Exploring Magic, Media and Emerging Technologies

Note: I gave this talk 5 years(!) ago at REMIX (remember that?!) - just before all these VR, AI, ambient computing, surveillance culture and drone stuff starting blowing up. So it's funny to look back and see which predictions fell flat and which controversial statements at the time just sound like common sense today. Now with VAMR and AI emerging, I think it may be even more relevant today.

Hollywood draws first blood for many emerging technologies by conditioning people with visual and experiential cues of what the future is supposed to look like. So even though the technology we are releasing may be in fact to the first of its kind, that doesn't mean people haven't already seen it in science fiction based movies, books or comics and more importantly, don't have preconceived expectations of how it should behave. The need for experience architects that can facilitate the flow between engineering and design is needed now more than ever.