Showing posts with label #Internet of things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Internet of things. Show all posts
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
What Will Artificial Intelligence Be Like In 100 Years?
We have been fed on a steady stream of fictional information and imagery about what wicked aliens and extraterrestrials with extraordinary powers could do to poor hapless human in countless sci fi tales since the days of HG Wells. Of late the attention has turned closer home, what with artificial intelligence technology making an ubiquitous entry into our daily lives, thanks to smartphones, digital assistants, Uber, Google Maps and what not. While many worry about their jobs, there are those who talk about an existential crisis in the works. They fearfully point out the fact that AI is inching closer to the Rubicon and the day is not far, when they will control us!
Alarmist propaganda aside, there is no doubt about the fact that the induction of AI into all kinds of processes, activities and products is causing seminal changes in our lives. Of course, we have no choice but to accept these wholeheartedly, on account of the sheer advantages of doing so. But think for a moment, where this wholesale adoption of AI will take us. What will artificial intelligence be like in 100 years?
Let's think this one through rationally and not give in to irrational fear mongering. Till date there has been no evidence to show that artificial intelligence has in any way proven detrimental to human beings, the dire warnings of eminent scientists like Stephen Hawking notwithstanding. Let us assume that AI evolves and ushers in a whole new paradigm of living for us. What would such a scenario appear to be like.
Elimination of every problem known to mankind- According to some experts computers will equal human level intelligence sometime in the middle of this century. That really will be the tipping point. Artificial intelligence will likely be able to find smart and practical solutions for every major and small problem faced by humans including hunger, disease, environmental degradation, inequitable distribution of economic resources, transportation gridlocks, housing, and everything else that you can think of.
Humans will live in a kinder, nicer, and nurturing environment- Already social media and digital assistants have shown us how we can leverage technology to emotionally connect with each other. A hundred years from now for instance, humans won't face the problem of having to take care of lonely and neglected seniors. They would likely be quite content in the company of machines that would be their friends, companions and counselors rolled into one.
Work will become redundant- Humans won't have to work in a hundred years of now. The machines using their enhanced artificial intelligence would manage everything in the most optimal manner. For the first time in their history, mankind will experience leisure in the truest sense. What they would do with endless leisure time could be the subject of a PhD thesis? A hundred years from now the machines would probably have figured out what that could be. That in itself is a sobering thought and lends credence to the fears of the likes of Hawking and Elon Musk(who had also expressed his misgiving about unregulated growth of AI) Would we have ceded our control to the machines to decide what is best for us or would we still have oversight?
In any case, it is fascinating to imagine, what mankind would do with endless leisure. Engage in endless sport and gaming, dive deeper and deeper into the realm of philosophy or engage in further scientific research in collaboration with the machines to find out the greatest possible extent of human achievement? Would humans and machines together embark upon inter-stellar expansion and colonization or would they be happy with their earthly utopia?
Humans will integrate with machines- This is not as scary as it sounds. We are already relying on our smart phones for a host of things which needed us to get out of the house and physically take care of- things like banking, shopping, entertainment, even participating in international conferences. Hundred years from now it will be normal for human to integrate with machines on both a physical and mental level. We will have developed abilities and functions that would be truly super human by today's standards.
Technology would have made us oblivious to injury and disease by augmenting and enhancing our limbs and organs, giving us extraordinary physical capabilities. The coming together of augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, neuroscience and a slew of yet to be discovered technologies will bring us as close to an almost god-like existence as is possible. It will be a time when the virtual and real world will merge and become one. All the computer imagery that you might create would be real for you to experience.
Humans will achieve immortality- The eternal human quest for immortality will likely find fruition a century from now, albeit in a virtual form. But then there would be no distinction between the real and the virtual in that world. You would upload your consciousness, the sum of your memories and your very essence into the virtual world and live for an eternity. At to what sort of social consequences that could lead to could be the subject of a sci fi novel!
Alarmist propaganda aside, there is no doubt about the fact that the induction of AI into all kinds of processes, activities and products is causing seminal changes in our lives. Of course, we have no choice but to accept these wholeheartedly, on account of the sheer advantages of doing so. But think for a moment, where this wholesale adoption of AI will take us. What will artificial intelligence be like in 100 years?
Let's think this one through rationally and not give in to irrational fear mongering. Till date there has been no evidence to show that artificial intelligence has in any way proven detrimental to human beings, the dire warnings of eminent scientists like Stephen Hawking notwithstanding. Let us assume that AI evolves and ushers in a whole new paradigm of living for us. What would such a scenario appear to be like.
Elimination of every problem known to mankind- According to some experts computers will equal human level intelligence sometime in the middle of this century. That really will be the tipping point. Artificial intelligence will likely be able to find smart and practical solutions for every major and small problem faced by humans including hunger, disease, environmental degradation, inequitable distribution of economic resources, transportation gridlocks, housing, and everything else that you can think of.
Humans will live in a kinder, nicer, and nurturing environment- Already social media and digital assistants have shown us how we can leverage technology to emotionally connect with each other. A hundred years from now for instance, humans won't face the problem of having to take care of lonely and neglected seniors. They would likely be quite content in the company of machines that would be their friends, companions and counselors rolled into one.
Work will become redundant- Humans won't have to work in a hundred years of now. The machines using their enhanced artificial intelligence would manage everything in the most optimal manner. For the first time in their history, mankind will experience leisure in the truest sense. What they would do with endless leisure time could be the subject of a PhD thesis? A hundred years from now the machines would probably have figured out what that could be. That in itself is a sobering thought and lends credence to the fears of the likes of Hawking and Elon Musk(who had also expressed his misgiving about unregulated growth of AI) Would we have ceded our control to the machines to decide what is best for us or would we still have oversight?
In any case, it is fascinating to imagine, what mankind would do with endless leisure. Engage in endless sport and gaming, dive deeper and deeper into the realm of philosophy or engage in further scientific research in collaboration with the machines to find out the greatest possible extent of human achievement? Would humans and machines together embark upon inter-stellar expansion and colonization or would they be happy with their earthly utopia?
Humans will integrate with machines- This is not as scary as it sounds. We are already relying on our smart phones for a host of things which needed us to get out of the house and physically take care of- things like banking, shopping, entertainment, even participating in international conferences. Hundred years from now it will be normal for human to integrate with machines on both a physical and mental level. We will have developed abilities and functions that would be truly super human by today's standards.
Technology would have made us oblivious to injury and disease by augmenting and enhancing our limbs and organs, giving us extraordinary physical capabilities. The coming together of augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, neuroscience and a slew of yet to be discovered technologies will bring us as close to an almost god-like existence as is possible. It will be a time when the virtual and real world will merge and become one. All the computer imagery that you might create would be real for you to experience.
Humans will achieve immortality- The eternal human quest for immortality will likely find fruition a century from now, albeit in a virtual form. But then there would be no distinction between the real and the virtual in that world. You would upload your consciousness, the sum of your memories and your very essence into the virtual world and live for an eternity. At to what sort of social consequences that could lead to could be the subject of a sci fi novel!
Friday, January 12, 2018
Blockchain Technology Has More To It Than Cryptocurrency
The rise and rise of Bitcoin valuation has everybody talking excitedly about the technology that makes cryptocurrencies like that possible. This has shifted attention from the enormous impact that this technology is beginning to have in a whole array of areas that may have nothing to do with digital currencies like Bitcoin.
Before we delve into what those seminal changes might be, we have to get a handle on something called a smart contract, which is a central premise of blockchain technology. The term itself describes a technology that has the ability to substitute legal contracts with digitization and automation. This would cut down delays in successfully carrying out transactions that is the norm in conventional contacts. The moment a delivery would happen a payment would get made.
These days smart contract has come to denote the software that makes computation on blockchain possible. That brings us to what blockchain itself is. To the uninitiated, it can be described as a widely distributed and highly decentralized ledger that has been cryptographically secured. Each block within the ledger is referenced to the previous block and all the approved transactions, since that approval.
Now this transaction may pertain to myriad things. Everything from government, logistics, and education to healthcare, manufacturing and energy can leverage the properties of blockchain technology to obtain unprecedented enhancement in scale and efficiency. It is estimated that the adoption of blockchain technology across industries will add value to the extent of trillions of dollars in the next twelve years.
Let us look at the ways blockchain technology could prove to be a major disruptor in the near future:
1. Decentralized Cloud Storage- Even though we all store a lot of our vital information on the cloud, the fact is that we are queasy about handing control of important aspects of our lives to another entity. You always worry about how your data might get compromised and misused.
Blockchain data storage will resolve that problem in one fell swoop. No longer will any single entity be the sole custodian of all your data. Besides, the level of security will be a lot higher in the case of blockchain data storage on account of the very nature of the technology. This is because multiple copies of every transaction exist on multiple computers making hacking impossible.
2. Digital Security- Everyone knows that digital security is a huge issue worldwide. This is something on which billions of dollars are being spent annually. Blockchain technology can provide a secure way of carrying out all manner of digital transactions. If for instance, banks were to adopt blockchain technology, their customers could receive a secure digital ID rather than have accounts opened in their name. What's more, only they would have access to both the details of the account and the funds therein. Even the banks would not possess the ability to access their customers' funds!
3. Transformation Across Sectors- The application of blockchain technology across sectors is only a matter of time. Take the case of the real estate sector where there is a lot of opacity in the transactions. Often the records are inaccurate due to mistakes or fraud. Plus there is loads of paperwork. Blockchain technology can comprehensively cleanse the system of all these problems. With very little paperwork involved and the documents becoming easily verifiable with regard to their accuracy, issues pertaining to the transfer of title will be a thing of the past.
Healthcare institutions like hospitals can share vital information across their networks without in any way compromising the sensitive data being conveyed. Similarly, blockchain technology can make the voting system faster, more accurate and extremely secure.
Before we delve into what those seminal changes might be, we have to get a handle on something called a smart contract, which is a central premise of blockchain technology. The term itself describes a technology that has the ability to substitute legal contracts with digitization and automation. This would cut down delays in successfully carrying out transactions that is the norm in conventional contacts. The moment a delivery would happen a payment would get made.
These days smart contract has come to denote the software that makes computation on blockchain possible. That brings us to what blockchain itself is. To the uninitiated, it can be described as a widely distributed and highly decentralized ledger that has been cryptographically secured. Each block within the ledger is referenced to the previous block and all the approved transactions, since that approval.
Now this transaction may pertain to myriad things. Everything from government, logistics, and education to healthcare, manufacturing and energy can leverage the properties of blockchain technology to obtain unprecedented enhancement in scale and efficiency. It is estimated that the adoption of blockchain technology across industries will add value to the extent of trillions of dollars in the next twelve years.
Let us look at the ways blockchain technology could prove to be a major disruptor in the near future:
1. Decentralized Cloud Storage- Even though we all store a lot of our vital information on the cloud, the fact is that we are queasy about handing control of important aspects of our lives to another entity. You always worry about how your data might get compromised and misused.
Blockchain data storage will resolve that problem in one fell swoop. No longer will any single entity be the sole custodian of all your data. Besides, the level of security will be a lot higher in the case of blockchain data storage on account of the very nature of the technology. This is because multiple copies of every transaction exist on multiple computers making hacking impossible.
2. Digital Security- Everyone knows that digital security is a huge issue worldwide. This is something on which billions of dollars are being spent annually. Blockchain technology can provide a secure way of carrying out all manner of digital transactions. If for instance, banks were to adopt blockchain technology, their customers could receive a secure digital ID rather than have accounts opened in their name. What's more, only they would have access to both the details of the account and the funds therein. Even the banks would not possess the ability to access their customers' funds!
3. Transformation Across Sectors- The application of blockchain technology across sectors is only a matter of time. Take the case of the real estate sector where there is a lot of opacity in the transactions. Often the records are inaccurate due to mistakes or fraud. Plus there is loads of paperwork. Blockchain technology can comprehensively cleanse the system of all these problems. With very little paperwork involved and the documents becoming easily verifiable with regard to their accuracy, issues pertaining to the transfer of title will be a thing of the past.
Healthcare institutions like hospitals can share vital information across their networks without in any way compromising the sensitive data being conveyed. Similarly, blockchain technology can make the voting system faster, more accurate and extremely secure.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
The Internet of things, artificial intelligence and robotics
Nothing is going to change the way we live our lives more than the Internet of things, artificial intelligence and robotics. While these technologies will make life a lot easier and businesses more efficient and profitable there is a huge flip side as well. This has to do with employment prospects and if some prominent scientists are to be believed artificially intelligent machines might one day turn on their creators and destroy all humanity.
The Internet of things is expected to connect people, data, processes and devices on a gargantuan scale by the end of the decade-a whopping 50 billion connections. Before one starts worrying about the prospects of humanity being at risk from a take-over by machines, one needs to figure out how the opportunities presented by the Internet of things are put to optimal use, which in itself will require some doing.
The biggest existential threat to us will not be from sci-fi movie like scenarios where artificially intelligent machines and robots will rebel against humans, but by the security vulnerability that this mass scale convergence could give rise to. A less than perfectly designed system could for example impact upon the whole network and lead to disastrous consequences on an unprecedented scale.
Considering that real artificial intelligence is presently at an infantile stage, it is rather silly to be tilting at wind mills when we worry about the danger it poses to humans. Let us learn to fully reap the benefits that the Internet of things, some rudimentary artificial intelligence and smartly evolving robotic technologies bring to us. When the time comes we will ourselves find the solution to any potential threat in the future. We always have.
In the meantime we need to prepare our youngsters to handle these emerging technologies as this will help them find employment in the times ahead. There will of course be job losses for some on account of the increase in all round automation, but there will be other opportunities aplenty for those who anticipate and prepare for the paradigm shift in the way businesses and organisations will conduct their affairs in the times ahead. We are entering very interesting times indeed.
The Internet of things is expected to connect people, data, processes and devices on a gargantuan scale by the end of the decade-a whopping 50 billion connections. Before one starts worrying about the prospects of humanity being at risk from a take-over by machines, one needs to figure out how the opportunities presented by the Internet of things are put to optimal use, which in itself will require some doing.
The biggest existential threat to us will not be from sci-fi movie like scenarios where artificially intelligent machines and robots will rebel against humans, but by the security vulnerability that this mass scale convergence could give rise to. A less than perfectly designed system could for example impact upon the whole network and lead to disastrous consequences on an unprecedented scale.
Considering that real artificial intelligence is presently at an infantile stage, it is rather silly to be tilting at wind mills when we worry about the danger it poses to humans. Let us learn to fully reap the benefits that the Internet of things, some rudimentary artificial intelligence and smartly evolving robotic technologies bring to us. When the time comes we will ourselves find the solution to any potential threat in the future. We always have.
In the meantime we need to prepare our youngsters to handle these emerging technologies as this will help them find employment in the times ahead. There will of course be job losses for some on account of the increase in all round automation, but there will be other opportunities aplenty for those who anticipate and prepare for the paradigm shift in the way businesses and organisations will conduct their affairs in the times ahead. We are entering very interesting times indeed.
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