Polycrisis problem-solving and entering the metaverse: Keynotes from IMB day two
Embracing the change was a cornerstone theme of IMB this year, with individuals and companies broadcasting their vision of the future, enhanced by the latest technical innovations.
Callum Booth, a technology journalist representing IFA, set the tone for day two of IMB with a brief recap of the event’s coverage so far. Mr Booth referenced perhaps IFA’s most famous speaker ever, Albert Einstein, with a quote from the 1930s about the launch of the commercial radio.
“When you listen to the radio, also spare a thought for how humanity obtained this invention. The origin of all technical achievements is the divine curiosity…”
Understanding how human curiosity can push the technical limits of what is possible was a pertinent theme on day two of IMB. Later on in the day, the legacy on Albert Einstein was called upon once again, this time in “Unleashing AI in Socratic Dialogue with our Mystery Guest,” a unique presentation hosted by event moderator Patrice Bouédibéla.
The aforementioned “mystery guest,” was not a person, but in fact an artificial intelligence language model, which conversed with both Mr. Bouédibéla. The language model was programmed to impersonate Albert Einstein, as if he were alive today, with interesting insights into topics like: “what would Einstein regret not doing in his life?” Or “what would Einstein say is the best invention over the last 30 years?”.
For the record, the AI language model predicted Einstein to regret not engaging in more social work, and selected the internet as the standout invention Einstein would celebrate the most in recent decades.
Audiences saw how human imagination can push technology to never-before-seen places during the presentation “Metaverse Marketing: Where Innovation Meets Immersion.” Hans Elstner, CEO of Rooom AG, might not have given audience members virtual reality headsets, yet his presentation into the landscape of VR worlds at times felt just as engaging.
The keynote went over how Mr. Elstner’s company creates interactive virtual worlds for its clientele, yet the presentation was not necessarily about self-promotion, instead about how this technology as a whole can enrich marketing strategies for companies around the world.
“[The metaverse] is a better way to [offer] product visualisation,” said Mr. Elstner. “…So the time is now.”
Complimenting this presentation was “Immersive Technologies: Past, Present and Future,” from Vitek Goyel, Founder and Managing Director of Kompetek Interaktiv GmbH. Like Mr. Elstner’s presentation, this keynote was not just about promoting the services of Kompetek Interaktiv GmbH, which entails VR solutions for employee and safety training, but also served as a history lesson of virtual and augmented technology so far, helping audiences to understand what will come next.
Mr. Goyel discussed how early-stage graphics featured in 2000s-era virtual reality applications inspired him to create his own company, and since then he has grown the Kompetek Interaktiv business substantially, offering innovative training video services for different jobs, apparently saving costs and time. Mr. Goyel also touched on the potential of Apple’s Vision Pro product, and what that means for the future of the industry.
“The first step is to start playing around with it, get your hands on it, and as it slowly farms out a bit more, the technology will catch up, the hardware will catch up from the server side, the computer side, and that’ll allow easier translation to multiple devices.” were his words.
Taking a step back from boundary-pushing technology, Norbert Herzog, Head of Global Strategic Insights at GfK, used his “Warm-up insights” presentation to analyse how brands can earn the trust of their conscious customer base in the modern era.
With macro issues being experienced like inflation, political instability and climate change, consumers are more than ever prioritising reliability and certaintiny: especially Mr. Herzog’s cited value-led propositions: trust, quality and unique use cases.
Helping audiences anticipate shifting consumer behaviours was Vika Kanar, Co-Founder and CEO Re-Fresh Global and Cevat Yerli, Founder and CEO of the TMRW Foundation, who used their respective keynotes to showcase how technology can problem-solve pertinent social issues.
Ms. Kanar’s keynote, “From Rags To Riches,” was an overview on how her start-up Re-Fresh Global uses cutting-edge tech to turn textile waste into secondary raw materials: a smart way to navigate the lack of available raw materials and of course the textile waste issue, considered to be “one of the world’s top waste problems today.”
Mr. Yerli’s follow-up keynote, “A Humanized Foundation for Web 3.0 in Polycrisis,” spotlighted just how Web 3.0 profit models have a responsibility to address the technology’s accessibility gap, “putting people and planet first while delivering sustainable profits.”
