Throwback Thursday: Virtual Agents Replacing Old Habits

Mashable

Do you remember the time when letters were handwritten and sent via the postal service? What about when a disposable camera was necessary to capture those priceless moments on vacation? To the right is an infographic depicting 50 things society has replaced thanks to technological advances. Some examples from this infographic include making a phone call to find out accurate movie times, recording favorite shows using a VHS recorder, and one I am guilty of no longer taking part in, keeping printed bills and bank statements. Do any of these sound familiar to you?

Today, everyday tasks are made accessible electronically and/or via self-service. There is no need to call movie theaters to get show times. All we have to do is pull out our Smartphones and look it up online. Banking options are also available online now, such as paying bills, depositing checks, transferring money, and tracking bank statements. It seems like we have transitioned from an era of full-service to an era of self-service (the consumers preferred channel).

We have come a long way with technology, and as you can see have made great changes, but there is always new ways to do things lurking around every corner. With the invention of all these new smart machines, virtually everything can be connected to the Internet. There are Smartphones, smart cars, smart dishwashers, smart watches, and more. Virtual Agents are able to act as butlers to augment these devices and the Internet of Everything. We will soon be able to ask a single Virtual Agent to do multiple things that before, we would have had to do manually. For example, changing the temperature in your home can be accomplished through inquiring a Virtual Agent on your Smartphone. Similarly, you can set your DVR to record your favorite show through that same Virtual Agent. Using Virtual Agents as a butler will help simplify your life and make using your smart devices more convenient. And as you can tell from looking at how we've done things in the past and comparing them to how we do them today, technology is created to make daily tasks easier. The possibilities are endless. What do you think the future has in store for technology? What things do we do today that might change in the future?

Happy Throwback Thursday!