In this episode of Terms of Service, host Mary Camacho welcomes Jamie Smith, founder of Customer Futures Limited, to explore the concept of empowerment tech. They dive into how giving customers control over their digital identities, data, and verified credentials can reshape customer experiences, unlock new business models, and enhance trust. Jamie shares practical examples and insights on digital wallets, identity attributes, and how AI intersects with customer empowerment in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Key Takeaways

• Empowerment Tech: Tools that allow individuals to control, manage, and share their data, creating better outcomes for both customers and businesses.
• Digital Wallets: Evolving from payments to storing verified credentials like identity, loyalty status, and permissions – enabling trusted, seamless experiences.
• Trust vs. Privacy: Addressing concerns over big tech dominance while advocating for open-source, trusted wallet solutions.
• AI and Identity: The rise of AI agents will require wallets and digital identity systems to defend against fraud and ensure trust.
• Empowering customers with data reduces fraud, improves personalization, and stitches together fragmented experiences across businesses.

Topics Covered / Timestamped Sections

• 01:47 - Introduction to Jamie Smith and his 15-year journey into digital identity and empowerment tech.
• 04:00 - From "big data" to "little data": Shifting focus to customer-controlled data and its business value.
• 08:50 - Defining empowerment tech: Digital identity, verified facts, and better business outcomes.
• 11:16 - Creating new business models that benefit customers while improving governance and trust.
• 16:03 - The power shift: Why businesses can now trust data presented by individuals.
• 23:14 - Digital wallets: What they are, how they work, and the growing ecosystem of wallet providers.
• 32:55 - Trusting wallet providers: Big tech dominance, regulation, and open-source alternatives.
• 37:42 - Metadata, privacy, and how wallet usage may inadvertently expose patterns of behavior.
• 44:53 - The intersection of wallets and AI: Preparing for agent-centric AI and identity verification.

Guest Bio and Links

Jamie Smith is the Founder of Customer Futures Ltd, an advisory firm helping businesses seize the opportunity around disruptive and customer-empowering digital propositions. He has been working at the forefront of digital identity and customer-controlled personal data for nearly 15 years, and has led breakthrough innovation across a range of digital ventures at both large enterprises and startups. He brings a breadth of experience across product, commercial, technology and strategy. Jamie is passionate about creating new value with personal data, and empowering the consumer with new digital tools that work for them. He writes about the next billion-dollar market category - Empowerment Tech - at www.customerfutures.com.

• Jamie’s LinkedIn
• Customer Futures Newsletter – Deep insights on digital identity, data empowerment, and emerging trends.

Resources Mentioned

• European eIDAS 2.0 - A regulatory framework for digital identity and wallets in the EU.
• Open Wallet Foundation - An initiative to build secure, open-source digital wallets.
• Anthropic’s Claude AI - Agent-centric AI capable of automating workflows.
• Strava Case Study - Revealing metadata risks in location-based apps.

Further Reading / Related Episodes

• Episode 1: "From AI Anxiety to IP Integrity: Navigating Rights in a Tech-Driven World"
• Episode 2: "Beyond Honeypots: Privacy, Security, and the Future of Distributed Webs"

Call to Action

Want to know how digital identity and AI are shaping the future? Listen to the full episode and subscribe for more insights on tech, trust, and innovation. Don’t forget to follow Jamie’s newsletter for expert perspectives on digital empowerment!

Credits

Host: Mary Camacho

Guest: Jamie Smith

Terms of Service Podcast produced by Mary Camacho & Nicole Klau Ibarra