Exploring the Convosphere

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Jeff Keni Pulver" <jeff () pulver com>
> Date: November 30, 2016 at 11:01:39 AM EST
> To: "dave () farber net" <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Exploring the Convosphere
> Reply-To: "Jeff Keni Pulver" <jeff () pulver com>
>
> Exploring the Convosphere - The Future of Communications
>
> I believe we are at the beginning of a major revolution in how we communicate, from the perspectives of people to 
> people, people to machine, machine to people, and machine to machine communications.
>
> Even though the major shift is at a relatively early stage, I see this now whenever I'm "chatting" with an "agent" to 
> get help on a website, or troubleshooting with a "person" in the early stages of a service call when something 
> breaks.  You see it when you interact with a ChatBot on Facebook or Twitter, or when your home automation system 
> "speaks" to another machine or human to order a new filter. I have been thinking a lot about how this has real 
> implications for the way that personal and business interactions will function in the near future.
>
> While many people are talking about the growth of IoT (Internet of Things), I am also looking at what comes next, 
> which I believe is the IoP (Internet of People).  Increasingly, the IoP has to interface directly with a parallel 
> Internet of Intelligent Machines.  The medium of interaction among all these parties will increasingly be 
> conversation.  What happens when our devices are talking to each other - potentially leaving us out of the 
> conversation?  I now collectively refer to this Internet of People and the Internet of Intelligent Machines as the 
> Convosphere (thanks to my friend Chris Fine for suggesting that word). This is a multi-billion dollar industry that 
> has been growing rapidly since the dawn of social media, has been accelerated by rapid development of the IoT, and is 
> now transitioning to a new set of conversational technologies like ChatBots and speech interfaces, all enhanced with 
> ever-more-powerful AI and communications platforms like smartphones.
>
> Looking at my inbox, I received over 150 emails (and reminders) from companies trying to get me to purchase something 
> online during Cyber Monday. If I include all of the Black Friday promotions received, this would raise the total to 
> more than over 300. Throw in the Giving Tuesday emails and this number exceeds 400. Is this an effective way to reach 
> me? To make me want to buy? In most cases, no!  To me, this use of email is little different from the paper junk mail 
> that plagues many of us.  I could make a similar point about traditional websites and in-line search ads.  Don't they 
> all seem a bit old fashioned these days?
>
> I do not think it is that much of stretch to imagine a day when our personal Bots (perhaps future incarnations of 
> Siri, Alexa and their peers?) will "read" these promotions (probably receiving them through standardized interfaces), 
> and, based on our preferences and history, make shopping recommendations for us. When that day comes, how should we 
> be thinking about the bias a system like Alexa might have, to its corporate owner? And then, what about the day when 
> a future Alexa-type system "knows" our preferences, our passions, our hobbies, and decides to purchase a gift on our 
> behalf that we would never get for ourselves, knowing also that no one else would know to get it for us? Is this 
> science fiction or is this just a few clicks away from becoming our reality?  What are the implications?
>
> I know I am not alone in believing that the acceptance of ChatBots will replace our dependence on Apps and will 
> change the way people interact with the Internet. Websites will become less meaningful.  The data we want to share 
> with others will be stored in the cloud, both for public and private consumption.  Our ChatBots, and their affiliated 
> software agents, will know how to gather and sort the information that we are looking for and will help us to be much 
> more efficient in day to day activities.  We are spending billions of hours interacting with inefficient websites, 
> and obsolete communications systems like email, trying to gather and sort our information for ourselves.  The 
> addition of powerful data analytics and AI to the mix, will allow these new services to process vast amounts of 
> information in order to make conclusions about us.
>
> This and other thinking led me to start an initiative a couple of years ago called How We Communicate (HWC).  HWC is 
> an overall theme for a number of threads which can explore modes and implications of communications, now and in the 
> future.  The first major thread I started, derived from HWC thinking, is MoNage, devoted to the world of electronic 
> messaging and ChatBots. The first MoNage conference was held in Boston this fall, and generated a large number of 
> highly interesting conversations and contacts.
>
> As I work on Spring 2017 MoNage, which is taking place in the heart of Silicon Valley - San Jose - on March 21-23, I 
> realize that the content we need to cover goes way beyond where the VON conferences went a few years ago, and also 
> beyond where many messaging-industry conferences currently go. At the heart of VON, we explored the intersection of 
> the Computing and Communications Industries. At MoNage, messaging has become the "New Voice," and another element is 
> rapidly being added: AI. What happens when Artificial Intelligence intersects with the Computing and Communications 
> Industries? Chaos and huge opportunities. There will be some companies and industries disrupted, while others will be 
> leaders in the new world of the Convosphere.  Still other companies and ideas will be early-stage, but MoNage is the 
> place investors and entrepreneurs will be creating the next set of Unicorn startups.
>
> Sound interesting? Please join us in San Jose. Attend as a delegate.  Showcase your startup. Consider being a 
> speaker. In fact, I am actively curating the event and would welcome your voice. Interested? Just email jeff () 
> pulver com and start the conversation.
>
> Finally, here's an example of the tangible outcomes from MoNage and HWC to date.  I've been working with a number of 
> ChatBot industry experts, entrepreneurs, and policy specialists, building an industry organization called the Friends 
> of ChatBot Coalition.  Our Website is http://fcc.ai.  We are already getting significant traction around 
> standardization and protection from undue regulation for the ChatBot industry, as well as coalescing upon common 
> ChatBot rules of engagement and interaction.  Please join us if you are involved with ChatBots or any other aspect of 
> conversational interfaces!
>
> I welcome your comments, as always, and look forward to some great discussions at our ongoing events!  See this link 
> for a complete list of what we' are planning in 2017.
>
> These are exciting times.  And we can all be part of it.
>
>
> Hugs, Jeff
>
>
>  
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