These agents, embedded in body-worn devices such as AI-powered glasses or earbuds, will enable users to perceive and interpret the world in unprecedented ways, providing what Rosenberg describes as "self-embodied skills" that feel intrinsic to our lives.
"By 2030, a majority of us will live our lives with context-aware AI agents bringing digital superpowers into our daily experiences," he said.
The transformation will be driven by devices equipped with cameras and microphones, allowing them to "see what we see, hear what we hear, experience what we experience," Rosenberg said.
These tools will deliver real-time guidance, spatial reminders, and even emotional insights into others, creating what he terms "Augmented Mentality."
Early signs of this shift are already evident: Meta has integrated context-aware AI into its Ray-Ban smart glasses, and Google’s Android XR is positioning itself to augment reality with seamless AI-powered content.
By 2030, these devices will become even more intuitive. Users may initially whisper to their AI agents for answers and advice, but this will evolve to lip-reading and muscle-activation detection, providing a private and natural interface.
"By 2035, you may not even need to mouth the words," Rosenberg predicts. "The AI will learn to interpret the signals in our muscles with such subtlety and precision — we will simply need to think about mouthing the words to convey our intent."
These advancements promise not just convenience but also profound cognitive and social advantages. For instance, AI-powered glasses could provide nutritional information on products, compare prices in real-time, or offer emotional and conversational coaching to enhance interpersonal interactions. "The mobile computing market is about to run in this direction in a very big way," Rosenberg claimed.
However, the adoption of such technologies may also raise concerns about privacy, autonomy, and societal pressure.
Rosenberg warned, "Each of us could find ourselves in a new reality where technologies controlled by third parties can selectively alter what we see and hear, while AI-powered voices whisper in our ears with targeted advice and guidance."
He added that these superpowers will likely become indispensable, with those who opt out potentially facing a "social and cognitive disadvantage."
As companies like Meta and Google vie to deliver these "irresistible superpowers," the line between augmentation and dependence may blur, heralding a future that challenges existing norms of human capability and autonomy, he said.