There are entrepreneurs, and there are game-changers.
Throughout history, we’ve seen a handful of innovators who have irrevocably changed the world as we know it. The Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, even Steve Jobs.
Elon Musk is quickly emerging as one of these industry pioneers. His ability to question the restrictions of the world we live in and think outside of the box has led to significant transformations in our world. You just need to look at Space X and Tesla to get an idea of where Elon is taking us.
So, what would happen if a man like this – someone capable of incredible creativity – got involved in communications?
Let’s Think Like Elon
Let’s think like Elon for a moment.
Elon Reeve Musk is the guy behind the world’s leading electric cars. Not only are these vehicles good for the environment, but they’re extremely innovative too, offering next-level intelligence and driving convenience. Elon could even be the guy who brings true autonomous vehicles to the world.
Elon was also partly responsible for PayPal (via his company X.com), a technology that changed the way we use cash online. He even came up with the Falcon 9 rocket – a space vehicle that doesn’t burn up when re-entering the earth’s atmosphere.
To think like Elon, we need to find problems, and then address them with solutions that are both beautifully simple, and creative at the same time. Need a more environmentally friendly car? Remove the fossil fuel. Want to reduce the number of auto accidents? Give drivers assistance behind the wheel with AI that can see further and solve problems faster.
Following Elon’s style of thinking, how could we change the communications marketplace for the better?
Upgrading Communications
Let’s start by looking at a significant issue for many people right now – distance communication. In-person communications are becoming less common – and not just for social distancing reasons. In-person communications are location-dependent and full of inconveniences. Unfortunately, virtual communication through video and chat can lack some of the presence and emotion we need for a human connection.
The solution? Mixed reality. Combine the physical and the digital world to create safer meeting environments where projected images of people make it feel like they’re in the same room.
Elon’s frame of thinking could also solve issues with our productivity and memory. AI assistants are already growing more powerful. Elon could probably take this technology to the next level. Do you remember the greatest conversation you’ve ever had, or what your last conversation looked like?
Can you picture the facial expression, tone of voice, and the body language of the other person? In Elon’s world, it would be possible to preserve conversations fully, with both audio and visual information, so you could play them back at any time.
Enhancing Human Communication
As many innovators in the comms landscape have already realised, AI can be a valuable tool for improving human communications. For instance, think back to the last time you met someone for the first time. How much better would the experience have been if you knew more about them before the conversation started? Real-time context from relevant sources of data and sentiment analysis could help you skip the small talk and get to what matters, or simply add a little extra value to the discussion.
Consider the issue of channel hopping too. Right now, we’re still struggling to move seamlessly between channels of conversation. Wouldn’t it be better to move between video calls, meetings, and voice calls without the friction?
AI could also be the driving force behind the fight against fraud. The right solution could pull together all the world’s spam callers and deflect them to an outer space contact centre. AI could even reverse the charge and send it back to the fraudster.
To keep everyone connected in the digital world, Elon could create a system where your colleagues could dial you directly by name, without having to remember a number. In a more innovative world, AI would detect you wherever you are and connect the call.
Giving Real People Superpowers
Some of the most obvious changes available to make in the communication industry are simple enough. Others require more radical thinking. Look at the headset market for XR, for instance. Most headsets still feel uncomfortable and clunky. What if we had a chip in our brain that would connect our thoughts, ears, eyes, and mouth to a computer?
What if instead of creating your home office, you had a virtual office – a space with no commutes – and access to anyone who might want to visit for a collaboration session? What if we had real, effective holograms that could allow engineers to visit a customer’s home in real-time and solve problems without ever moving physically.
Some ideas may be scarier to certain people than others. However, the important thing to focus on is that technology can give us true superpowers. With extended reality and AI in your pocket, it’s possible to achieve some of the incredible things I’ve discussed here today. Truly, you’re only limited by your imagination.
The future of communications is all about building trusted connections that offer convenience and simplicity when time is a critical factor, and human intimacy when true collaboration is necessary. It’s hard to know for certain what Elon would do to change the communication landscape. However, I believe that his main focus would be on making this industry effortless, immersive, and intelligent.
We may not have to wait long to experience a world like this either. Most of the things I’ve mentioned above are either already on the way, or available to purchase.
Communication is already being reinvented.
