A little less than two years ago (October 2017), I was toying around with the idea of a computer therapist. Not a novel idea, by any means. In fact, one of the earliest artificial intelligence programs was a computer therapist named ELIZA – created in 1964. Impressive for the time. Laughable today. However, the language models are […]

Human health data is the most valuable data we collect and analyze. It’s the only data I can think of that directly impacts the length of a person’s life. While fitness wearables have helped popularize the mass recording of individual, daily health data. Most monitors miss meaningful data – body temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose, […]

Social media platforms have been designed very similarly to casinos. They’re loaded with psychological tricks to keep you around for as long as possible, monetizing your attention all the while. It’s devious, genius, and problematic all at the same time. Aside from people changing their behaviors one at a time, how can we turn around […]

Not too long ago, Forbes created their annual Next Billion-Dollar Startups list. It’s sort of a prediction list for companies that’ll soon join the nearly 400 unicorns(worth a billion dollars). It’s not a proverbial, blind prediction list. All of these companies have some early traction. They’re a reflection of what’s working now. Not necessarily a guide to […]

Sometimes I wonder why we’ve romanticized the role of advertising but vilified the role of sales. They do the same thing. Both tap into people’s feelings, desires, and memories in order to sell. Look no further than the juxtaposition of Jordan Belfort (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Don Draper (Mad Men). One is portrayed […]

AI employees are already fairly prevalent around us. Chatbot customer service reps, content recommendation algorithms, spam filters – they are literally doing the jobs that would take tens of millions of people to do. We don’t get mad at Google for using AI spam filters, for the same reason we don’t get mad at Ford […]

Every great creator is contrasted by a critic. Zeppelin had The Rolling Stonemagazine. Kubrick and Spielberg had Siskel and Ebert. But when we look out twenty years – realizing that the next Shakespeare, Pollock, or Spielberg could actually be a piece of software – will creative AI also be faced with critical AI? Are creative algorithms such as […]

There’s a good chance that the Internet has tricked you once. Accidentally buying something you didn’t mean to, agreeing to something that gave away your data, or clicking an ad that looked like native content. These are traps known as Dark Patterns. They are psychological design elements that turn you into a puppet – forcing […]

Amazon, Google, and other Internet of Things companies have been feeding us the idea of the smart home for years. This paradise-like ecosystem that is sustainable, safe, automated, and self-updating. While most of us are waiting for these commercial behemoths to roll out this vision – others are taking it upon themselves to update their […]

Imagine a world where everything outside of family and friendships is commoditized as a part-time, rented experience. Your travel, your property, your entertainment, your wardrobe, it’s all access-based. And the moment you stop paying it disappears. Should we be worried about this access-based economy? To the generations that know the joy of owning and caring […]

Augmented reality apps have already begun taking over the sports fan experience – Bundesliga’s real-time AR stats app, Gatorade’s Dr. Seuss-meets-soccer Snapchat portal, the Cavaliers turned their scoreboard into an AR game, and the Soccer on Your Tabletop experience are just a few. This is to be expected, given that AR is a clear fit for entertainment. However, it’s the […]

Referring to the old cliche’, I’d say that I have “a lot on my plate”, but that would be a massive understatement. It’s as if my plate just went through an all-you-can-eat buffet and is now toweringly full. And I’m only a twenty-something, workaholic. I couldn’t fathom adding a wife and kids to this plate. […]

Yesterday, Elon Musk brought us one step closer to connecting our brains to the internet, announcing the updates to his brain-computer interface company – Neuralink. I remember getting carried away with Neuralink about 16 months ago when I made a video raving over possible use cases. It’s just one of those inventions that will make your […]

Nobody can deny the excitement of a good competition (especially when you’re on the outside looking in). Uber vs. Lyft, Apple vs. Android, Facebook vs. YouTube vs. Snapchat, Netflix vs. Prime Video vs. Hulu. These rivalries fuel headlines and push innovation forward. Perhaps one of the greatest rivalries of all time, though, is Microsoft vs. […]

The very way in which we share our experiences and upload remnants of our lives online is going to completely change once the metaverse swallows up the Internet. (If you need a quick refresher on the metaverse, check out this video.) As we transition into the metaverse and change our digital lives, how we interact with the […]

In most cases, it’s an achievement for a company to “top a list”. The Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. The Giving 20. America’s Most Just Companies. All great lists to top. However, one list you don’t want to top: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s “Dirty Dozen” Employers list. It’s a list that highlights companies […]

Apple’s latest keynote ushered in the era of Apple as a Services Company. The introduction of Apple News+, Apple TV+, Apple Card, and Apple Arcade on top of the already existing Apple Music, iCloud, and Apple Care. But the service everyone seems to be short-changing as the true dark horse of Apple services is Apple […]

In November of 2018, the scientist He Jiankui revealed that he birthed healthy twins which had been genetically engineered without the CCR5 gene – hopefully rendering the offspring resistant to HIV, smallpox, and cholera. Immediately, there was a global uproar in the science community which mounted fear mongering proclamations in mass media that the era of designer […]

The tyrannical powers above us have dipped their greedy fingers into our wallets, profited from us, and given us little in return. They’ve overpromised a better life and given us no voice in the matters which control our future. It’s time for a revolution. If you think this is an account from 243 years ago, […]

Did you know that your heart is one-of-a-kind? Not metaphorically, speaking. Literally, your heartbeat (cardiac signature) is as unique to you as your fingerprint. While cardiac signatures are most commonly used to detect fatal heart conditions (the Apple Watch’s EKG monitor is already saving people’s lives), your heartbeat will soon be used to identify who […]