Computers of the Future
The Computer is an essential part of our everyday world. More and more we
see ourselves becoming dependent on computers. So far computers haven't
overstepped peoples' brains, by needing one to at least operate, but in the near
future, computers will be more intelligent than we could ever dreamed about it.
Soon every step that we make will be followed by computers. The main thing is, how
it will affect peoples lives, worldviews, and thinking. Are we going to be dependent
on our brains or will we have to depend only on computers?
Future computers that see will change how we use consumer electronics and
computing devices at home and work. For instance, your TV could pause the show
you are watching without the need for a remote control. Just by seeing you get up to
go get a beer, your TV would know you're leaving the room and no longer paying
attention.
Other applications might include a set of programs that help handicapped
people control their PCs and all other connected devices in the home with head or
eye movements. There could also be intuitive documents that sense when students
are confused by "looking" at their facial expressions. Then, a computer might
retrieve some supplemental information that could help the stumped student better
understand the context of what he's reading.
Computers created within the next two decades could revolve around a
technology in which laser beams converge inside crystals the size of sugar cubes,
forming holographic images for processing huge amounts of information. Perhaps by
the year 2030, computers will revolve around new types of optical processors. These
"holographic computers" might use crystals that receive and manipulate data-laden
images, processing information much faster than conventional computers.
Future computers will be more human oriented, knowing how to track the
users' behaviors and habits, thus better serving their individual needs. With the new
operating system, users will not be forced to cope with the rigid file structures as
they are now, but will be able to ask questions through more natural interfaces and
let the computer search for the precise answers. Human-computer interaction will
become more efficient and natural, characterized by questions and answers using
natural language technology. With computers become more and more intelligent,
there is the possibility they will be used to track and store all kinds of personal
information, which implies an upsetting threat to personal privacy.
Computers are already giving us access to large amounts of information. This
is increasing our brainpower, just as steam engines increased our muscle power. As
computers become more powerful they will grow more intelligent. There seems no
reason why machines should not become more intelligent than people in the future.
Computers will start to design and build other computers. They will then be able to
evolve, just as life evolves. There will then be two forms of "life". Many thousands of
years in the future there might be competition for power between computers and
life. Which will win? For all these reasons I believe computers will be more successful
and important than life many thousands of years in the future. I expect computers,
not people, to colonize the other planets and explore the Galaxy. Life will be left
behind on Earth, as a treasured relic of where computers came from.
However it is possible that computers and life might merge to make a new,
even more powerful form of intelligent being. Wearable computers or even
computers implanted in our bodies could be next. Future computers may be driven
by photonics instead of electronics and use molecular substrates built by bacteria.
Future computers will be completely different and they will have all the
senses like ears, eyes etc. and they will even have emotions and consciousness. Thus
they will come closer to human beings than any other species and anthropologists
have to classify them as a different species. Computers will be able to see ultraviolet
light like bees and infrared light. They will be able to read 'body language', feel our
emotions, and recognize our intentions. They may even use sound waves like bats to
see objects. The computer will function as expert and we can ask him any question in
physics or philosophy and he will get the answer.
In the very near future, computers will be a part of everything people do;
from the way they socialize to the way they watch television. In the future
computers will disappear from view, but will be everywhere. They will speak to you,
and you will communicate with them in ways that you can't imagine.
Future computers will operate being hidden in walls, tables and chairs. When
someone enters the room, air conditioning, light and computer systems will be
adjusted automatically according to his/her desires. In the future, computers will
learn to speak our language and they will seamlessly integrate into our environment.
Small, portable devices will continue to allow access to virtually unlimited computing
power and information.
Computers are continuing their trend to become almost as powerful as the
human brain. Once this happens, a race of robots can be created, essentially
becoming the new trend in "slavery". How far the computerized "people" go is really
up to the real people. In all actuality it probably won't go far at all. Most likely
computers would get increasingly smarter, but the actual ability to have a mind of
their own would probably stop at the loyal slave level.