When machines get smart, there’ll be conflict and high drama
One of the clichés of film noire involves a haunted man, arriving in a strange city, and being taken under the wing of a streetwise local woman. In the story the nature of her trade has given her a rather cynical view of humanity, but the tale eventually reveals that beneath her tough exterior beats a heart of gold.
I had a similar experience like that with Telefonica once. After a whirlwind tour of tomorrow’s smart cities (at their high tech offices in Barcelona), my head was spinning. I saw things that few men, until then, had ever witnessed. Virtual shop assistants, appearing like ghosts before our eyes, and actually smiling. (Smiling? That’ll never catch with the counter-terrorists in England, I thought). I half expected this celestial being to ask: “Can I help you Obi-Wan Kenobi?”
If that wasn’t disorienting enough, Telefonica managed to produce a 3D model of one of the journalists, before our eyes. Then, to my utter confusion, Telefonica presented images of ‘smart cities’ of the future. These seemed to involve machines talking to each other, and using the information gathered to prevent traffic jams, cut pollution and save time, money and even the planet. They were using machines to help people, in other words. I felt a cold hand clutch to my heart! This was not how we used our technology advantages when I worked with the Met Police traffic division.
My head spinning, I stepped out into the street, called a taxi and headed across town to La Ramblas, in search of a different pace. Once safely ensconced in Barcelona’s bacchanalian boulevard, I sank cerveza after cerveza, in a bid to process my thoughts about what I’d just seen.
Eventually, I found myself near a street performer, who seemed to have disguised herself in gold paint in order to resemble a machine. In front of her pedestal, she had placed a bucket, with a note encouraging people to deposit coins. I placed a Euro in the bucket and she performed a lovely pirouette. After several more cervezas, and more pirouettes, I realized that this creative artist was actually sending me a message, through the medium of interpretive dance, about the Internet of Things.
After this revelation I saw an even more wondrous site. There was a dozen of these (Wo)man-machines, spaced evenly on pedestals along La Ramblas. If I ran, I could place half a euro in each of their buckets, and get them to simultaneously communicate with each other. Together, they would represent the Internet of Things, made flesh.
I dashed round all twelve statues, as fast as I could, re-awakening them and apologizing to any other al fresco diners whose tables I might have got knocked over.
The effort (and complaints from other Ramblees) proved worth it, because the performers produced a drama that told me things about the Internet of Things that nobody else had the courage to point out.
The IoT Soap Opera began with our silver-painted heroine (presumably playing the part of A Camera) addressing the other devices. “Get a load of these pictures of this newcomer,” la Cámara seemed to be saying.
A Server was the first to respond to the information relayed. “The body dimensions would indicate a male, of 100 KG, middle aged,” the device replied.
The dancer playing the part of The Database Server picked up on this. “I will put those co-ordinates into our search. Then find what sort of products a person like that wants to consume,” said La Base de Datos, then added, “over to you video server.”
At this point, the dramatist playing The Video Server spotted the euro coin in their bucket and sprang into life. His dance seemed to say, “we do have a video in stock for that type of product. I will send it to you, Plasma Screen.”
At this point, the actor playing the Plasma Screen awoke, as if from a coma, and begin ‘projecting a message’. I understood what ‘La Pantalla De Video’ was saying – to me – immediately. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a nice paella!”
I like to think I’m immune to adverts, but funnily enough I immediately ordered that very dish.
Suddenly, I understood how the Internet of Things will work. These devices are really smart and they want the best for us. Between them, they worked out who I was, what sort of food I’d like and sold me on the ideal of a paella.
But they each have their own personalities, and sometimes that conflict creates drama. I may bring you more episodes of the soap opera, The Internet of Things, in future blogs.
ENDS
