PROLOG
Theo is buying a kettle and sees the text “Google Assistant built-in” or “Alexa Enabled” on the side of several models. Theo doesn’t want artificial intelligence in the kitchen. He thinks there is no use in boiling water, and he doesn’t want to pay for a useless feature. He mentions this to his daughter. The daughter says that the virtual assistant in the kettle means that the father receives information about the water boiling in the device he is using at the time. “Dear daddy, you have that brand new television and that smartphone and earpods. They all have that same assistant. You can get the current temperature of the water and you can restart the kettle at any time by simply asking for it. You can also tell what temperature you want the water to be and when you would like it ready. Dad, you used to be such a trailblazer. Someday not so distance future I will go to jogging together with our dog and our household robot. Think that dad.”
Theo remembers the countless times when the tea water has cooled down several times. Theo smiles and thinks how he has such a wise daughter.
PERSONAL VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS ARE COMING INOTO ALL DEVICES
From this moment on, almost all consumer electronics, a large part of household appliances, and up-to-date mobility devices will include Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri or some equivalent AI.
The virtual assistant is confusingly quick to learn new and to grow mentally (software updates). The assistant is always reachable via phones, computers, headsets, smart speakers, and in-car systems. Two examples virtual assistant:
- Your neighbor Flora rings the doorbell. You are driving back home. The assistant shows a live stream from the doorbell camera on car screen and says: ” Flora is at the door. There are no one at home. We’ll be home in 11 minutes. Do you want to talk to her, or shall I tell her and let her in and wait for you?”. You ask assistant to let Flora in and tell that you will be soon there. Virtual assistant talks with Flora, opens door and Flora steps in. All smart systems of house immediately adjust into Flora´s home settings.
- You watch Netflix at home. The virtual assistant tells you that the package you were waiting has just arrived at pickup point. You ask if you will have time to pick up the package after the movie. The assistant replies: “You’re doing well. The movie ends at 8:19 p.m. Pickup point closes at 9 p.m. The trip takes seven minutes on an electric bike. Electric bike has enough charge for the trip.”
VIRTUAL ASSISTANT REVOLUTIONALITIES (THE USE OF) INTERNET
Assistants will use internet, all apps, and all services behalf of us. Virtual assistant knows us and our lifestyles and preferences as well as our health, friends and families, schedules, financial status, and payment methods. We will get best deals, fastest deliveries, and most suitable services with zero surfing time. No language barriers and assistant will find even the most wanted stuff from smallest underground stores. Finally, we get rid of worst part of shopping, the painful and complicated payment process with codes and verifications.
In future webstores, service providers and public services will have No UI web services for virtual assistants only.
THE ROBOT IS THE NEXT BIG MILESTONE IN DIGITALIZATION
The home robot may well become one of the milestones of digitization. Like a smartphone back in the day. In the following picture, I outline how the digitalization of services will lead to humanoid household robots as accepted family members.
Picture1. From digitalization to roboticization. Long journey to accept robot as a family member.
The claim that around 15 percent of households will have their own robot in 2025, which is at least as much a family member as a pet, sounds quite implausible. Path from this moment to that point can be seen anyway. It is likely that the robotization of families will take more time, on the other hand, it will be a more significant and far-reaching change than currently thought.
Our attitude towards robots and the idea of living together with robots will change significantly in the next ten years due to the combined effect of own experiences, values, and lifestyles.
We already have single use robots such as robot vacuums and robot lawn movers. Robots among us are performing quite simple but important and time-consuming tasks for us. We face service robots more often on airports, hotels, stores, restaurants, and office buildings. Sad but true the soldiers meet robots on battlefields. We need robots to hospitals and nursing homes, not battlefields.
HUMANOID ROBOTS WILL BE OUR FAMILY MEMBERS
Multi use humanoid robots with hands and foots and with highly advanced virtual assistant capabilities are coming among us. Tesla Optimus Robot is great example of high-end humanoid robot. So is Engineered Arts´s latest humanoid robot Ameca.
Picture2. Tesla Optimus.
Due to high cost and Tesla´s own needs the primary function of MVP of Tesla´s Optimus is working in factories. Humanoid robot is capable on working long hours in environments dangerous or lethal to humans.
Robot is multitalented and can perform tasks for childcare, cleaning, cooking, and gardening to financials from paying invoices to investment and taxes. Robot is also great pal for playing, sporting, and watching movies. For elder people and people living alone household robot is an important friend and someone who takes care of persons food, clean clothes, daily medicines, and daily exercises.
LAST WORDS
A Chinese game and metaverse company Netdragon just recently appointed Ms. Tang Yu as its CEO. Tang Yu is humanoid robot. Tang Yu´s main duties as a CEO are “to provide a fair working environment for the employees, support decision-making during the company’s daily operations and provide a more effective risk management system.”
Humanoid robot as a next president could really be the best option for Russia. Above the competition and having more empathy and good will than any candidates.
