A Performance Artist Has Become a Human Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Now are still in an awkward phase. They’re useful for running your stereo, answering random questions or traffic alerts, but they still don’t have the information or access needed to truly anticipate your biggest needs. This is not at all like a real person watching you and giving you advice. This is exactly what the performance artist Lauren McCarthy promises to do for three days in a row.
McCarthy positions himself as Lauren, the “smart human home.” If she accepts your application, she will visit your home, install surveillance and smart home equipment, and spend three days monitoring your home and anticipating your needs.
This is a kind of art project that seems destined to become a real service. There are already several assistant services in which computerized assistants are combined with human ones. But they all focus on reactive rather than proactive assistance. A devoted human helper who behaves more like Her than Siri will be much more valuable.
But as the wealth gap widens, there is a potential market for wealthy clients who can afford underpaid full-time helpers, just as the demand for butlers is growing in China. With Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple refusing to fully integrate their voice assistants , a human assistant can iron out these rough edges and fill in those gaps, taking on all the painstaking work of managing your technology as well as taking the hassle out of it. -Automatic advice like “You need a haircut” or “I think this music distracts you from your homework.”
The reviews on Lauren’s website seem to her to be grateful, albeit a little persistent. She clearly displays a level of attention and discernment that no algorithm, or even a less dedicated remote person, can achieve. It doesn’t seem crazy to imagine her services becoming the norm.