Example code generated by Microsoft Copilot. iPhone mockup by zlatko_plamenov on Freepik. Background by FWStudio on Pexels.com
The development of the Internet is a story of democratization. Computing power and information progressively become easier to access over time. Now, in the middle of generative AIās hype cycle, visions of a farther future of the Internet are becoming clearer. In fact, the acceleration of AI technology makes me wonder just how far away we really are from revolution.
That revolution will overturn everything we know about apps, software, and programming. The āreal-time Internetā may be on the horizon, and itās wise that business leaders understand its implications now before itās upon us.
An Internet Programmed in Real-Time
Generative AI has the capability to create not just blog posts, poetry, and images. With the right training sets, it can write entire pieces of software. As seen with tools like
Spline, it can work easily with 3D environments for augmented reality projects.
Argo Designās Lead Creative Technologist Jared Ficklin predicts that the future of software and interfaces will become increasingly personalized and produced in real-time by AI.
In an episode of Freethinkās Hard Reset, Ficklin goes into great detail about his vision of a world computed by generative AI in real-time. He describes it as a natural progression of the evolution of the Internet and of computing itself. He also shares insight into the new ways we will interact with computers in the future.
The Past and Future of Interfaces
Ficklin is fascinated by interfaces and how they democratize technology to the masses. Early computing was performed by punch cards, where programmers had to deeply understand how machines functioned. However, punch cards evolved into syntax and programming languages, and then to desktop environments. Now, anyone in the world can use a computer thanks to interfaces like Windows and MacOS.
As of now, creating augmented reality experiences is too complicated without the help of talented software developers. Similar to how Unix terminals and desktop environments made computing more accessible, generative AI may make augmented reality development, or rather, experiences more accessible than ever before.
āQuantum-likeā Websites
One example Ficklin points to in the present day that relates to his ideas is āquantum-likeā websites. These are web pages or sites that look completely different based on who is viewing them. Amazon is a great example. Every time you visit Amazonās website, it looks different. This is especially true from person to person. Thanks to personalized shopping results, Amazon can programmatically suggest content to you based on your interests and history.
Just like how these websites are unique and personalized to their users, Ficklin imagines that the next step will be completely unique software for each person, all generated by AI on demand.
Creating New Experiences From Scratch: Realtime AR
Ficklinās āreal-time Internetā is a radical concept that rewrites the rules of how software is developed. For augmented reality, this could mean that AR experiences could be written on demand by on-board or cloud-based generative AI. āWeāre going to have a new [multimodal] vocabularyā¦launch that, put it there, close that.ā
Ficklin explains in a Freethink interview. āā¦using gestureā¦voice, and certain control surfaces all together.ā In a nutshell, a future augmented reality experience using this āreal-timeā approach might look something like this:
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With a wearable mobile computer like an AR headset, dictate: āShow me what it would look like if the wallpaper in this room was blue.ā
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The generative AI model uses natural language processing and understanding to interpret the userās prompt and begins writing an AR program from scratch, using the headsetās sensors as environmental data. The AI creates the app using room-scanning training data and specially tailors the new app to identify the walls of the room.
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The program is ready for launch and shows the user what the room would look like with blue wallpaper. Once the user is finished with the experience, the generated software is deleted. Ficklinās interview with Freethink fascinated me. I was curious just how close we are to the future he describes. So, I decided to dig deeper.
Reality Check With an AI Expert
Now, letās be honest. Iām not an AI expert. While I was coming up with this piece, I realized the best thing I could probably do was ask someone who knew what they were doing about their opinion.
Iāve done a lot of writing on behalf of MoibDev in the past, so I couldnāt think of anyone better to ask than their AI experts. I asked MobiDev AI Team Leader Liubov Zatolokina for her opinion.
Sheās been helping MobiDevās clients around the world succeed for over four years, so I was really excited to get her opinion on the Real-Time Internet.
Is the Real-Time Internet Even Possible?
āIn my opinion, we already partially have this experience,ā Liubov explains. āwe can already create simple prompts like images, music, movies, poetry, and social media posts, and even basic programming code and prototypes.
It wonāt always look like a ready-to-use product, but itās an excellent place to start. Very quickly weāve seen an exponential increase in the quality of not only images, text, and software code, but also video creation."
Based on her analysis, it sounds to me like Ficklinās future is possible if AI technology continues to advance at its current pace, but when?
In a very short period of time, weāve seen an exponential increase in the quaity of not only images, text, and software code, but also video creation.
How Far Are We From That Future?
āItās hard to say exactly when the next step will be, but weāre already seeing amazing products from leading companies every month,ā Liubov continues.
āThere are hundreds of AI-related articles and news from open-source projects every day. This only accelerates and fuels our curiosity. I expect weāll see more improvements to the quality of generation and data processing this year, but it probably wonāt lead to AGI or the āReal-Time Internetā. Each innovation is iterative, and with some patience the future will be mind-blowing.ā
Itās hard to say exactly when the next step will be, but weāre already seeing amazing products from leading companies every month
How Would That Future Disrupt the Status Quo of Software Development?
āEvery cutting-edge technology disrupts someoneās status quo,ā Liubov asserts, āand software developers are no exception. We are now seeing an increase in the amount of automation in development.
Code writing assistants and testing tools lead to faster development, less red tape, and more time spent on idea generation. I expect the iterative advances of AI to result in a āsnowball effectā in software development and technology sectors.ā
Every cutting-edge technology disrupts someoneās status quo, and software developers are no exception.
So, Do On-Demand AI-Generated Applications Pose a Threat to the Jobs of Programmers and Software Developers?
Iām particularly interested in whether AI may start to replace existing jobs, and how Ficklinās Real-Time Internet may impact programmers. āOne way or another, progress affects each of us,ā Liubov explains.
āBut I canāt call on-demand AI generation a threat to software developers. This is the same change for humanity as the invention of the wheel. Some professions may disappear, but many new ones will appear in their place.ā
This is the same change for humanity as the invention of the wheel. Some professions may disappear, but a large number of new ones will appear in their place.
If More and More Applications Are Built Automatically With AI, How Will That Affect the Pool of Available Training Data?
āSoon, I think weāll see further growth and development in the data storage industry, especially with regards to processing and labeling. The incredible speed of generative AI contributes to the fact that thereās more and more unlabeled, automatically generated data in the network.ā Liubov says.
"Although the content might be high quality, itās not real-world data. Real-world examples in those datasets is crucial for proper and high-quality training of models. Re-use of that data leads to āmodel collapseā, a decrease in input data diversity, leading to a decrease in model quality.ā The phenomenon Liubov describes is also called Model Autophagy Disorder (MAD).
Re-use of [AI-generated content in datasets] leads to āmodel collapseā, a decrease in input data diversity, leading to a decrease in model quality.
What Do You Believe Are the Primary Obstacles to Achieving On-Demand AI-Generated Apps, Such as AR Experiences? What Would It Take to Overcome Those Obstacles?
āThe main obstacle is the intersection of available computational power and how much power the AI models need,ā Liubov says.
āSo far, AI tasks are best suited for use by powerful cloud computing and parallel processing systems. However, the AI engineering community has already seen that scalability isnāt the cure-all in terms of the challenges AI faces. New data processing algorithms combined with new advanced hardware, both focused on energy and computational efficiency, could make things a lot easier.ā
Based on Liubovās analysis, I suspect that this may be why businesses are starting to pay closer attention to āon-deviceā generative AI solutions.
Qualcomm and other companies have discussed on-device AI a number of times this year, and some companies like Samsung are already releasing products with these features.
New data processing algorithms combined with new advanced hardware, both focused on energy and computational efficiency, could make things a lot easier.
The Future of the Real-Time Internet
Jared Ficklinās visions of the next generation of computing may not be here just yet. It remains to be seen just how far off the horizon AI-generated apps on demand are, but thereās no denying that weāre seeing exponential growth in artificial intelligence. Each advancement iterates on the last, and thereās no sign of stopping.
I still personally have a lot of questions, like how do we ensure that AI-generated apps are secure? How will AI safety play a role in Ficklinās envisioned future? Thereās a lot we donāt know, but thereās also a lot to be excited about.
No matter what happens, AI is going to change the world, and we have to prepare for that future.
Thank you Liubov Zatolokina for your insights on this story! Also, thank you for reading! What do you think about the Real-Time Internet? How far do you think we are from that future? Let me know in the comments.