Augmenting the Consumer Experience: From Levi's Denim to Personal AI Assistants

Imagine you have your own Personal AI assistant that can help you get any answer about yourself - your wellness and well-being, your health, or your daily routines - and those answers are based on real data from the fitness devices and apps that you use everyday day, what would you ask? 

If such an opportunity to better understand your daily metrics arrives, why would you choose not to have your own Personal AI assistant?
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For years, consumer brands have tried to create products that give us the inner feeling of freedom, empowerment, and happiness. How have brands adapted to rapid technological change, and what will the consumer experience look like in the age of AI?

Image credit: Levi's Strauss.

Denim as a Decadent Symbol of Liberty 
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Let’s travel back in time. During the Cold War, jeans were considered a symbol of capitalism. Denim was banned behind the iron curtain and jeans-wearers were enemies of the communist state. 

International fashion trends, however, could not be stopped at the iron curtain, and Levi’s jeans have become the most sought-after item for the youth in the East: a part of the West many of them dreamed to obtain.

One of the most famous commercials of all time was Levi’s advertisement “1984 Russia.” It told a story of a young man returning from abroad to a Soviet airport. The security personnel opened his suitcase to check for any illegal goods, but they are momentarily distracted and the man returns home with his most prized possession. The traveler would risk everything for his Levi’s.

​When Everything Changed

It seems that the year 1984 changed the world as we know it: it was the year when Apple introduced Macintosh. The ad responded to the fear of those days when people were surveilled by Big Brother, and offered the hope that the new Mac would actually “set people free”:

Several decades later, Apple’s executives still refer to that early concept of Mac and reiterate, that the information we as individuals create by using Apple’s products belongs to us and that by using Apple’s products we will be happier every day. 

Reinventing Denim with Sensors

Fast-forward to 2018 when Google and Levi's have teamed up to create a new - sensorized - version of the iconic Trucker Jacket, which featured Google's Jacquard technology. This technology allowed the wearer to interact with their smartphone through touch-sensitive areas on the jacket's sleeve. The jacket has a range of functions, including the ability to control music playback, answer calls and get directions, all without needing to take out the phone.

The collaboration between the Google and Levi’s aimed to create a wearable that seamlessly integrates technology into everyday clothing. The new Trucker Jacket is a step towards creating more intuitive and functional wearable technology that can enhance people's lives and make the use of technology more seamless.

Customer Engagement in the Age of AI 

The concept of creating personal AI assistants is not new, but the currently available voice assistants in the market have limited utility. This could be due to the fact that Siris and Alexas are based on limited data which users generate using specific companies’ products and services. 

With so much data that each of us generates, it is necessary to rethink the architecture of how personal data is aggregated and used. Individuals need to have all of their data - not just data from a device or one app - on their side. Then, we can expect AI assistants to actually empower consumers.

One of the key lessons that ChatGPT taught us is seamless user experience and the availability of easy-to-use tools for any individual. When it comes to our personal life, sensorized devices and services we use in our daily personal lives, AI assistants must be tools available at your fingertips. Personal AI assistants of the future must allow us to ask anything about myself, about things that matter to us 

Similar to how the denim movement could not be stopped in the 1980s, AI's development is not asking for permission, whatever technology and data leaders may presume. The question is how we develop it and what type of incentives we give our AIs. 

At Prifina, we strongly believe that individuals should be represented by their own AI that runs on individuals side, advocates for them and works for them.

However, data-driven insights are not the only components of a digital customer experience. Brands should continue exploring possible ways to increase brand value for customers and find new modalities for emotional engagement with the product. 

We have an opportunity to not only be empowered by the jeans we wear but also personalized applications that help us reach the goals we set in our lives. The possibilities are endless, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this technology.

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