Ep 602 - Future Man (feat. Kevin Ashton)
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The term 'Internet of Things' was created in the mid-90s to make a supply chain tracking idea more appealing to non-technical executives at Proctor & Gamble.
- ❖Early predictions for the IoT were met with skepticism, with executives struggling to grasp the internet's utility beyond basic email.
- ❖Motorola, a former cell phone leader, dismissed early smartphone concepts, focusing on minor features like microphone quality, contributing to their decline.
- ❖Kevin Ashton accurately predicted the rise of self-driving cars, battery-less computers (via RFID), and average human lifespans extending to 100 years.
- ❖AI is described as a 'more complicated toaster' that lacks true understanding or meaning, making it incapable of genuine creative storytelling or comedy.
- ❖Human language and storytelling evolved around campfires a million years ago, fundamentally shaping our brains to think in terms of narratives (heroes and villains).
- ❖Our personal identity and understanding of the world are 99.9% based on stories we've heard, not direct experience.
- ❖The proliferation of smartphones has created a world where anyone can tell stories to anyone, accelerating both truth and misinformation.
- ❖The rise of deepfake technology necessitates a sharper critical thinking ability to discern reality from fabricated narratives.
Insights
1The Accidental Birth of the 'Internet of Things'
Kevin Ashton coined the term 'Internet of Things' in 1997 while trying to pitch a supply chain solution to Proctor & Gamble executives. His goal was to make the concept of embedding chips in products to track them more appealing by associating it with the then-novel 'internet,' despite the executives' limited understanding of online technology.
I had this idea that I called the Internet of Things... I figured if I could put the word internet in there somehow, then you know they'd be interested.
2Motorola's Missed Smartphone Revolution
Despite being on Motorola's research board in the early 2000s and advocating for touchscreens, graphic user interfaces, and sensors, executives dismissed these ideas. When the iPhone launched, a Motorola research head critiqued its microphone quality, failing to grasp the broader paradigm shift, which ultimately contributed to Motorola's downfall.
The head of research at Motorola said, 'Yeah, but it doesn't have a very good microphone.'... Motorola is kind of not in business anymore.
3Accurate Futurist Predictions
Ashton made three predictions 11 years prior: most cars would lack steering wheels (referring to self-driving capabilities), computers wouldn't have batteries (referencing RFID tags powered by radio waves), and average lifespans would reach 100 years. He notes that the first two are already largely true or in advanced stages, and the third is on track.
15 years from now, most cars won't have steering wheels... Five years from now, computers won't have batteries... Kids and grandkids will live to 100 on average.
4AI's Inability to Understand Meaning
Ashton argues that AI, despite its complexity, is akin to a 'more complicated toaster' – it processes information but lacks genuine understanding or meaning. This limitation prevents AI from creating truly impactful stories or comedy, which rely on truth and emotional resonance that machines cannot grasp.
It's just a more complicated toaster... it doesn't know what it's doing. It's just a machine... Machines can't do that. AI can't do that.
5Storytelling as the Foundation of Human Identity and Perception
His book, 'The Story of Stories,' explores how human language and identity evolved from communal storytelling around fires a million years ago. Our understanding of ourselves and the world is predominantly shaped by narratives, leading us to perceive events in terms of heroes and villains, often oversimplifying reality.
Storytelling started about a million years ago because we invented fire... Storytelling is what made us human... your understanding of the world is like 99.9% based on stories that you have heard.
6Navigating Truth in the Age of Deepfakes
The ubiquity of smartphones allows anyone to share stories globally, but also enables the creation of sophisticated deepfakes. This technological advancement demands a heightened level of critical thinking to evaluate evidence, question narratives, and recognize the inherent agenda behind any story being told.
We're going to reach a point sometime soon when you actually can't tell... That critical thinking that we already need to be like, is someone bullshitting me right now? It's got to get a lot sharper.
Bottom Line
The initial resistance to the 'Internet of Things' from senior executives highlights a common challenge in technology adoption: the inability of established leaders to envision applications beyond current paradigms.
This pattern suggests that truly disruptive innovations often bypass traditional gatekeepers and gain traction through grassroots adoption or by appealing to new decision-makers.
Entrepreneurs should focus on demonstrating tangible value and simple narratives for complex tech, rather than relying solely on technical superiority, especially when targeting non-technical decision-makers or new markets.
The 'Internet of Things' found early funding and application in defense logistics, demonstrating how critical needs (like tracking military supplies) can drive the development of technologies that later become consumer staples.
Defense and government sectors can serve as crucial incubators for nascent technologies, providing the capital and use cases necessary for maturation before broader commercialization.
Tech companies should explore partnerships with government and defense agencies for early-stage funding and real-world testing, as these can be pathways to validating and scaling new technologies.
Ashton's observation that AI cannot understand 'meaning' or create 'true' comedy/storytelling suggests a fundamental human advantage in creative fields.
This implies that roles requiring deep empathy, nuanced understanding of human experience, and genuine creative insight are likely to remain resistant to full AI automation.
Individuals and businesses should invest in developing and valuing uniquely human skills like critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and authentic storytelling, as these represent enduring competitive advantages.
Key Concepts
Moore's Law (implied)
The guest's experience with computer memory and power efficiency illustrates the principle that technology consistently gets cheaper, smaller, and more powerful over time, making previously 'impossible' ideas feasible.
Narrative Fallacy
The concept that humans inherently understand the world through stories, often simplifying complex realities into hero/villain dichotomies, which can influence perception and behavior, especially in media and politics.
Lessons
- Cultivate critical thinking skills: Actively question the narratives presented to you, especially those that evoke strong emotions or confirm existing biases. Consider the agenda of the storyteller.
- Be aware of your narrative bias: Recognize that your own identity and perception of others are shaped by stories. Challenge the hero/villain dichotomy in your thinking, especially in personal or political conflicts.
- Embrace technological evolution with an open mind: Understand that current technological limitations (e.g., battery life) are often temporary, and future innovations will continue to shrink, cheapen, and improve efficiency, as demonstrated by the history of computing.
Quotes
"You kind of I guess when you have a stupid idea and it comes true, you you move from being like an idiot to a futurist."
"If you don't invent something because someone might do something bad with it, you know, you're never going to invent anything."
"The world is not going to end in our lifetime. And if I'm wrong, hey, who's going to know? You know, you can't really lose betting on that."
"AI is just like brain toast, right? You know, it's it's it doesn't know what it's doing. It's just a machine."
"Your understanding of the world is like 99.9% based on stories that you have heard."
"Any story where like you're the hero, someone else is the villain. There's I I mean it always makes me laugh... that's probably when the the alarm bells need to ring."
Q&A
Recent Questions
Related Episodes
Summer Lee Launches Environmental Justice Caucus. Trump Attacks Newsom. Letitia James Targeted
"This episode dissects critical political maneuvers, economic shifts, and social justice battles, from a new Environmental Justice Caucus to Trump's attacks on opponents and the widening racial wealth gap."
Yanis Varoufakis: Trump's MASTER PLAN On Fed, Venezuela, AI
"Economist Yanis Varoufakis dissects Donald Trump's strategic vision for US hegemony, the Federal Reserve's role, and the rise of 'technofeudalism' driven by AI and big tech's rent-seeking models."
PBS News Hour full episode, April 9, 2026
"This episode unpacks the fragile US-Iran truce, Israel's strikes in Lebanon, the dangers of Anthropic's powerful new AI model 'Mythos,' and Ukraine's escalating military desertion crisis."
Summer Lee Launches Environmental Justice Caucus. Trump Attacks Newsom. Letitia James Targeted
"This episode of Roland Martin Unfiltered dissects critical political and economic developments, from the launch of the People's Environmental Justice Caucus and rising mortgage rates due to global conflicts to the weaponization of AI and ongoing legal battles targeting Letitia James, all framed through a lens of sharp political commentary and advocacy for Black communities."