JARVIS Is Coming: The Future of AI-Human Collaboration

Is Iron Man’s JARVIS our future? I think so, and here’s why...

In Peter David's novelization of Iron Man, J.A.R.V.I.S. is said to be an acronym for "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System."

As services like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri increase their capabilities, they will expand to become part of our lives 24/7, serving as our interface with the world around us.

Imagine a JARVIS-like “software interface” that you give permission to listen to all of your conversations, read your email, watch what you eat, and monitor your blood chemistry.

In return, given such access to your data, these ever-present, AI-enabled agents will learn your preferences, anticipate your needs and behavior, shop for you, monitor your health, help solve your problems in support of your goals and interface with a wide range of other technologies.

Your JARVIS-like agent will call an autonomous Uber for you whenever needed, before you have to ask, it will alter the room’s temperature to suit your comfort, and help you think through complicated problems. Imagine the world’s best executive assistant who is all-knowing and almost psychic, as it meets all your needs and desires.

In today’s blog, the first of several exploring the Metatrend AI and AI-Human Collaboration Skyrockets Across All Professions, I’ll share a vision for an AI-assisted future inspired by Iron Man.

Let’s dive in…

NOTE: The power of AI to augment humans, increase our productivity, and ultimately reinvent society is one of the core topics I’ll be diving into at my upcoming Abundance Summit in March. 

Inspiration From Iron Man

As Tony Stark's sleek red sports car glided into the driveway of his mansion in Malibu, the home sprang to life powered by a near-sentient being. The biometrically secured gates closed behind him as Stark stepped out of the car, welcomed by the sultry tones of AC/DC's Back in Black streaming through concealed speakers.

"Good evening, Sir. The mansion is set at a comfortable 22.8 degrees centigrade, per your preference," JARVIS intoned, materializing as a glowing interface hovering above Stark's coffee table. "Your bourbon is decanted, and the workshop is prepped for tonight's adventures."

Stark grinned. "You've outdone yourself, JARVIS. What's on the agenda?"

"As per your instructions, Sir, we have two projects. First, fine-tuning the Mark LX armor's repulsor technology, and second, completing the AI algorithms for your sustainable clean energy prototype."

Stark strode into his high-tech workshop, the doors sliding open in anticipation. The entire workspace activated: screens unfolded from the walls, 3D holograms floated in the air, and robotic arms swung into position. His Iron Man suits stood like sentinels, each representing a chapter in his journey as a self-made superhero.

"Let's start with the armor. Pull up the repulsor schematics," Stark commanded. A complex 3D hologram materialized before him, displaying the armor's inner mechanics. Stark’s fingers danced in the air, manipulating the hologram with swipes and pinches. "JARVIS, run simulations for a 15% energy increase on the repulsors."

"Simulating now, Sir," JARVIS responded. Within seconds, the hologram displayed an array of data, overlaid with heat maps and stress points. "Mmm, too much heat buildup. Let's try redistributing the energy load across multiple channels."

"Excellent idea, Sir. Simulation updated," JARVIS said as the data morphed to reflect the new parameters. The heat buildup decreased significantly.

"Lock it in. Run it through the 3D printers for a test tomorrow."

"Of course, Sir."

Stark moved to his second project, a circular energy unit representing a miniature, sustainable power source that could revolutionize clean energy.

"Alright, where are we on the sustainable clean energy prototype?"

"Your last adjustments improved energy efficiency by 12%. However, we've yet to crack the stability issue."

"Let's fine-tune the containment algorithms. Pull up the quantum equations."

Once again, intricate formulas and data matrices hovered before him. Stark's eyes narrowed as he delved into the abstract world of quantum mechanics. After a few moments of silence, broken only by the clinking of his bourbon glass, he exclaimed, "JARVIS, can you modify the fusion dynamics within a quantum chromodynamics framework? The Schrödinger equation here looks to be non-trivial due to the quark-gluon plasma's non-Abelian gauge field properties."

"Altering equations now, Sir."

A final simulation revealed a stable, high-efficiency energy output.

"Ah, the world's about to get a new lease on life and they don't even know it yet," Stark mused.

"Your ingenuity never ceases to impress," JARVIS complimented as it began the calculations for the real-world prototype.

As Stark walked back into the living area of his mansion, the music shifted to a more relaxed tune. JARVIS piped in, "Your next meeting is not until 10 AM tomorrow. Would you like to wind down with some evening entertainment?"

Stark chuckled. "A classic movie sounds good. Something with a visionary, like Howard Hughes."

"Certainly, Sir. Projecting The Aviator in your private cinema now."

Why This Matters

Just as AIs will become the best possible personal assistants, they will also become your copilot at work, evolving into trusted colleagues and collaborators to help you do more, faster and with more accuracy.

LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman predicts that every profession will have an AI copilot by 2028.

The rise of “AI as a Service” (AIaaS) platforms will enable humans to partner with AIs in every aspect of their work, at every level, in every industry.

Indeed, we’re already seeing signs of this with OpenAI’s recent launch of ChatGPT Enterprise, GitHub’s Copilot product (which is a cloud-based AI developed to assist users of Visual Studio Code), Neovim, and JetBrains—all of which are development environments that help with autocompleting code.

Throughout this Metatrend, we’ll look at how AI alone, as well as how AI-human collaboration, will enhance both your personal and professional life.

In the next blog, we’ll take a look at a typical day once our AI-enabled (JARVIS-enabled) lives kick-into gear. What does an “automagical” life look like? Stay tuned for our next blog continuing the discussion on AI-human collaboration.