2016: The computers take over

2016 is well underway, new year’s resolutions are broken, and 2016 is going to see more and more technological solutions for consumers, especially with artificial intelligence (AI).

Companies are developing technologies to make life simpler, be helpful, save money, benefit and engage users. This is not a new trend, but one that will grow and grow exponentially in 2016.

Brands know creating value in products leads to greater retention of users and potentially the holy grail: where a customer moves from being just a consumer to a brand evangelist.

To be an evangelist though you need to have something to say about your chosen brand, and one brand perhaps more than any that utilises this great marketing tool is Apple.

This week Apple started beta testing of its new iOS 9.3 update.

Taking just one of the new changes to the update as an example of a brand using smart intelligence for the well being of their users is the new ‘Night Shift’ feature.

According to the Apple release statement: Many studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep. Night Shift uses your iOS device’s clock and geolocation to determine when it’s sunset in your location. Then it automatically shifts the colours in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum, making it easier on your eyes. In the morning, it returns the display to its regular settings. See the preview here.

This is smart intelligence purely for the well being of the user.

This is just one example, brand after brand is using AI for a better experience for users, but trust me it is going to explode across all markets, not just technology products themselves such as phones, but in services, all kinds of goods and purchase transactions.

This is 2016, not 1984.