Google Glass was not massively successful when initially launched. The benefits were marginal at best and people preferred to rely on their phones, rather than don geeky eyewear. We had Siri and Google Now, that spoke to us. But these were only ‘basic’ artificial intelligence agents.

Six years ago saw the launch of Nigel, touted as the first truly “Artificial General Intelligence” or AGI. A cloud-based algorithm that was more than smart; Nigel could learn from your actions and transactions, build up a picture of your preferences and interactions with others; and assist you in any situation. That was the claim.

Now there are a host of personal AGIs that can advise you on your next move; at work and in life. Whether it’s Nigel, George or Georgia, these intelligent agents scan the world around you and identify and anticipate optimum sequential actions. Based on deep learning, your AGI coach is able to synthesize human behaviours to create an encyclopedic repository of life; offering you the best outcomes.

You can select your AGI for ‘personality’ or specialist skills. Do you want an empathetic coach, or a medical expert to warn you of impending disease and how to prevent it? Not only does the AGI pick up on cues, it also tells you what to do, when. A popular general function will alert you if someone is telling the truth or lying. In fact, most AGIs can give you the real-time stress level of anyone you’re talking to.

Decades ahead of predictions for general super-intelligence, these coaches are fast becoming digital personal companions; trusted advisors. Of course, they rely on the internet of everything, being able to interact with and learn from the web of people and things that surround us. Without those trusted connections, they’re not so smart at all.