Communications of the ACM
Smart Yogurt and Automatic Warfare? The Future of Computers in America
Analysts expect the next 35 years to be groundbreaking for technological advancement.
Credit: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF
Groundbreaking achievements in the field of computing are expected in the next 35 years, according to analysts and experts.
Consultant Ian Pearson thinks a "smart yogurt" that uses bacteria to culture electronic components could be developed before 2050, noting a more free-flowing gel medium could be utilized to pack "trillions and trillions of synthetic neurons into it, which are just waiting to be organized into the right structures to act as a brain."
One caveat Pearson sees is the advance of artificial intelligence (AI) where computers become vastly more intelligent than people, to the point where humans are beneath machines' consideration.
Pearson also notes the ramifications of "automatic war" as the military uses powerful AIs and androids. He says with such technologies "you can invade another country and have very few casualties yourself." However, Pearson says the danger is in the asymmetry it creates, which "could encourage some countries to start using nukes, because they have no defense against the super weapons we're developing."
Meanwhile, University of Arizona professor Joseph Alpert predicts telemedicine advances facilitating a shift toward a regionally concentrated healthcare system, as well as digitized healthcare records and three-dimensional printing applications.
Experts also speculate the loss of employment to automation could be compensated by the creation of new jobs for people.
From U.S. News & World Report
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