Ericsson ConsumerLab just released its annual "10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2018" report, providing insight on the biggest consumer tech trends for the coming year. The report hits on underlying shifts behind automation and the creation of a leisure society, social media echo chambers, augmented hearing, and other trends. Michael Bjorn, Head of Research at Ericsson and author of the report, sat down with us to discuss the biggest trends to watch out for.
Bjorn fills us in on what he believes is the most surprising trend. He says we used to have to know how to use the devices, but now the devices know how to use us. As an example, Bjorn highlights face recognition technology and says it could help use your mood or expressions to know how to react.
Emerging tech is scary and alluring at the same time, says Bjorn. One of the scary parts uncovered from his research is that half of the people said they'd be spooked if they couldn’t tell whether communication was coming from a bot or a human. Concerns that privacy is at risk have been rising, but he predicts we’ll see more of a demand for services that protect us as well.
Fresh off of receiving an innovation award at ShowStoppers @ CES 2022, Iasha King, co-founder of SOLO Secure joined Cheddar to explain how its platforms, the GoSOLO app and the SOLO Backpackpacker device, helps improve personal safety for users. "People just don't know what's going on around them, so it's very important that you're using smart technology to provide them with what's going on," she said. "For example, if there has been an increase in robberies in a neighborhood, that's something that our technology would inform a user."
Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft, assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, joins Cheddar News to discuss how chatbots can help prevent eating disorders and the research that uncovered these findings.
Markets closed the day mixed, and well off their lows of the day following a market meltdown earlier in the session. The Nasdaq staged a comeback late in the day, even amid ongoing worries about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates. Doug Flynn, certified financial planner and co-founder of Flynn Zito Capito, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the markets' close and what's driving the major indexes.
