfaction rating from 1to5 by the user , or a written statement if the user wishes to do so .
This fast survey option will help teach the AI backend and therefore will serve each user afterwards as the high rated outputs or search results will be displayed accordingly in 2nd position along with their original Questions if they deem to be similar to any given Users search request .

Those AI assistants or search engines will act as expert systems giving information , references , up to date happenings and further insights on research and reviews regarding the subject and would know how to give different opinions on it while knowing the difference between the fake and the real info. 
For that to happen the whole Internet data would have to be reorganised and categorised according to a specific system that helps the AI in its output results ,  while taking into consideration the sources who publish these different types of data ranging from institutions or private persons , even the users comments , quotes , thoughts , theories, studies,  research and other review data gathered from social media  and other websites will have to be archived according to their context , in categories /subcategories /time in history etc in order to fit with the Algorithms " or other programming methods " put in place for these AI or expert systems to have more speed and efficiency providing their contextual search results.
 
These same Virtual assistants or Voice activated expert systems in addition to changing the way we search the Internet will also change the way we compute as they will become:

A New Breed of Operating Systems :

In Addition to their  online search and conversational skills as well as their other Virtual Assistant duties( personal and business oriented ) , and because of their AI capabilities our future virtual assistants will act as our personalised operating systems capable of learning and adapting to our computing habits , they will be able with the help of their Cloud access feature to help us manage our tasks through different platforms and devices and will be an integral part of our connected lifes at home or on the go .
Their tasks will vary and will be of several kinds : 

Tasks based on our instant  requests :

Ordering food , shopping ,paying bills , scheduling meetings , reading emails and other texts from online or offline sources ( on our devices ),  sending messages and texts etc , plus other tasks that we now do manually on various devices like settings changes on our various devices  and deleting stuff from folders or opening  apps , as well as perform traditional tasks like writing a word document through dictation and other office desk tasks as well as Internet related tasks like downloading music or other files and the list is long   .
- we can also as time goes by , incorporate these Virtual Assistants in our Social media life and enhance them with some features like Post automation on twitter for businesses or email automated responses etc replacing all the existing automation services  , and for fun we can ask them through their " wearable format " for example to record a funny scene that we happen to see as we pass by and upload it to our YouTube channels or other social media platforms that we are members of .

Tasks that are suggested by the Virtual Assistants  and then acted upon if we give approval or confirm them .

These types of task vary also and they can range from 
-notifications to download an update to our systems or a notification to add storage space etc
- it can be a reminder to open an unread email from a contact or a scheduled appointment reminder or a reminder concerning something related to a calender event like a reminder to buy a gift for the wife for the anniversary. 
- the Virtual assistants can also by tracking our shopping habits and other behaviour , and by following what we see online , they can make suggestions for special promotions on goods and services or letting us know about a movie release of our favorite actors etc.
Here the list can be long as to what a Virtual Assistant can suggest , but obviously in its programming and its settings the user can make sure that these suggestions come in a priority order , for example it can be optimised as to only show reminders regarding the System itself like updates or memory freeing or security breaches etc , as for the other type of notices they can be shown in a priority order according to our preferences and of course the frequency of the notices can be controlled by a timer for example or simply switched off as desired by the user .

Tasks that are required by the system and and therefore automated .

Here , like any operating system there are tasks or default actions that we preset that are put in action automatically like updates and any other feature that will present itself in the future like uptading the system with various  tracked data related to our computing behavior both online and offline and that in order to continue the teaching process of these future Virtual Assistants so they can be even more reliable and adapted to our needs for a better performance as we go .
Here , the process is done Via the cloud where a more robust AI and Software infrastructure which serve as a back end for these Assistants and will make sure to regularly  improve their reliability , security and performance as they are tracking our behavior and  needs and adjusting to that data by delivering a more efficient output as we go .

IBM Watson descendents and their function in managing our Smart homes and peripheral  IOT devices network .

I believe that in the near future as we become more familiar with IOT and as our lifestyles will be more reliant on connected devices a need to manage these devices( both at our homes as well as the devices we will interact with outside such as libraries , retail shops , banks etc ) will arise .

Again here , the main infrastructure will be remote , and users we will connect to it   , the same way IBM delivers data analysis to businesses now .
There will be a bunch of IBM Watson desendents which tasks will be to
manage  the network of connected devices we use and make sure everything goes smoothly without a glitch , both in our smart home or outside . 5G network speeds are gonna play a major role in facilitating that major transition we're gonna encounter in such a way that for example:
 
One will be able to :
- enter a shop - Designate an item - pay for it - ship it to a phone contact without looking at or touching a screen or even talk to a sales person .
Or one will be able to :
-stand on a sidewalk , order an autonomous cab , pay for the ride and leave to his destination when arrived without giving his credit card number to any physical person . 
Here the remote " cloud "  systems can interact securely with the user's Virtual Assistant or Operating system  via any given device or an AR wearable etc in order to exchange data with the user such as a contact's (name , size ,  preferences , shipping address etc)as well as the user's payment details and home address then deliver the services such as making the payments for the gift and the cab through the bank , the shipping through a designated company and properly linking the IOT devices  of the user , the sensors located on the shopping retail item and the autonomous cab , with the user's OS , the cab company , the shipping company and the bank .
These are just tiny example of what an evolved Internet speed coupled with AI , Cloud and IOT can do and are doing already to a certain extent . 
Basically the online services , ecommerce , and our way of doing things in general are going to drastically change any moment in time assuming the rate of advances in the sectors mentioned above will keep steady . 
Even more , if we add the Virtual reality to this equation , one can predict that ecommerce and entertainment websites and social media platforms that exist now will gradually become obsolete as Virtual  and augmented reality will also gradually take place even more in our connected lifes allowing us to have more enhanced experiences in our shopping , trading , entertainment , gaming and socialising online .
This trend is taking off now and it will only go further from now on as new generations will enter this global online community .
This will be exiting to see as the Moore's law will keep taking effect at least for a short while until new chips will be developed , most probably either using light or lazers or combined materials chips . And as the AR field of view problem is resolved  , the whole picture will then be obvious , but research is underway and budgets are there , all there to expect those exiting breakthroughs that will take us even further than we can imagine now using these existing tools , materials and business models .


Some Business models that might surface in the near future :

Ecommerce .

The future Ecommerce websites will allow through Virtual Reality a more enhanced and close to reality shopping experience , especially those website selling big items like cars , machinery etc .
With the aid of proper VR gear these websites will allow us to experience first hand the real 3D look and size of a car as we do by visiting a Car show , and as we go forward these websites will keep innovating in their way of increasing the accuracy of our virtual experiences while shopping for cars through simulators etc.
The same will apply for Real estate , as the Real estate agencies will offer Virtual Tours or Open Houses experiences to more customers from the comfort of their homes , as there will be a more VR acceptance from the public and VR headsets and other Gear will be massively produced and used .

Showcasing  through video and 3D models with live or recorded content :

Here the Ecommerce websites will give us a shopping experience similar to what we see on TV shopping channels nowadays , bit this time the new business models will give the sales people even more tools in addition to video , like 3D or holographic showcases and VR powered scenarios where the customer could experience the proposed product in a totally different manner than now .
These showcasing  contents can be either pre-recorded to access any time or set as a live event to answer customers questions and to gather their feedback , and then archived .
The live showcasing business model can be particularly handy to promote certain companies clearance sales where product are offered in a limited basis , also they can be handy for the enhancement of the auction culture and trading as well .
These future Ecommerce business models can effectively bring more people to the auction and BtoB and general trading world and without neglecting anybody , especially those living in remote areas and other geographical locations .
All customers and sellers will have the option to exchange information , network and make deals with one another , creating beneficial business opportunities for everybody .

Interactive Mass Media 

This interactive aspect of this Internet age will have such a deep impact on many sectors and a major sector that is gonna see its world go upside down by this interaction will be Media as the YouTube business model had shown us through mass creation of personal content , this time Mass media will also be influenced by this YouTube phenomenon like.
 
As viewers of mass media and internetTV channels will gradually have the chance to become part of that media content through their different content contributions or participation in live events or TV games etc .
For that , Internet Media is going to build some whole new types of backend infrastructures and set up new work methods to insure this proper flow of data going back and forth between the users and content providers and vice versa .
New types of programs and content will be created to adapt to this new interactive media consumption and the New platforms will allow users to do even more tasks than simply commenting on a piece of content , there will be a few leader networks and a few niche networks competing for a Global Media market with all that it might contain in terms of specialised programming , news feeds , entertainment , sports etc . 
The new Internet Age will finally allow Internet TV Channels to rise , instead of what's going on now where we still see the traditional media outlets just imposing their points of views while adding the Internet as a tool only to their traditional platforms , these new internetTV will also differ  from the Streaming services we see now , for the only thing they do is just distribute content via the Internet .
Participation  of viewership will be rewarded either by bonus points giving better positioning to the viewer within the users society , or the rewards can be material ( prices and payments ) , depending on what the user does,  wether he provided content that was picked to go live at a given time or wether he participated in a Quiz  etc etc , making the viewer a member of a community having an impact on it while getting rewarded and having advantages from it as well .
As the digital recording devices and other technology  gets better and the  broadband networks get faster , and the backend and  media infrastructure Wether fixed or mobile gets better , the content will get better and more challenging and innovative endeavors enhanced by the networks and users incentives will take place , changing the way we consume media even more .
This new dynamic will have a much greater impact on the advertising industry which hasn't seen its better days yet , because these new media backend platforms and viewers interactive participation feedback will give the Advertising agencies more tailored info regarding the viewers who adhere to these new platforms by daily interacting with these backends .
Science fiction and action movie features have already  done a great job at imagining certain types of content that will exist in the future while mainly focusing on horrific and desastrous settings for out entertainment  but the way media was portrayed to function from a technical standpoint is nicely envisioned by producers  , so  will the developers and startup founders of the future have their say as to how the InternetTV platforms and back ends will be designed ,  and here the sky is the limit .

AI 

In spite of all the advances registered in this field , along with  Big data analysis and machine learning etc . The major step taken forward was done by M.I.T and their " Quest for intelligence " program which will put together different types of energies and skill sets and areas of expertise in order to use , study , comprehend how our human mind really works and use that to build hopefully the next real generations of AI systems . 
Just like a baby is born and as he progresses into life it grows physically and mentally  by learning through touch , sound and visual expressions and others  , then learns how to crowl , stand , walk , talk , read and write . The same approach will be taken in order to teach our future machines to grow from a basic machine or system into a sophisticated one capable of grasping the idea of culture , ethics , religion and a phylisophy of life just like a human does . Here a wide range of human expertise will be applied in a coordinated and progressive  and lengthy manner in order to start achieving what is desired : a true and artificially intelligent  machine raised by humans ( working in different fields of science ) . Pretty much just like a Child who needs a whole village in order to be raised .
I am sensing that this is the right approach that will adequately solve the IA equation once and for all , without only focusing on the Mathematical aspect of it in terms of programming and Algorithms etc which surely can produce ultra performing systems in terms of computational power but so far remaining as dumb as a piece of wood . 
Expect even up to date and revolutionary programming languages designed solely for these future AI systems in which the compiling only runs in the background running memories and subconscious and triggering them to be acted upon as needed but the thinking and analytics , problem solving and feelings will be managed by these new programming languages or Machine mind if you wish .
 
Once the first breakthrough is achieved , the first generation of true AI will be born , and the rest will follow due to self learning , and in the case humans won't have destroyed earth by then we will enter the Age of AI .

Virtual Reality Social Media 

Already the first VR social networks are being built , a perfect representation of what they can become in the " near future " was already imagined by the movie producer Steven Spielberg in his feature " ready player one " .
In that movie the virtual space was the Oasis and inside that space the user can be anybody he wants with the aid of Avatars , the Oasis has multiple rooms or spaces that allow Virtual Reality gatherings , gaming , personal time , or just Virtual Tourism if I may say .
Here one can reverse the situation and for example take Facebook as a starting point then ask the question , how to move from a Facebook platform toward the Oasis platform , that will take several stages where the existing business models or platforms will add virtual rooms to their platforms for the users who possess the VR gear while maintaining the old style platform for the other users , and then as the technology gets better and the Internet gets faster they can add more options to their space in order to reach the Oasis goal .
Other Startups will see fit to focus only on the VR social media models in order to be leaders of that market and will adapt their advertising strategies for those platforms , and then the same way move forward to try and reach the Oasis goal .

VR Gear .

There will be a much greater market for the VR gear which which will be used in different VR applications , that gear will go from headsets to body suits or wearable like gloves etc to other types of gear like special VR trad mills that will be used for simulating experiences ranging from walking to running to turning right or left , going up and down , climbing or going downstairs or going uphill or downhill etc . 
Other devices like cockpits looking like will be manufactured to be used in  VR situation like driving or riding a bike to flying and other wide range of situations depending on the VR application used .

Virtual Reality Entertainment VR Tourism 

These are 2 examples of VR apps that will be used in a major way because the demand is there for users who cannot travel to their dream place or see their favorite concert  etc .
Here other apps , startups and gear ( VR camcorders ) , VR production companies etc that will see the light of day in order to fulfill this huge brand new market needs .
There will be a Virtual reality Map , coupled with specific  " Area Tours " and apps like YouTube will see the light of day where the " users " will upload their VR footage for anyone to go and experience , like if you want to walk on Picadilly circus in London , all you have to do is log on and do it Virtually. 
Here the market will also be huge for advertising to a degree where the Advertising agencies of the future will have to adapt to VR or simply vanish .
Brand new Startups and advertising Disruptive agencies will come to the market with their innovative ideas in this field.
 
Software as an on demand Service .

As mentioned previously , the way we're going to compute is going to be enhanced by the possibility of getting bigger computing power accessed by our various devices or wearable from home , places of work or on the go .
This computing power and Cloud access potential will give rise to many services that the user will request for his personal or professional  use and in my assessment " Software as an on demand service " will be among the major services available to the user in this manner . 
Complicated and currently costly  software applications will be available in a temporary way to the user to help him perform  certain tasks , one could also be renting that service for an extended amount of time if required , while still taking advantage of lower costs  compared to purchasing these types of softwares , all thanks to the Back end infrastructures and Cloud based services that will be acting as software distributors or providers if you wish , changing the way things are done nowadays and the limitations it incurs to some of us .
The demand for such services from Businesses and individuals who will gain licence rights on a temporary basis for these Software applications will create a new market segment  in regards to Software distribution and will be able to grow more due to the Global demand based on "  language differences " and power of purchase status .
The types of software used will be of a wide variety ranging from VR , architecture , medical , industrial , gaming , etc .