Spark Foundry's Andrew Klein Connects AI, Mixed Reality and E-Mobility

First there39s artificial intelligence the nebulous term for machines that perform tasks using humanlike cognitive processes amp160Klein39s main interest from a professional perspective is in the uses of AI from a consumerfacing standpointamp160 quotThat39s something we think about a lot with our clientsquot he explained amp160quotWhat does AI mean for consumersquot amp160For Spark Foundry it means partnering with AI Music for example to create audio ad units for Cox Communications that are tailored to each user39s music preferences using artificial intelligence This AI and the underpinning principles like such machinelearning power tech as autonomous vehicles and deepfakes raise a number of questions about the ethics of the technology amp160But as we discuss those questions as a society Klein sees opportunity right now for marketers amp160quotIf an AI can generate unique faces that don39t really exist you can use these faces instead of real modelsquot Klein explained amp160That can save advertisers tens of thousands of dollars on commercial shootsKlein was also intrigued by machine learning39s amp8220mixed realityamp8221 applications amp160Virtual reality is entirely digital augmented reality overlays digital information onto a digital display like your phone but amp8220mixed realityamp8221 overlays digital information onto physical spaces like Klein saw at Under Armour and SAP39s brand activation amp160The core was simple People shooting basketballs on a real court with a real hoop amp160But the floor and walls had digitalpowered overlays that would tell you where the best spot to shoot from was or blast you with congratulations when you made a basket amp160quotThat was a fantastic use case of immersive mediaquot Klein saidBecause SXSW takes place in an area considerably larger than a single conference center getting around can be a chore amp160Lyft rides that any other time of year would take minutes stretch into the halfhour range and hoofing it isn39t ideal if you39re trying to make it from one panel to another in a very tight amount of time amp160Which brings us to the escootersquotThey were everywherequot Klein marveled amp160These were electric scooters from companies like Lyft the kind that you rent using an app on your phone for something like 15 cents per minute and when your journey is complete simply leave it wherever is convenient amp160Klein was able to breeze from one event to another at speeds of 14 miles per houramp160amp160 quotAlthoughquot he added quotthe amazing thing about the technology on these scooters was that they were geofenced there were certain areas where the scooter would automatically and immediately go from 14 miles an hour to twoquot These visibleonlytoescooter geofences were placed in front of areas that were especially congested with foot traffic as a safety measureamp160While Klein did not leave his scooters in the middle of sidewalks or on Austin residents39 lawns like some kind of monster he does see the problem for residents amp160quotI saw Austinites picking the scooters up and throwing them into big piles saying 39Get these off my property39amp8221 he recalledamp160 amp8220And then you39d have a brand ambassador coming and calling the police saying 39These people are destroying our property39quotKlein even saw scooters that had had their QR activation codes which the scooter needs in order to be used blacked out with permanent marker the work of unknown vandalsEven with those issues Klein couldnamp8217t help but wax rhapsodic about the twowheeled convenience amp160It39s not even the convenience Klein ever the marketer sees yet another opportunity for clients amp160While there were no brands featured on those scooters other than the brands that operated them Klein thinks they were the most valuable brand real estate at SXSW and he anticipates the scooters will feature ads soon enough quotPicture the Aflac duck on therequot he musedThe scooters and the mixed reality and just about everything else he saw reminded Klein of Burning Man the desert festival that in recent years has become a destination for tech types amp160quotBurning Man is sort of the upsidedown version of South Byquot he said amp160amp160While Burning Man eschews brands and SXSW is at this point entirely about brands both are crucibles of community connecting with people you never thought you39d come across while attempting to tackle thorny issues around technologyClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

APPLY FOR JOBS | SUBMIT YOUR RESUME | REGISTER FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT

Spark Foundry's Andrew Klein Connects AI, Mixed Reality and E-Mobility

Author

Publish date

Channel

Oriana Schwindt

APPLY FOR JOBS | SUBMIT YOUR RESUME | REGISTER FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT

Spark Foundry's Andrew Klein Connects AI, Mixed Reality and E-Mobility

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Oriana Schwindt

Cookies