What Would You Get Your AI Assistant to Do? | FF News at FinovateFall 2024

Respond to emails. Manage my schedule. Fold laundry?…

If you had a powerful AI assistant that could do anything, what would you get it to do? With all the AI hype, we wanted to know what people at FinovateFall conference actually want the machines to do for us.

Watch the video to hear attendees in New York give their AI wish list and read on to find out more.

Ankit Singh from Quinte Financial Technologies, Matt Geiger from Sharefile, Kelli Hobbs from Valuedynamix and many more, give their thoughts in the video above.

Managing modern life

As with other videos in this series, we wanted to get some quickfire thoughts from the conference floor. One fun idea we had was to find out, if you had an AI assistant that could do anything, what would it do? You see with all the AI hype it’s easy to forget there are a bunch of tasks that we would probably like taken off our plate.

At the FinovateFall conference in New York, responses revealed a common desire for help in managing the overwhelming demands of modern life—both professionally and personally.

Several attendees highlighted the need for assistance with daily communication and time management. One speaker noted how much time they spend responding to emails, wishing for an AI to handle that task and free up more of their day. Another expressed a desire for help with scheduling, booking appointments, and generally making life easier. This reflects the common struggle of managing a busy professional calendar, where an AI assistant could help streamline their day by automating tedious tasks like scheduling meetings. As a result, in theory they’ll have more time for the really meaningful things.

Can they fold laundry?

Of course, we’re not sure if this is possible but one speaker envisioned an AI assistant writing code and even folding and putting away laundry—essentially managing both professional and personal tasks. This speaker also emphasized the importance of scheduling their life efficiently, highlighting the desire for an AI that can optimize time usage and identify moments of rest or gaps in an otherwise hectic day.

The desire for AI to assist with planning and budgeting also emerged as a recurring theme. One attendee focused on how AI could relieve them of the “busy work” associated with financial management and day-to-day planning, allowing them to focus on more strategic or meaningful tasks. Similarly, another attendee wanted an AI to help them choose the right products, reflecting the challenge of decision-making in a world full of choices and options.

Beyond productivity and logistics, some attendees envisioned more philosophical or personal uses for AI. One speaker wanted their AI to help them follow their passion for “democratizing happiness.” This hints at a more aspirational view of AI, where the assistant could be a partner in helping individuals live more fulfilled lives and pursue their dreams. Another speaker took this a step further, hoping their AI could assist not only in making decisions but also in taking actions based on those decisions. This highlights a more advanced role for AI—one that goes beyond merely recommending options and becomes more actively involved in executing tasks.

They’re some interesting ideas and we’ll be interested to see if they come to fruition. Be sure to check out more videos from FinovateFall right here.