Briefing

• CES 2019 round-up February 13, 2019
  I gave a talk to the Innovation Stories conference in London with my round-up of CES 2019. This is a summary of what I talked about. Please get in touch if you would like a version of this talk or the detailed write-up. Getting good If you’re unfamiliar with CES, it’s an annual trade show … Read more
• Deciding that there are things that computers will never do is bad for you July 20, 2018
  TL;DR — As the buzz about the threat to jobs from automation grows, I hear people claiming that computers will never work collaboratively, be creative or have intuition or empathy. Therefore, we are told, focus on these human skills and your employability is safe from the machines. This is bad for you. It’s bad for … Read more
• Voice: the rising value of delegation May 10, 2018
  Voice is the natural medium for delegation, but today’s voice assistants do not substantially offer it. Google’s announcement of Duplex is a step towards assistants that are good at delegation. The prospect of large audiences who are in the habit of delegating to machines creates a new surface for influence and trust. It is both … Read more
• Changing our relationship with shopping January 31, 2018
  A version of this article appeared in a BIMA publication. With the opening of the first Amazon Go store in Seattle, unattended retail is suddenly headline news. For some retailers of course this technology may still seem like something out of The Jetsons, but it highlights an important truth about the modern retail experience that … Read more
• Sleep at CES 2017 August 26, 2017
  Technology for sleep, in evidence last year, grew enough to get its own zone for the first time in 2017. Monitoring has matured past wearable devices, and has kept up with the shift from reporting to coaching. Many more products can now intervene during the night, claiming to improve the quality of your sleep. This
• Digital assistants: how not to fall off the edge January 23, 2017
  A version of this article appeared in Campaign. As assistants integrate with messaging channels and our interaction moves from focused to ambient, brands need a clear strategy. Digital assistants — a staple of science fiction, from Hal to Jarvis — now promise to be genuinely helpful to millions of people. After a shaky, over-promised start,
• CES 2017: voice, automation and emotion January 13, 2017
  A version of this article appeared in Campaign. This year’s 50th-anniversary Consumer Electronics Show was the biggest yet, and reprised some familiar themes. TVs were thinner and bigger. Cars were digital platforms and autonomous driving was almost here. Virtual reality was more realistic, with flying rigs and haptic shoes. Sustainability had some prominent examples, from

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