Dear Sascha, artificial intelligence is considered a driver of many new generations of devices. What role does AI already play today as a purchasing argument for end consumers – and where is it still more of a “nice-to-have”?
AI has become a commodity. We simply expect that all the devices that have been called “smart” for the past 10 years—and only because they are connected to the internet—are now exactly that. Namely smart, helpful, efficient. Above all when it comes to all those tasks we don’t like doing, that seem tedious to us.
For me, robot vacuum cleaners are the perfect example. They have been around for many years, but the quality of the results has improved immensely.
Alongside AI, connectivity also plays a crucial role in smart everyday life. How do you assess the current state of interoperability? Are there now standards that make it easier for consumers to make their systems interoperable? Will compatibility continue to be a decisive criterion when making a purchase?
So much has happened there thanks to “Matter.” I just wonder: which consumers actually know what “Matter” is? Instead of communicating and educating, the Amazons, Apples and Googles of this world put their logos on product pages because they assume consumers don’t know it any other way. But the fact that Matter is used by all these manufacturers and that the products are therefore interoperable is not made clear at all.
I would like to see more consensus and visibility for Matter, because compatibility is of course a purchasing criterion.
Many consumer tech products generate data, some of it personal. How do you view the issue of data protection in connection with AI-supported and AI-optimized devices? In your view, how sensitive are end consumers when it comes to AI-supported products? To what extent do customers think about data protection?
We scroll through 50-page terms of use without reading them. We share our locations with Apple and Google and don’t think about what happens to them. And we talk to chatbots as if they were our own partner.
We finally need comprehensive education. I can even imagine warnings like those on cigarette packs: Warning, your data will be stored by this product in insecure US clouds.
Brilliant idea: that would be simple, clearly understandable and universally applicable. Clarity that is lacking in many places today. Many products now advertise AI features, not always with clear proof of benefit. How relevant, in your view, is the accusation of “AI washing” – and how can consumers recognize whether it offers real added value?
AI is the new @ sign. In other words, what was meant to convey “something with the internet” in the late 1990s. Here, too, I call for clear information about which models are being used and what supposedly makes them smart. We need transparency, because that creates understanding and trust.
To conclude: In your view, which three factors will have the strongest influence on purchasing behavior in the consumer tech sector over the next five years?
Quite clearly, price/performance is still THE purchasing criterion. But sustainability and upgradeability are also becoming increasingly relevant. Questions such as: How long can I really use my “smart device,” and how long will manufacturers support it? are increasingly coming to the fore. And quite clearly: design and build quality. Another classic.
Beyond that, I wish I could also say: data security, supply chains and how easy it is to recycle. But for that we (unfortunately) still need extensive PR campaigns.
The interview with Sascha Pallenberg was conducted by Marie-Charlotte von Heyking of GFU Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH.
