Seemingly no one ever reads user terms of service, which are practically impossible to get through -- typically, mini novellas in four-point type using difficult-to-understand legalese. In his book "Future Crimes," Marc Goodman quips that these contracts should be more aptly called "terms of abuse," as they specifically tell the user how their data will be owned and used in myriad ways to the benefit of the company, and sometimes the detriment of the user.

I've begun to get the sense that most marketers aren't yet taking AI seriously enough. Sure, it won't put you out of business next month. It won't make everything you know wrong, overnight. But consider the implications of Bill Gates' aphorism from "The Road Ahead": "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10." No, really, stop -- and think.

I've begun to get the sense that most marketers aren't yet taking AI seriously enough. Sure, it won't put you out of business next month. It won't make everything you know wrong, overnight. But consider the implications of Bill Gates' aphorism from "The Road Ahead": "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10." No, really, stop -- and think.

Once upon a time, expensive, high-value products like Electrolux vacuums and the Encyclopedia Britannica were sold "door-to-door." In the near future, an AI brain will see you coming, scan your profile, review your recent interactions, and then build a customized interaction - whether it's a banner ad, spoken conversation or a video avatar - that conveys what's most relevant to you, of all people.