The foundations of civilization are altering as the globe reaches a crucial inflection point. We are in a new era that isn’t quite “post-pandemic” but has enough geopolitical unrest for many sceptics to declare that globalisation is coming to an end. But because tomorrow’s challenges are so complicated, intertwined, and dependent on technology, we must find new methods to partner and collaborate across sectors, nations, and disciplines.
Each of us is a component of a globally connected evolution. The world will be able to see the actual magic of technology by building more robust systems and supply networks without single points of collapse or extreme imbalances. I have repeatedly discussed how the “tech superpowers” of computers, connection, infrastructure, and artificial intelligence can help us advance with innovation, discovery, and growth when we work together (AI).
By bridging the analogue and digital eras, these fundamental technologies have a major impact on how we perceive the world. They open up ever more potent new possibilities as they spread into more and more environments. A tremendous cycle of increasing influence and technological acceleration is created by each as they complement and build upon the others.
Technological hegemons
The five human senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—may be enhanced and imitated by the combined tech superpowers because they can detect, locate, and identify many aspects of human existence. As a result, sensing should be added as the fifth superpower to our list:
- Everything functions like a computer. In a sense, the development of the 4004 microprocessor, a 4-bit central processing unit, launched the contemporary computing era. After 50 years, practically everything we use has become “smart” and has a computer in it. Nowadays, computing dictates how you perceive the world.
- Interconnectedness: Everything and everyone is interconnected. Since I directly contributed to its development, I’m proud of how Wi-Fi has significantly improved our ability to connect. Wi-Fi was the essential technology that eliminated wires and allowed people to be more mobile. Everyone and everything will be connected safely and reliably thanks to 5G/6G and private deployments.
- Infrastructure: We are developing a dynamic, dependable path for networked compute and data storage. By combining unlimited size and capacity in the cloud with unlimited reach through the Intelligent Edge, the delivery of visual experiences, such as streaming services, cloud gaming, and other visual workloads, can concurrently fulfil the needs for reduced latency and more bandwidth.
- AI: With intelligence present everywhere, AI transforms unending data into useful knowledge. Greater AI algorithm refinement is made possible by data and computation, allowing for the large-scale development of intelligent software.
- Sensing: Communication and cooperation are essential among humans and with the technology we develop. As we explore for methods to improve our humanity—for good—sensing as a superpower is increasingly bringing together academic institutions, research groups, and businesses.
Here are a few instances of how technology allows us to complement and replicate all five human senses:
Sight: To aid blind people or people with impaired vision in navigating freely, researchers at the University of Georgia created Mira, a voice-activated AI-powered backpack.
Sound: Since the middle of the 1980s, cochlear implants have given hundreds of thousands of people access to sound. Businesses are currently looking at additional neural network connections to help them distinguish between speech and background noise. In order to bridge the communication gap between people who use American Sign Language and those who use English for language translation in real time, OmniBridge is utilising AI-driven machine translation technology.
Smell: Cornell University and Intel Labs’ neuromorphic computing team are working together to develop algorithms that will let olfactory neurophysiologists analyse the electrical activity in animal brains as they detect odours.
Touch: Researchers in the UK are examining artificial touch and 3D printed skin. The Bristol Robotics Laboratory’s Tactile Robotics Research Group created a webcam embedded in a flexible 3D-printed fingertip that mimics touch receptors on human fingertips.
Taste: In 2013, National University of Singapore academics started looking at the feasibility of transferring the flavour of digitally simulated food and beverages.
There are millions of people who are blind or deaf worldwide (myself included). Many more people have lost limbs, which has affected their ability to feel touch. We saw how COVID-19 affected people, causing them to lose their sense of taste and smell. The possibilities go far beyond what is shown in the aforementioned examples.
Witnessing the effects of technology
Sensing our environment, interpreting data, and responding are the cornerstones of our increasingly interconnected world. The five superpowers strengthen and amplify one another when we, as a global community, combine them, radically changing how we perceive the effects of technology.
Our possessions enable us to perceive things that are invisible to the naked eye. They are aware of our current location. They help us recognise unknown objects. In order to minimise blind spots and share knowledge by having automobiles transmit road conditions before the next vehicle arrives at any given area, autonomous vehicles use sensors like Lidar, frequency-modulated continuous wave radar, and numerous cameras to “see” everywhere. By triangulating my position and pointing me in the right direction, GPS can help because it anticipates my lack of direction. In the event that I run into a friend, smart technologies can provide contextual identification in real-time and prompt me with a hearing aid reminder of our last interaction.
Our things are acting as the point of connection between people and technology, enhancing our reality in fresh and fascinating ways. Every area of human life is becoming more and more reliant on technology. As we work to advance humankind, it is important to consider reforms that will benefit everyone on the globe, not just a select group of privileged individuals.
We have the power to choose how we want our lives to turn out. The decision is between what is and what will be, not between what was and what is now.
