The "Total Impact" Edition

"In the next year, you're gonna see very large context windows, agents and text-to-action. When they are delivered at scale, it's gonna have an impact on the world on at a scale that no one understands yet." Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google.

A big statement like this, said at a Stanford event, certainly gave me a lot to think about.

But first, I needed to REALLY understand what each one of these 3 things means.

1. Context Windows: Imagine you're reading a book, but you can only see or remember one page at a time. That's how current AI models 'read' - it has a limited view - the so-called context window. Currently, most AI models have a context window of a few thousand words (you will the word token a lot). It's like they can only remember the last few pages of a book while having a conversation about the whole novel. But with larger context windows, AIs could potentially 'remember' entire books or long conversations, making their responses more coherent and relevant.
2. AI Agents: Think of an agent as your very own digital personal assistant, but on steroids. You say: "Plan my friend's b-day," and BAM! This AI agent checks your calendar, browses your friend's social media for ideas, finds a venue, creates and emails a guest list. That's an AI agent - it takes your words and turns them into actions across multiple platforms.
3. Text to Action: Imagine texting your smart home, "I'm cold," and your heater automatically turns on. Or typing "Schedule a team meeting for next week" and your calendar app creates the event, sends invites, and books a room. That's text-to-action - it's about AI understanding your written words and turning them into real-world actions. It's like having a universal remote control, but instead of buttons, you use your words to make things happen.

So what is this total impact at scale that Eric Schmidt talks about.

And what can it mean for all of us?

Well, it's like we will be able to create world 2.0. Businesses could operate with unprecedented efficiency and speed. Healthcare might become more precise and personalized. Education could adapt more readily to each student.

But as any upgrade, there's also potential for bad stuff to happen.

Privacy could disappear, with AI knowing your every move, thought, and preference. Job markets might face huge shifts, potentially leaving many traditional roles obsolete. The social polarization we face can be accentuated, driven by a world of who has the most powerful AI - and who hasn't.

Net: there's a fundamental change in how our society might function.

And we need to be talking about it. The Future after the Future is here, after all.

See you next week.

Hey, I’m Marco. I write, speak, train and advise on #marketing and #ai

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