I recently heard about a company that uses neural networks and software to predict movie ticket sales based on words in the movie title and plot synopsis.
This has got to be where most things are headed. My initial thought is, this is exactly what’s missing from website development! Granted, people use SEO methods and meta keywords to improve their Google search rankings, but what if there was a method of analyzing the design elements and user experience of a website as a predictor of website a) sales b) returning users and c) customer-initiated viral marketing?
That would be a great way to sell design AND improve user experience, and it could be industry-specific. Perhaps one design element works better with online clothing retailers than it does with luxury car sites, for instance.
Glad I signed up for that artificial intelligence class at Stanford!
Decoding Whitespace 