Separate and connect Input and Output! What is the "Next-Generation Agent"?

Last time, we proposed the "Emotion-Driven" model for the advertising industry to leverage its strengths and discussed the "VPA" that embodies it. In such a world, what kind of communication should the advertising industry build? We explain the challenge of creating an ecosystem to replace smartphones.

The Future Ecosystem Driven by IoT: A Separation Model of Input and Output

When considering the IoT ecosystem, interfaces that perform some form of information input via text, voice, images, sensors, etc., are termed "input media." Interfaces that utilize information based on these inputs or allow users to view/hear general information (news, entertainment) available in the world are termed "output media." Smartphones are exceptionally excellent as "input-output integrated" devices.

However, as IoT advances, both input and output media will diversify, and the pace of obsolescence will accelerate. Smartphones will then become a relatively niche existence. In other words, as sensors and devices capable of inputting personalized, useful information spread to wearables, homes, schools, offices, hospitals, and cities, people will no longer rely solely on smartphones for everything. Similarly, if customized output can be seamlessly received via a VPA on home smart TVs, office PCs, personal smartphones and tablets, or city digital signage, smartphones will become just one option among many. Currently, the more information we centralize on our smartphones, the higher the barrier to replacing them becomes, and losing or damaging one causes significant disruption. However, if information centralization becomes fully virtual (cloud-based, independent of specific devices), incorporating "personal authentication" mechanisms into the devices themselves would allow instant access from any device (e.g., placing a hand on or speaking to various compatible devices triggers biometric authentication, revealing the same personalized management screen or VPA). This "separation of input and output" is considered essential for IoT development. If society moves in this direction, the advertising industry could design future communication itself in a neutral form, unbound by existing platform companies or specific devices. It could then ride that communication wave to match the supply and demand of services and goods—the very essence of the advertising business.

Next-Generation Agent: The Bridge Between Input and Output

So, what connects the separated input and output? That very thing will become the next-generation agent. We envision the new communication model for information flow in the IoT era as follows [Figure].

The first challenge is how to acquire high-quality personal data from users through input media. The key points here are "convenience" and "security."

Regarding "convenience" first: services like Google Photos are convenient and offer surprising value ("Can you really do this much for free?"), which leads users to provide valuable personal information (most Google services like Gmail and Calendar operate similarly). However, imagine if you could integrate all your personal data from Facebook, Amazon, and Apple into one unified service, rather than relying solely on Google. Wouldn't that create an even more convenient and surprising service? While efforts exist for ID integration and data linkage, the battle among platform companies to wall off their data continues to intensify. Meanwhile, discussions about ownership of personal information are gaining momentum, particularly in Europe and the US. In Japan too, apps have emerged that allow users to integrate and manage transaction data from multiple financial institutions themselves. Based on the principle that "ownership of personal information fundamentally belongs to the individual," this movement to open data held by governments and companies to ordinary individuals is called "smart disclosure" (※9). Attempts are beginning where users themselves integrate personal information accumulated across multiple providers. Furthermore, laws and regulations may eventually require businesses to make the personal information they hold publicly available in a format that allows individual users to utilize it electronically.

Next is "security." While cloud mechanisms advance, their security isn't necessarily guaranteed. The more valuable information stored in the cloud, the higher the risk of hacking and data leaks. In this context, Koichi Hashida of the University of Tokyo proposes a mechanism called "Distributed PDS" (※10). PDS stands for "Personal Data Store," a mechanism enabling individuals to accumulate and manage their own data, sharing it selectively with others for utilization. Currently, personal information is stored on servers operated by various businesses, leaving individuals unable to control it and forcing them to rely on those businesses. However, PDS offers significant advantages: users gain the benefit of integrating their own information across multiple service providers, while businesses only need to access the user's server when necessary to retrieve specific information (eliminating the need to hold cumbersome personal data), drastically reducing management costs. Furthermore, users can enhance security by storing personal information across multiple different service providers' servers while utilizing "secret sharing" (a technology creating multiple piece files, requiring a specific number of pieces to restore the original file). This ensures only the user can restore the data, hence the term "Distributed PDS."

※9: Business Intelligence for everybody "Smart Disclosure: The U.S. Government's Open Government Initiative for Consumers" (January 23, 2013)

( http://bi4everybody.com/2013/01/smart-disclosure/ ), September 24, 2015.

※10: Koichi Hashida, "Self-Management of Personal Data via Distributed PDS," Japio YEAR BOOK 2013 (Japan Patent Information Organization, 2013), pp.142-151.