By Dr. Robert Chen, Chief Technology Officer, Appier
Reflecting on past technological milestones helps us better anticipate what’s ahead. From the rise of the Internet to the dominance of mobile phones, each leap has marked a pivotal shift in human progress. Now, we stand on the brink of another revolution: AI. This transformative technology goes beyond enhancing efficiency—it delivers personalized experiences, automates complex tasks, and is fundamentally reshaping the marketing landscape. AI is poised to redefine how brands connect with consumers and drive innovation in their marketing strategies.
Learning from the past: AI as the next major platform shift
Innovation and evolving consumer demands have consistently driven the evolution of technological platforms. From the advent of the internet in the 1990s to the rise of mobile technology in the 2000s and the surge of cloud computing in the 2010s, each breakthrough has dramatically reshaped industries. Typically, new platforms build on their predecessors, growing in scale and influence, often emerging about a decade after the last major shift.
Figure 1: Platform shifts occur approximately every decade, with new platforms expanding upon the foundation of the previous generation.
Today, AI represents the next transformative platform. Those who embrace and build ecosystems around AI are poised to unlock new opportunities, just as pioneers like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, and Apple did during previous technological revolutions.
While many of today’s leading firms were early pioneers in platform shifts, being first to market didn’t always guarantee long-term success. For instance, Google wasn’t the first search engine but became the dominant player. Similarly, Apple wasn’t the first to create mobile phones or smartphones, yet the 2007 launch of the iPhone revolutionized the industry. History shows that companies that successfully built comprehensive ecosystems around new technologies generate the most significant business impact.
Ecosystem transformations driven by the rise of the Internet and mobile devices
The rise of the Internet spurred the development of search engines, which fueled the growth of broader ecosystem applications as infrastructure matured. Today, the e-commerce ecosystem includes giants like Amazon and Alibaba, which are supported by payment, logistics, shipping, and analytics service providers. The Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem now encompasses wearable devices, smart homes, and smart city solutions powered by data collection and analysis.
The Remote Work and Collaboration ecosystem has flourished post-COVID with tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. Similarly, the Cloud Computing ecosystem is anchored by service providers such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, offering various SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS solutions. Derivative digital content and marketing models have also emerged, with Google Search Ads using predictive AI to analyze search keywords, infer user intent, and deliver highly targeted ads, transforming digital marketing performance.
The rise of iOS and Android operating systems, supported by third-party apps, attribution, and analytics services, created a thriving mobile ecosystem. Walled garden platforms leveraged this shift by analyzing user devices and behaviors to deliver tailored ads and engagement experiences. Advancements in mobile communications, cloud services, and Internet technology significantly boosted data transmission speeds, further accelerated by the advent of 5G, which offers low latency, high bandwidth, and high-density access.
How does AI drive fundamental changes across industries?
Now, as the AI ecosystem begins to take shape, it presents similar opportunities for those ready to seize them, from e-commerce and digital marketing to autonomous vehicles and smart manufacturing. AI is driving advancements in self-driving cars and intelligent transport systems within the transportation sector. Humanoid robots enhance smart manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and everyday services, while AI generates films, games, music, visual designs, tutorials, and ads in digital content and marketing. These innovations are reshaping industries, creating new avenues for growth and efficiency.
Gartner predicts that global spending on AI software will nearly triple by 2027, growing from $124 billion to $297 billion. Companies with proprietary algorithms and strong data moats will be better positioned to leverage GenAI for competitive advantages. Revolutionary AI breakthroughs are set to transform consumer and corporate behaviors, introduce new business models, and boost efficiency and productivity.
Navigating platform evolution: From Predictive AI to GenAI
AI ecosystems are revolutionizing marketing by automating key processes such as intent prediction, personalized decision-making, content creation, and strategy optimization. Automated tools analyze user behavior in real-time to optimize ads, while AI-powered marketing copilots predict user preferences and provide tailored recommendations. Generative AI allows businesses to quickly create multiple versions of content, refining customer journeys and optimizing strategies based on insights and product highlights. This enables companies to continuously improve their marketing efforts, ensuring highly personalized and effective campaigns that resonate with individual consumers.
Take Bob, an outdoor enthusiast, as an example: GenAI can instantly tailor his shopping experience based on his browsing history and platform interactions. It can suggest relevant products like fitness gear or camping accessories while generating personalized ads, product descriptions, and promotional offers that align with his interests. This level of personalization enhances engagement, boosts conversion rates, and improves customer satisfaction. With AI-powered marketing copilots, businesses can quickly optimize their strategies, refine their approach to re-engaging Bob, and deliver content that best meets his evolving needs and interests.
By leveraging AI’s capability to generate and optimize content dynamically, AI SaaS providers empower brands and enterprises to create personalized marketing journeys at scale, enhancing their efforts' effectiveness and efficiency. With a focus on user-centricity, these solutions ensure that every interaction is meaningful, timely, and relevant. As a result, marketers can deliver more targeted content, foster more profound engagement, and maximize the impact of their campaigns.
Figure 3: Decision AI integrates marketing automation and AI predictions to provide content or product recommendations based on user preferences
The Future of Marketing Innovation
I believe AI will revolutionize how we interact with brands and services across ecosystems in the future. In entertainment, for example, AI could dynamically incorporate marketing elements, such as having actors wear sponsor apparel in films or TV shows, updated seasonally without the need for reshooting.
AI will also connect self-driving technology with digital marketing, offering personalized recommendations based on a user’s route, such as nearby lunch spots or parking options while your car charges.
Additionally, AI-powered humanoid robots, integrated with digital marketing ecosystems, could connect to external APIs to provide personalized suggestions—like recipes based on the weather or e-commerce deals tailored to your shopping preferences.
Figure 6: AI, combined with autonomous driving and digital marketing technology, can provide personalized recommendations based on the user’s driving route.
From Vision to Reality
In this interconnected, AI-driven future, hyper-personalized experiences will permeate every aspect of daily life, making technology an integral part of how we engage with the world. The time to prepare for this future is now, and Appier is ready to guide businesses through this transformative era with expert leadership and insights.
About Appier
Appier (TSE: 4180) is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that uses artificial intelligence to power business decision-making. Founded in 2012 with a vision of democratizing AI, Appier’s mission is turning AI into ROI by making software intelligent. Appier has 17 offices across APAC, Europe and US and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Visit www.appier.com for more company information, and visit ir.appier.com/en/ for more IR information.
Robert Chen
Chief Technology Officer, Appier
Dr. Ming-yu “Robert” Chen is the Chief Technology Officer of Appier. He possesses over 20 years of experience in driving technology strategy, leading large-scale organizations, building scalable platforms for global deployment, and conducting state-of-the-art AI technology research.
In his role at Appier, he focuses on leading product development and technology across all of Appier’s product lines, charting the R&D directions for Advertising and ESS solutions and formulating strategies from high-value customer acquisitions, retargeting to customer retention and engagement, accelerating transaction process and insight generation. His leadership in applying advanced decision-making and generative AI technologies has been instrumental in enhancing Appier’s solutions and efficiently optimizing ROI for Appier's customers.
Dr. Chen joined Appier most recently from Compass, the real estate technology brokerage firm. At Compass, Dr. Chen built the first modern enterprise real estate end-to-end platform for agents and clients and was responsible for a global engineering team comprising over 300 engineers and scientists overseeing AI/ML, video, digital ads, marketing tech, and platform brokerage services.
Before Compass, Dr. Chen served as a Senior Director at Zillow Group and a Principal Applied Science Manager at Microsoft. He built the industry’s first cloud-based housing valuation system in Zillow and a large-scale news recommendation system in Microsoft, improving the overall engagement of news services and users’ personalized experience through machine learning technology.
Dr. Chen received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and BS degree in Computer Science and Information Engineering from National Taiwan University. He was recognized as one of IBM’s Emerging Leaders in Multimedia during his Ph.D. studies.