“Companies are fundamentally looking at how AI is turning every business process they have inside out,” says Bret Greenstein. “From how many people they need to put into a call center to how to deliver better service, make customers happier, and resolve issues quickly, it’s happening in every part of business.”

Excerpts from HumAIn’s podcast:

“If I was living in China, where data is more regularly traded as a commodity, Is that something people are ready for?
What took 100 years in the United States happened in a generation in China. It has moved so quickly. We have to appreciate how the culture and the people have accepted the rate of change. People here don’t adapt as rapidly, because they don’t expect change. When change is the norm, people adapt, and they’re used to it.

In China, all transactions are digital, you can’t even accept cash if you want to. When does the technology integration become a liability?
It’s more efficient to pay and accept pay by phone even for street vendors. It’s much harder for people here because of the credit card and banking infrastructure. China leap-frogged all of that. In North America, there’s a merchant fee that would inhibit a vendor from taking credit cards. That doesn’t exist in China.

China is leading the pack, but it doesn’t permeate to other cultures. What works here doesn’t translate to what China is doing. It’s a frictionless process there. It’s almost too simple for the average user. We have a comfort level with the things we have. When online shopping started, there was a fear of having your information stolen. It resolved because credit card companies and banks took away the liability from us. Are we ready to let go of the card that we hold and the name and brand we trust like Visa?

What are your predictions for autonomous technology?
Autonomous technology has already brought the application of assisted driving technology. You drive a car and it tells you if you went out of a lane. There will be a day when autonomous vehicles will be safer than people driving. We’re already experiencing some of this technology with safe distance cruise control and360 degree cameras to tell you a person is walking by. These are practical things making our lives better already. We’ll have cars that are significantly safer.

Is there another breakthrough IoT device you think consumers should be on the lookout to buy?
I think it’s going to be health-related. There’s a huge energy for letting older parents stay in their home longer. How do you monitor family safety and health? Even pet monitoring. Ways to extend your eyes and your ears and know more about what’s happening in your home. If your parents can live at home for six months longer, what is that worth to you?”

Click here to listen to the full podcast.