Twenty-five years ago, I was living with my family in a small one-bedroom flat in Papatoetoe. Back then, our life was defined by a home desktop phone, dial-up internet, and a Nokia mobile phone my husband used for work. I had just secured my first “proper” job as a bank teller at ASB Pakuranga.
That branch has long since closed, part of the banking sector’s massive shift online. Back then, it never crossed our minds that people would rarely visit a branch, let alone manage their entire financial lives through a phone in their pocket. We simply couldn’t imagine the life we’re living today.
The pace of digital transformation has been breathtaking. Within a single generation, we have seen:
The Power of Mobile: Everyone carries a smartphone more powerful than the computers that once sent humans to the moon.
The Digital Workplace: We work remotely and attend webinars instead of physical seminars.
Instant Finance: Banking is done online instantly, and e-commerce has replaced physical stores.
Democratized Advertising: Social media gave small businesses the same access to eyeballs as large corporations.
The real question isn’t whether AI will change our lives, but how fast it will happen and whether we are ready. We are already seeing the emergence of “AI Agents” that do more than just answer questions, they take action.
Recently, Doubao AI (released by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance) demonstrated the ability to operate apps for you. For example, if you say “I am hungry,” instead of you manually opening apps, comparing prices, and ordering, Doubao handles the entire process. While it was recently banned by Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Tencent over privacy and cybersecurity concerns, the technology is out of the bottle.
While Doubao avoids handling payments directly, another AI company, Zhipu, has released open-source code allowing smartphone manufacturers to integrate AI agents into their systems for free. In the Western world, Google, which owns both a leading AI and a major smartphone OS is positioned to be the first to bring these seamless AI agents to our pockets.
In the next 10–15 years, it is likely that:
AI Assistants: We will all have AI personal assistants managing our calendars, finances, and complex decisions. Currently, having a personal assistant is a luxury item that only belongs to people who can afford to pay a salary to someone to do it; it is not something most people can afford, even though most have many tasks to organise and do. AI changes this by making that luxury accessible to everyone.
Automated Labour: Robots will handle much of our household labour.
New Forms of Wealth: The nature of “work” will fundamentally change, and different types of wealth will emerge.
Every major technological shift from the internet to ride-sharing, was initially met with fear. Yet, the biggest risk has never been the technology itself; it is resisting change. Those who adapt early tend to benefit disproportionately.
Twenty five years ago, I couldn’t imagine today. Today, we probably can’t fully imagine what’s coming next. But one thing is clear: The future won’t wait.
Are you ready?
Want to ensure your investment strategy is future-proof? Book a consultation with Lucia Xiao today.