Meta and Nvidia: The Future of Social Media and Personal Technology

While the fireside chat with Huang didn’t really cover any new territory, the subsequent chat between Zuckerberg and Huang was fascinating, particularly when it came to what they didn’t talk about, which was the future of Facebook with AI. But, based on what they did say, I think I can fill that gap. The two men differed on the future of personal technology, mainly because Zuckerberg talked about what could be done, while Huang focused on what should be done. That dynamic is worth exploring, so we’ll do that this week. We’ll close with my Product of the Week, a godsend at this time of year if you want to sleep cool but don’t want to spend a fortune running the air conditioner all night.

The Future of Personal Technology

You see, smartphones are still primarily based on the GUI interface that we initially got with PCs. In many ways, they are just small PCs with touchscreens instead of keyboards and mice. However, AI, particularly conversational AI, can use natural language as the interface. Talking to your smartphone might be an initial implementation, but wouldn’t it be better if you wore the thing that would put the microphone closer to your face and, with a glasses form factor, the display in front of your eyes? People walk around today with their faces buried in their phones, which is incredibly unsafe. But if you were able to put the display translucently in front of their eyes and coupled that with a camera, similar to what self-driving cars have, then the glasses could warn you to avoid obstacles (and vehicles), and your hands would be free to carry stuff or help with balance.

Zuckerberg was still thinking about his Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, which will take commands, convey sounds, and capture images. However, they lack a built-in display because it would double the cost and make the glasses heavy and bulky. He was right that people have resisted wearing a heavy headset like Apple’s Vision Pro, which comes closest in terms of capabilities to what Huang was talking about as the future.

The Future Facebook

What troubled me is that it sounded identical to what some folks over at Netscape did, which resulted in that company’s demise. Developing enterprise software is complex and requires a brand that enterprise buyers will accept, and neither Facebook nor Meta have that brand. I know at least one ex-Netscape person is on Meta’s board, and I hope this person hasn’t convinced Zuckerberg to repeat Netscape’s terminal mistake.On the other hand, using a recommendation engine on Facebook could significantly impact how ads are presented and improve the introduction of users with common interests. This improvement would return Facebook to its roots as an introduction product for making and sustaining friendships.

With the proper use of AI, Facebook could become a far better advertising platform. Most of the scam ads I used to get on Facebook have disappeared, suggesting it has done impressive work over the last few years.Imagine a future Facebook that not only surfaced products and services you didn’t know of but might want to buy but also people you’ve never met with similar personalities and interests that you might enjoy as more than just Facebook friends.Properly used, AI could improve Facebook to the point where it could help people avoid loneliness at any age by connecting them to people or AIs they can talk to without being scammed or abused.

Wrapping Up

The discussion between Jensen Huang and Mark Zuckerberg at Siggraph is worth watching. One represents the creation of AI technology, while the other is more focused on its use, though both cross over. Through discussions like this, you gain a sense of where the technology is and where it is successful and a stronger understanding of where the technology is likely to go in the near term.

In this case, the concept of a smartphone replacement that you’d wear on your head like glasses spoke to the future evolution of personal technology, while the discussion on AIs and recommendation engines began to clarify the future of Facebook, with some possibility that Meta might repeat Netscape’s mistakes.Both products use water that is heated and cooled based on your needs. If you have ever messed with your car’s cooling system, you know that water does a far better job than air of conveying temperature — which is why astronauts and race car drivers use similar technology to keep themselves cool.

The advantage is that regardless of the room temperature and for a lower cost than running an air conditioner, you can sleep with a ton of covers and still be cool in the summer. Because they don’t create an electric field, these technologies are arguably more efficient than electric blankets or traditional heating pads and likely better for you.