It’s impossible to talk about new technology without talking about human flourishing — every new technology from the plow to the microchip has typically been followed by a period of newfound wealth for consumers in the form of cheaper goods, improved productivity, and longer, healthier lives. In many ways, the most financially average person in our modern society experiences daily luxuries that history’s Pharaohs and Caesars could not imagine: instant communication, broadcast television, global travel, antibiotics.
As we enter the AI era, we predict the benefits to consumers will be as profound as the technology is magical; what indeed are the implications for software that can write poetry, listen emphatically, compose music, or provide dating advice?
In a word, we predict an Era of Abundance — consumers’ lives will be enriched through new channels for creativity and self expression, new paths to self discovery and belonging, and new ways to do the most meaningful work of their lives.
Specifically:
Consumers will rediscover the latent creativity that lives within all of us. Lacking creative skills will no longer be a barrier to creating art; indeed, AI will close the gap between taste and art, and new creative workflows like Real Time will emerge from the technology.
Consumers will have an opportunity to craft their most impactful and efficient work, as their productivity multiplies and their administrative overhead goes to zero. New skill sets, new techniques, and new ways to gain expertise will clear a path toward wider, more meaningful careers.
Consumers will find new opportunities for connection and belonging, as the fundamental human need for compassion and fellowship is increasingly facilitated by AIs that are infinitely empathic to everyone’s unique forms of weird.
And consumers will have access to richer opportunities for personal development and self care. Teams of smart and dedicated specialists focused solely on the needs of one person will exist for all, as AI plays the role of a patient tutor, savvy wealth manager, and expert therapist.
Consumer software companies are amongst the most valuable in the world (FAANG is all consumer) and were built during a major platform shift or product cycle. We expect this time to be no different.
Below you’ll find our thoughts and observations regarding the state of consumer AI. As we say, “Consumer cannot be predicted, only observed” — so we put forward these thoughts with the humility of knowledge that founders will be the ones to invent and define the future, and we can’t wait to invest in them. Click below to learn more.
