entering our
“concierge era”
CURRENTS
JULY 24, 2024
2024 may well be remembered as the moment personal assistants became ubiquitous. New releases and affordable entry options stand to forever change not just how we interact with our apps but also how we command the world around us.
Let’s dive into this technology and its impact across key markets.
Somnio Currents: Proprietary market trends monitor for technology, design and marketing shifts that drive resonance between brands and consumers.
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Assistants will impact our behavior in everyday interactions
The release of the r1 rabbit into market this month at an entry point of $199, and the 01 Light Open Interpreter at $109, will radically change and democratize how people access and leverage the power of personal concierges. They join a new category of AI-powered, voice-commanded, screen-free devices—like the Humane pin, which starts selling at $699—but at a much lower entry point, which will accelerate adoption and behavioral change in society.
From making weekend plans to tackling the week’s office work, people will now be able to delegate and execute multiple activities simultaneously, simply using their voice. Imagine, the days of typing separate credentials and passwords into each application will soon be a memory as our personal assistants will take care of the interface across apps and devices on our behalf. And just like that, we are one step closer to the Jetsons.
https://www.inverse.com/tech/open-interpreter-01-light-ai-control-your-computer-for-you
*Image created with Midjourney using the prompt: a close-up young couple walking down a busy 5th avenue in New York using a voice command on their personal assistant device like the rabbit r1 or the 01 light open interpreter, the image is realistic photograph.
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Time to LAM forward
LAMs (large action models) are both fueling and fueled by our new assistant devices. But before we dive into how they work, let’s first marvel at the fact that the English word “lam,” quite fittingly, means: “to hit or strike.” Just as a blacksmith lams a tool into shape, today’s large action models hit key industries hard and shape them to their full potential.
LAMs enable AI to observe, learn and perform tasks based on the actions they are set to model. Working in collaboration with other LLMs (large language models), these powerhouses will learn to simulate human actions enabled by neuro-symbolic programming and pattern recognition.
Today, this technology is rolling out in simple everyday use cases like sending an email, ordering items online or scheduling an event. As it continues to learn and evolve, it grows the ability to line up actions into a series of sub-actions that together create a sequence of activities. These series of actions enable LAMs to inform and intuitively perform more complex tasks and even workflows—fundamentally enabling our smart assistant devices to initiate automated dynamics on our behalf. The key for this—and any technology—will be constant and consistent training, learning, correction and recalibration. Let’s see two examples of LAMs at work.
*Image created with Midjourney using the prompt: visualize a LAM (Large action model) powering an AI personal assistant inside a laboratory helping a technician do the work of three people all at once.
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Healthcare lams generative biology
Beyond powering advanced diagnostics and highly personalized treatment plans today, LAM- enabled AI is helping write a new chapter in generative biology. If you attended SXSW this year, you may have seen Amy Webb’s session on the 2024 Emerging Tech Report. In this edition, she covers the many ways AI is fueling innovation across industries. One impressive case in point is medicine.
Meet Generate:Biomedicines, a Boston-based company that has pioneered an AI system capable of designing proteins with unique structures that do not naturally occur. Inspired by OpenAI’s DALL-E 2, this system allows users to define the characteristics of a desired protein, which the AI then constructs using diffusion modeling to ensure the amino acids fold correctly. (Mind: blown.)
This technology finds new applications in drug development, where novel proteins can be engineered for specific therapeutic goals, and in synthetic biology, where custom proteins can be designed for various industrial processes or environmental use cases.
By creating new treatments for diseases and developing sustainable biochemical processes, scientists will advance our understanding of protein dynamics and functions. Generative biology is ushering in a new era where we can both decode AND rewrite the language of biology to solve healthcare’s most complex challenges.
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Finance 2.0 Improved CX, enhanced fraud detection and algo-trading
From a customer standpoint, LAMs are helping improve the banking experience by reducing the time of common transactions like opening an account, verifying credit scores and receiving personal financial planning services. From an institution standpoint, AI is giving operations more control and money-making potential.
LAMs are revolutionizing fraud detection. AI’s unmatched pattern recognition can help banks detect anomalies in transactional history to quickly identify and even predict fraudulent activities.
But perhaps the most exciting way AI is shaking up banking is algorithmic trading. Computers can now execute high-yielding trades in record time by sifting through deep datasets, distilling meaningful trends and recalibrating strategies to secure capital investment, reduce risk and provide better returns.
This use of LAM technology democratizes high-yielding trading strategies—once exclusive to an elite group of institutions—offering an opportunity for smaller financial firms to develop new financial products and serve new market segments previously unavailable to them.
As we monitor the evolution of LAMs in finance, we can expect this technology to shape new trading platforms and ecosystems that eliminate human error and biases. We can also expect increased regulatory oversight around compliance and the ethics of trading practices. One thing is certain: There is money to be made.
*Image created with Midjourney using the prompt: Let's create a photographic image of a
modern-day investor trader, enjoying the work of his algorithmic trading bot.
If we’ve learned anything about our relationship with emerging technology, it’s that mainstream adoption in businesses solely depends on people’s confidence level. We know CISOs today are mainly held back by two key concerns:
1. Uncertainty around having the knowledge and skills to effectively manage AI.
2. Fear of disrupting operations when integrating new and legacy systems.
Ultimately, the opportunity for LAM-powered solutions lies in how it can effectively, safely and reliably help people gain the skills they need to leverage the technology as a tool for positive change that advances human ingenuity.
So, what are you waiting for? LAM ONWARD!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR / MONICA VICENS, VP OF STRATEGY
Monica has been an invaluable member of Somnio for six years. With a background in psychology and over two decades of experience in the communication arts, she currently serves as the VP of Strategy. In her role as a brand compass, she navigates the convergence of technology innovation, product solutions, and people’s unmet needs along their journey. Monica excels in distilling complex ideas into simple truths, laying the foundation for powerful and compelling strategies. Her passion lies in uncovering the essence of brands’ purposes and aligning them authentically with their audience needs. With a dedicated focus on future potential, Monica’s strategic vision has been instrumental in Somnio’s success.