From Big Data to Ultimate Data
The internet gave us big data - a terrifyingly detailed model of who we are based on clicks, scrolls, likes, and purchases. But what’s about to happen next makes that look quaint. Because the next big leap isn’t just in what we click - it’s in what we see, hear, and say. Constantly. In real time.
I’m talking, of course, about smart glasses.
Google, Meta and Apple are already racing toward putting a camera and a microphone on your face and a tiny speaker that will whisper right in your ear. A device that sees what you see, hears what you hear, and, more importantly, knows what you care about. It won’t be long before Gen Z's “life advisor” isn’t just a chatbot they consult on their phone. It’ll be an ever-present assistant that lives in their field of view and softly murmurs, “Don’t say that. You’ll regret it,” or “He’s lying. Look at his body language.”
That’s not sci-fi. That’s, like, 18 months from now.
And if Gen Z is already treating ChatGPT like their therapist, mentor, and career counselor, just imagine what happens when they start wearing it on their face 24/7.
The Rise of the Whisper Network
The scariest part of all of this isn’t surveillance - it’s influence.
We’re heading into an era where every moment of your life is filtered through an algorithm that claims to “understand you,” because it literally sees what you see and remembers every conversation you’ve ever had. This won’t just be data collection. This will be data companionship. And you won’t even realize how much it’s shaping you until you can’t make a decision without asking it first.
It's the ultimate “Smart Assistant”. Except now the Assistant lives on your face, records your every move and talks to you. Constantly. Just to be clear - it doesn't record video and audio of what you see and hear, that's so 2020! No, What it does is “Takes notes” about everything it sees and hears, it's much more efficient. It just keeps tabs on everything you said, everything you eat, every move you make, every breath you take.
But Is That... Bad?
Look, when they will start selling it to you, it's going to sound amazing! An AI life coach who helps you remember your goals, actively motivates you towards good decisions while avoiding bad ones, helps you regulate your emotions and focus on what matters to you specifically, and can even remember where you left your car keys. Sounds good, right?
In fact, if I had that in my 20s, I probably wouldn’t have blown through three career pivots, two major depressive episodes, and that whole “dating a barista who wanted to be a cult leader” phase. (ok, that didn't actually happen but you know what I mean.)
Because the real question is this:
Who trains this AI? Who decides what’s “good advice”? What happens when your AI nudges you toward certain beliefs, certain products, certain ideologies? And what if you trust it more than yourself?
When AI becomes your default voice of reason, it doesn’t just help you - it replaces you. And that’s when things start getting dark. And if you don't believe me, just ask google a question you were sure you had the answer to - If google says that you are wrong you automatically go “Huh… guess I was wrong” - Same thing will happen with life decisions.
This Is the Next Attention Economy
Remember when the scariest thing online was social media algorithms? How we all realized we were being radicalized one TikTok at a time, fed just the right mix of outrage and affirmation until we couldn’t think for ourselves anymore? Oh, you haven't realized that yet?
Well, forget it, That was child’s play compared to this.
Because this new wave of AI isn’t about feeding you content. It’s about answering your most important life questions. It’s not trying to entertain you - it’s trying to guide you. And you’re going to trust it because it remembers everything about you and it sounds very, very confident.
But you have to ask: whose values is it using? Who profits when it gives you advice? And most importantly - do you even want this kind of help?
We’re Sleepwalking into a Future We Think We Want
I get it. Life is hard. Decisions are hard. And if there’s a helpful voice that can tell us what to do, when to do it, and how to feel about it, that sounds like a relief.
But maybe we should slow down for a second and ask: if you hand over your choices, your instincts, your decisions - what’s left of you?
Because here’s the wildest part of all this: the internet once gave us too much information. This next era? It’s giving us too much advice.
And Gen Z? They’re already listening.
