No matter how personable AI assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google Home are programmed to be, Lauren McCarthy's 'Lauren' project shows that they're still miles away from competing with real human beings. The artist and UCLA assistant professor's performance art project puts herself in the position of one of those smart home assistants; for three days at a time, she personally puts herself in charge of a volunteer's home, working to make their lives easier and more comfortable in whatever way they see fit.
The Lauren project requires volunteers to install a series of smart home appliances and cameras throughout the accepted volunteer's home. These include smart lights, thermostats, music connectivity, locks, faucets, and more. She also installs microphones and speakers so that they can communicate with one another openly.
The project considers how people feel about and respond to the idea of complete control by an external authority.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Human Smart Home Assistants
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop AI systems that can emulate human-like interactions and intuitively respond to users' needs.
- Personalized Smart Home Automation
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design smart home devices and systems that adapt and learn from users' preferences to create personalized experiences.
- Performance Art in Smart Homes
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore the intersection of technology and art by incorporating interactive and immersive experiences into smart home environments.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Combine AI technology with human-like intelligence to create more human-centered AI assistants.
- Home Automation
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop innovative solutions that integrate various smart home devices for seamless automation and control.
- Pervasive Computing
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore the possibilities of interconnected devices and sensors to create immersive and context-aware environments in smart homes.
