From time to time your software agent will try to entice you to fill out a questionnaire indicating your tastes … Your agent will be able to make the process fun by giving you feedback on how you compare with the norm. That information will be used to create a profile of your tastes, which will guide the agent. As you use the system for reading news or shopping, an agent … will keep track of what you have indicated interest in, as well as what you “happened upon” and then pursued. The agent will use this information to help prepare various surprises to attract and hold your attention. Whenever you want something offbeat and appealing, it will be waiting for you. Needless to day, there will be lots of controversy and negotiation about who can get access to your profile information.
Predictor: Gates, Bill
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “The Road Ahead,” Microsoft CEO Bill Gates writes:ÒFrom time to time your software agent will try to entice you to fill out a questionnaire indicating your tastes. The questionnaire will incorporate all sorts of images in an effort to draw subtle reactions out of you. Your agent will be able to make the process fun by giving you feedback on how you compare with the norm. That information will be used to create a profile of your tastes, which will guide the agent. As you use the system for reading news or shopping, an agent will also be able to add information to your profile. It will keep track of what you have indicated interest in, as well as what you Ôhappened uponÕ and then pursued. The agent will use this information to help prepare various surprises to attract and hold your attention. Whenever you want something offbeat and appealing, it will be waiting for you. Needless to day, there will be lots of controversy and negotiation about who can get access to your profile information.Ó
Biography:Bill Gates, the most influential technology entrepreneur of the late 20th century, was the primary author of the prediction-packed 1995 book “The Road Ahead” and is the founder and CEO of Microsoft Corporation. (Entrepreneur/Business Leader.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Intelligent Agents/AI
Name of publication: The Road Ahead (book)
Title, headline, chapter name: Chapter 8: Friction-Free Capitalism
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Page 169
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne