Therefore, it is only natural to take Magic Leaps AI claims with a grain of salt.
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The two will probably be very interdependent.
AI assistants will find their most useful domain in AR applications.
These technologies have enabled our computing devices to better process and understand the world surrounding them.
Theyve become key components in domains such as health tech, facial recognition, autonomous vehicles and more.
But more importantly, theyre enabling us to interact with our computers and environment in new ways.
The new capabilities in AI have led toan increase of interest and fundingin the industry.
But in many cases, the companies develop artificial intelligence applications that are either irrelevant or broken.
A stark example isAI assistants and chatbots.
How many times do you use Siri on your iPhone every day?
And even less on your MacBook.
Smartphones and computers are probably the wrong nail for the AI assistant hammer.
But theyll always be a complementary feature, a nice-to-have, not a critical must-have.
But some of the promises that companies make are simply not achievable with current blends of AI.
The only way users can interact with them is through their microphones.
The more capable their artificial intelligence is, the more useful the smart speakers become.
But smart speakers are meant for specific environments, in your car, home or office.
You dont carry them around with you.
And there are only so many things that a rig can accomplish with a speaker as output.
Of those who did use Echo to shop, only 10 percent did so again.
This further proves the point that smart speakers and their AI assistants are only suitable for simple tasks.
Some manufacturers are adding touchscreen displays to their devices to make them more capable.
But those displays will more likely push users to use the assistant less and the touchscreens user interface more.
There are currently two main mediums for augmented reality applications: mobile (e.g.
ARCore, ARKit) and head-mounted displays (HMDs) (e.g.
Google Glass, Microsoft HoloLens, Magic Leap).
However, mobile AR has a serious flaw: It occupies at least one of the users hands.
Augmented reality is meant for users to interact with their immediate environment.
The fact that you always have to hold your phone in front of you becomes a seriously limiting factor.
The real future of AR will be headsets that free the users hands for other tasks.
This is why AR/VR has earned the title of the future computing platform.
Computers and smartphones wont go away, but AR headsets will become much more prominent.
They will also make their comeback in the consumer space, if they can find the right applications.
However, AR headsets are limited in the way users interact with applications.
Other companies have developed sophisticated hand gestures for interacting with the components of AR applications.
Hand gestures are a good medium, but they have their limits.
This can cause fatigue and again limit the use of the headset.
Gestures also fail when the users hands are partially occluded.
This is why AI assistants can become very crucial to AR headsets.
They will easily blend in with all the other features that the headsets provide to their users.
Users can use AI assistants to open and close applications, activate features, or interact with virtual objects.
When combined withother technologies such as eye tracking, AI assistants can become even more useful.
Imagine what you would look like to the people surrounding you if you were arguing with your AI assistant.
But those are the kinks.
They will be ironed out as the industry matures.
