Here’s what I see coming for voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home. Lots of marketing opportunities here, and perhaps finally one eco-system to combine all social app data. More on that later.
Basic Functionality:
- What date did I move to San Francisco?
- Who joined me at the Bruce Springsteen concert a few years ago?
- What was the name of that Portland, Maine dive bar on the water with the oysters we loved?
- When did I first buy raw maca powder?
That’s fairly simple stuff. The required data sources (which we’re already comfortable sharing) include:
- Swarm
- Amazon
- Evernote

Intermediate Functionality:
- What did I wear to Blackdiamondskye?
- Which outfit should I wear today?
- What topics did I research after my first lunch with Sandra?
- How many calories have I really eaten today?
- When am I due for an oil change?
Data sources:
- Weather
- Credit card purchase history
- Amazon
- Photos
- Clothing/style analysis (with predictive capability)
- Mobile GPS data (location services) from apps like Google Maps
- Passbook (boarding passes, movie ticket stubs, event badges)
- Messaging app history (iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.)
Advanced functionality:
- When was I happiest during the time I lived in New York?
- Which job offer suits me best?
- When did I know I was in love?
Data sources:
Everything we say and type? No – just all of the aforementioned sources, plus a future wearable or implanted device to monitor energy. Triangulate the data and apply some algorithms and AI.

Essentially, I think everything I currently rely on Evernote for will be available through a voice assistant that is continually self-improving a personalized tagging convention and data-rich picture of who I was, who I am, and who I will be (how I will behave).
Location, check-in, and social data – your digital footprint – will be accessible. Visuals included. The more you check in and document your every move, the richer your look-backs will be. This is similar to the re-do in my favorite Black Mirror episode, The Entire History of You, except what I envision is not based on a 24/7 life recorder, but an aggregation of experiential data shared by permission.
ICYMI – The Entire History of You premise: In an alternate reality, most people have a “grain” implanted behind their ear. It records everything they see, hear, and do, like a first person recorder for life. This allows memories to be (quite realistically) played back either in front of the person’s eyes or on a screen, a process known as a “re-do”.
I’m not advocating for a grain implant or anything as terrifying as what’s available in this show. But the personal data recall possibilities are pretty exciting.
- Upside: wonderful for re-experiencing memories or pulling up information quickly.
- Downside: our memories will get even weaker because we will exercise that muscle less and less. Oh, and privacy.