Agentic AI: While it is very overhyped right now and the word ‘agent’ is maybe used too frequently in Silicon Valley, I think ten years from now, when we look back, it will have permeated all parts of the economy. You can clearly see the impact it will have on customer service, software engineering, education, and all these key parts of the economy – essentially bringing the marginal cost of intelligence down dramatically. I think it‘s going to transform the economy. AI and customer experience: What’s remarkable about these agents is people really like them. This is powerful and exciting because, for so long, the cost of providing customer service was so high. We‘re now bringing down the cost by orders of magnitude, and it’s going to improve the consumer experience for so many brands. AI as a democratising force: Broadly speaking, AI is easier to use and adopt because of how resilient and flexible it is. AI is democratising access to expertise – medical, legal and technology expertise. It‘s a democratising force for small businesses because you can evaluate most purchasing decisions by talking to AI today. I’m excited about how accessible it is.The impact of regulation: Regarding regulation, it‘s very nuanced. It’s important to take into account safety, job displacement, and other aspects. The regulation needs to be grounded in science and somewhat flexible because the technology is changing rapidly. Well-intentioned regulation can box-in the technology in unintended ways. The future: I‘m hopeful that everyone staring at their screens all the time, will start to melt away as a social habit. With the advent of conversational AI, when software can truly understand how we speak, computers and devices will kind of melt away. I think that will be very exciting. Having kids growing up in the age of the smartphone, I’m hopeful they don‘t need to stare at a screen their entire life to engage with technology.
