Into the Crystal Ball
I see a future in which we one day wake up and collectively ask ourselves “Why the fuck were we even talking to AI?”
After all, we—people in product and innovation from all kinds of companies—realized that we were just having the same conversations with the same chatbots pretending to be the same personas, which led us to develop the same products based on the same insights.
On that day, someone decides only to observe people who wear something yellow. Another one is inspired by a TikTok video their next-seat neighbor on the train watches. And elsewhere, a child's fantasy sparks an idea in their parents.
I see a future in which we realize that these “happy little accidents”, fleeting conversations and humble observations were the true innovation all along.
It is a future in which we compete about who spends the most – not the least – time with their users.
About the Crystal Ball magazine
Crystal Ball is the accompanying magazine for the R&D and Future of News fellowships funded by Media Lab Bavaria in 2024. All fellows were asked to contribute a text about their project and a glimpse into the future.
