On Sunday, did you see Jeff Bezos in the his “Alexa” Super Bowl commercial?
It was very good, and you can watch it at the bottom of the post:
But it does raise one question: why was Jeff Bezos in it?
He is worth over 100 billion dollars, so it is a safe bet it wasn’t for an actor’s salary kickback.
It could have been just for the fun of it – and he does occasionally pop up in a fun robot, so that may be it.
Perhaps it is just to sell some more Amazon Echos and Dots? Maybe, but you have to wonder, how much profit is there in a $39.99 Amazon Dot?
I don’t think it was any of these things.
I think he was seeking. Specifically, seeking data.
When it comes to data, right now we are in the Wild, Wild West of Big Data/Artificial Intelligence, and the Big 4 + (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google + Microsoft) are in a feeding frenzy.
And what are they feeding on? You, or more specifically, your data.
You see, it turns out that there is a Golden Cycle in Big Data/AI:
More Data, better AI → Better AI, Get More Data → More Data, Better AI ……..
And all five of these companies want more of your data.
Alexa, Dots, and Echos, aren’t consumer products, they are 24/7 data receptacles, and I contend that the reason Jeff Bezos is in a Super Bowl Commercial is he is seeking access to your data, the key strategic initiative of every corporation in the game.
Whether this is a good thing or bad thing remains to be seen, but keep this in mind: Amazon is no more a consumer electronics company than it is a bookstore; It is a data mining company, and your data is the gold.
Don’t sell out too cheaply.