How We'll All Be Moonwalking Into The Future With Voice AI

Last Thursday evening, Lisa and I enjoyed “MJ The Musical” at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. It was a great show that not only showcased the brilliance of Michael Jackson but also his story, all through incredible song and dance.

Because of the "old school" planning it took to coordinate the evening and, being part of consultations and conversations I'm having with friends and clients in the AI space, the entire experience reminded me of how quickly AI is going to improve our lives.

The Future

In the near future, here's how AI will help plan and coordinate evenings like this. All I would need to do is ask my phone or AI device the following:

“Purchase the two best tickets you can find for next Thursday’s 'MJ The Musical' at the Pantages. Make reservations at an Italian restaurant at 5:30 PM that's within a short walking distance of the theater. Once finalized, send a text to the kids inviting them to join us for dinner and include parking options and directions.

We’ll also be driving up from OC, leaving our home around 3:15 PM, so send directions to my phone taking rush hour traffic into consideration. On the day of the event, check real-time traffic conditions and send updates. Send me a detailed itinerary with all contact information, confirmation numbers, and up-to-date directions between locations.”

With just a short 20-second voice command, the above is completed and confirmed in seconds. Our evening is planned with accuracy and we've gotten the best rates, prices and options available. In fact, a well-trained AI might also remind me about Lisa's love of tulips and ask me if I'd like to place an order for delivery to the house.

Things are about to get exciting folks.

Believe it or not, I'm already seeing AI tech that's doing one or more of these kinds of things via individual platforms and apps. Once all of this is integrated into a single and easy-to-use service, I'm in. It's going to happen within the next 12 months.

The Present (for most of us)

Now, what I ended up doing (remember, it’s January 2024) is that I checked the Pantages Theatre website for the two best tickets within a certain price range. I purchased them through Ticketmaster, downloaded to my phone with QR-type barcodes for admission.

Next, while I had a few ideas about restaurants in the area, I went online and did a combined Google and Bing chat (AI) search for restaurants within walking distance of the venue. I ended up making an online reservation at the Italian restaurant, Jemma, which was just around the corner. My son had eaten there in the past with friends and said I made the right call.

I then texted the kids to see if they’d like to meet us for dinner and also had my paralegal update travel directions from Orange County to Los Angeles via Mapquest and Waze. Lastly, I booked a reserved parking spot in the garage next to the theater, and we were good to go.

To be honest, putting all of this together took some time and attention.

But here’s the deal. There isn’t any reason why in the near future, all of this won't happen with a quick voice prompt into an AI-enabled phone or device. Add to this the dynamic ability, with your permission, for your AI service to know you and your preferences, along with saved payment options, and you'll be able to make plans in seconds instead of hours.

In addition to saving time, the quality of your options (best deals and show packages) will improve. AI could even add another layer of experience to your order with travel, parking, dining, and show experiences not known to the general public but made available to you because of venue specials or your personal or business profile.

Expand this concept to business and setting meetings and making travel plans have never been easier.

The sky's the limit.

The eventual ease of use and lack of friction in using voice will bring this technology home.

Of course, with new products like the new Apple Vision Pro, a better option (which I expect to eventually be offered by venues like the Pantages) may be to avoid traffic altogether and enjoy the live show via front row seats from home in the backyard jacuzzi. But that's a topic for another post.

Mitch

If this issue of my newsletter was sent to you from a friend, it's time to put on your black hat, white glove and moonwalk over to our newsletter.