Entrepreneurial Marketing

CHAPTER 15Technology for Humanity: High Tech, Higher Touch1

Today, a customer who wants to schedule a haircut at a salon can do so through Google's AI‐based duplex assistant service feature. This simulation, first announced in 2018, gives a human impression. It uses tone, language, and even filler worlds such as “mm‐hmm,” to the extent that customers may not even realize they are talking to a robot.²

The Google duplex service, now available in the US and other countries, frees its users from directly interacting with other parties. It enables customers to make a variety of transactions, including restaurant reservations and online movie ticket purchases. Its scope of services is expected to expand further in the coming years.³

The feature is symbolic of just how far AI has come. Gone are the days of robotic voices and limited vocabulary. The advancement also marks a shift from mobile‐first to an AI‐first world. AI enables technology to become more accessible, friendly, and solution‐oriented.⁴ No longer perceived as “cold,” AI can serve as a human interaction tool.

As AI and other technologies continue to develop, considering the human context is essential (see Figure 15.1). Stakeholders will be looking for the assurance that advancements are used humanely. Moreover, they will want to see technology provide tangible benefits, like an improved quality of life.

FIGURE 15.1 Technology ...