Brace yourself for an exhilarating rollercoaster ride of emotions in the next 10 minutes. However, let’s focus on the amusement factor as we kick off the new year on a joyful note. Here’s a list of 8 technology acceleration outcomes that are bound to leave you awe-inspired.

The ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to execute tasks normally associated with intelligent beings is referred to as artificial intelligence, or AI. The Possibilities of AI are endless, ranging from complete simulations of the human brain to surpassing it.

While some researchers may aim to create a self-teaching and conscious super-intelligence, the scope of Artificial Intelligence extends far beyond that. It includes Virtual Agents, Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning Platforms, and many other technologies.

The future of AI : Exploring the Boundless Possibilities and Transformative Impact on Our Future

As we embark on a new year, it’s evident that AI technologies are already in full swing. From virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to self-driving cars, facial recognition, and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, there’s no doubt that AI is rapidly transforming our daily lives. With a history dating back to the 1950s, the future of AI is awe-inspiring and we can expect even more exciting developments in the near future. However, there’s also a concern that AI could either revolutionize the world for the better or, in a worst-case scenario, bring about its downfall.

1. Computers will solve all of humanity’s problems

Future of AI continues to advance, we are on the verge of creating systems and robots that surpass human intelligence. Renowned futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that computers will reach human-level intelligence by 2045, a point in evolution known as the Singularity. By harnessing the power of big data and artificial intelligence, computer programs will be able to analyze vast amounts of information, identify patterns and trends, and propose solutions to the world’s most pressing issues, such as hunger, disease, climate change, overpopulation, and more.

2. Machines will become our closest companions, counselors, and carers

We are sociable beings who require the company of others. Nonetheless, it appears that an increasing number of us choose to interact with others via electronics rather than in person. People may prefer to interact with machines over people as robots become more sophisticated and can better adapt to their users. Furthermore, robotics and AI have the potential to provide outstanding care and support for the old, the sick, and the crippled.

The companion robot “Pepper” went on sale in 2015, with all 1,000 original units selling out in less than a minute. The robot was designed to read human emotions, develop its own feelings, and assist its human friends in remaining happy. There are currently dozens of household robots and intelligent systems on the market, including Google household.  Roomba, which makes life easier and more convenient.

Smart assistants such as Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and Google Assistant are still in their early stages, but they could pave the way for super-intelligent advice systems. Along with gesture, brain-computer, augmented reality, and other interfaces, voice will be the next-generation user interface.

A possible realistic representation of an AI companion may be seen in the film “Her,” in which the protagonist Theodore falls in love with Samantha, an intelligent operating system. Within an earbud, she is a sympathetic and astute voice. She can remember, learn, and maintain an adaptive relationship with her owner.

Autonomous vehicles appear to be a foregone conclusion. Self-driving cars will rely largely on machine learning and pattern recognition, both of which have received a lot of attention in recent years. The world’s biggest automakers foresee driverless cars.

3. Based on data and advanced analytics, we were able to accurately anticipate the future

Learning (including machine learning) is the use of the past to predict the future. We already have enough data and analytical processes in place to make reasonable predictions.

Ray Kurzweil, a futurist, has previously made several correct forecasts regarding technological milestones, only missing them by a year or two. For example, 127 of Kurzweil’s 147 predictions since the 1990s have come true.

In our daily work lives, we may currently predict finances (cash flow, turnover, etc.), labor requirements, consumer behavior, and so on. In our daily social lives, Facebook and Google utilize algorithms to forecast what we’ll like to see in our feeds.

Prediction will become far more complex and exact. You might even be able to predict human behavior, such as who will start dating or who will divorce. Will it even forecast what will happen today, tomorrow, and ten years from now? But, wouldn’t knowing the outcome affect how we react to it?

4. We will all become technologically enhanced cyborgs

Prosthetics and implants will enhance our minds and bodies, providing us flawless functions. Technology has the potential to cure us of fatal ailments, replace our limbs and organs, and provide us with sensory capacities much beyond our current eyesight, hearing, and manipulation. Robotics, augmented reality, neurology, 3D printing, programming, material design, and other technologies will be used to allow these future systems.

In their new book, The Fourth Transformation: How Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence Will Change Everything, tech evangelist Robert Scoble and novelist Shel Israel explain the changes to come. They claim that we will transition from handsets to headsets and other wearables. Instead of a screen, computer-generated pictures will be touchable and tactile – virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality. They anticipate that by 2025, billions of people will be using items that blur the borders between what is genuine and what is a computer-generated illusion.

Exoskeletons, or externally supported skeletons, are expected to allow humans to walk even when we are elderly and fragile, according to Thomas Dietterich, President of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. It would be fantastic to be able to hear and see even when our sight and ears fail.

“People have a tendency to think, there’s us and then there are computers. But I think that’s not true at all, I think the human and the computer are really, really quickly becoming one tightly coupled cognitive unit.”

-Shimon Whiteson

5. We shall evolve into superhumans, coexisting with AI

Let us go a step further. Rather than being physically upgraded by technology, we shall coexist alongside super-intelligent systems. We will immediately connect our brain to them, thereby increasing who we are. Consider having access to a computer that is thousands, if not millions, of times more powerful than your own brain. The combination of human and artificial intelligence has the potential to produce systems that are smarter than either alone.

Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla, has been a vocal opponent and pessimist of artificial intelligence (AI), claiming that technology would blow up in our faces. As a true innovator, he is not only concerned about the risks of creating an autonomous super-intelligence; he is working to avoid the worst-case situation.

“Humans must merge with machines, or become irrelevant in the AI age.”

-Elon Mus

Musk’s new startup Neuralink raised $27 million in funding this year in order to eliminate the need for physical equipment and connect human brains to computers. This so-called “neural lace” technology would employ implanted chips to create a “direct cortical” interface that could be used to upload or download thoughts to a computer or increase a person’s cognitive abilities. IBM, Bryan Johnson’s Kernel project, and Facebook are also considering comparable endeavors.

Many other tech leaders, including Kurzweil, are beginning to follow in his footsteps. Instead of machines taking over the world, there will be unprecedented human-machine synthesis. Kurzweil forecasts that by 2030, we will be able to connect our brains to the cloud, and that by 2045, artificial intelligence would be on par with human skills.

What will happen? Robin Hanson agrees with Kurzweil that we will figure out how to reproduce and greatly improve human intellect (our brain) before we figure out human-level artificial intelligence. The idea is that it is easier to recreate a functionally identical brain computer than it is to create consciousness through code.

6.We shall be able to upload our thoughts to the cloud and achieve immortality as a result

Rather than simply connecting to the cloud and utilizing its resources, you will be able to upload your entire awareness into the cloud or virtual reality. You may fulfill your wildest fantasies and become immortal. The theory is that consciousness is the result of an individual’s neurological activity, and that if all of the “data” in a brain (memories, thought patterns, etc.) could be “copied” into a digital domain, consciousness might be “copied” into a digital realm. Life would be extended indefinitely in this manner.

The Black Mirror episode “San Junipero” imagines a society in which dying humans can be “uploaded to the cloud” and live indefinitely. According to the futurists, it is scientifically plausible, but the episode does not reflect the entire issue. A shift or improvement in one area will almost likely have an impact on all other parts of society. That is why “San Junipero” was not quite true – such major advances will be accompanied by even more profound transformations in human society.

There are also some philosophical issues to consider. Is the uploaded version of your brain a self-aware “soul” or just a simulation? Will it still be you, or what difference does it make? What if you experience “buyer’s remorse” or are unable to psychologically justify your purchase?

7. Humans are no longer required to work

Yes, rather than fearing that “robots will take our jobs,” there may be another viewpoint. Of course, in today’s world, someone taking our job would be terrible. We are afraid of what we do not understand and cannot imagine.

From agriculture to the industrial revolution to knowledge workers, the way we work has evolved over time. Machines and automation can easily replace recurrent and normal operations such as product assembly, lawn mowing, emailing, and even driving, surgery, and research.

All of our current occupations will change over the next few decades, requiring us to learn new skills or possibly pursue new careers. The good news is that people will have more time and energy to devote to more creative and important employment.

This does not appear to be particularly perplexing. We’d all love to have a robot undertake tiresome, mundane duties like loading the dishwasher, cleaning, washing laundry, and so on. It will become unthinkable after humans have evolved into digitally enhanced cyborgs living in symbiosis with AI systems. We might not have to work at all at some point. This sounds like a fantasy come true: a Neverland with endless free time.

Robin Hanson believes in “The Age of Em” that humanity will develop technology for replicating brains on computers within the next 100 years. They will swiftly eliminate all human employment and establish a new civilisation, with billions or trillions of people living in a few megacities. This will mark the end of the industrial era and usher in a completely new way of life.

8.We will need to reconsider the worth and purpose of the human mind and body

In the world, there are two types of wealth: labor and capital. We generate capital through labor. What if machines could do all of our work for us? This would significantly reduce the value of humans. We as a society would have to develop a new method of valuing people that is not solely based on their work. We will, of course, adjust. But how exactly? What is the point of human life if there is no need to think, no need for bodily maintenance, no need to work, and even no need to socialize with other people?

It may all appear impractical and far-fetched. But could anyone predict 30 years ago that you’d be constantly connected to the rest of the world via the Internet and mobile devices? You most likely did not, unless you are, of course, Ray Kurzweil.

Futurists feel that attaining singularity (development of artificial super-intelligence) is predicted, but we don’t know what occurs next. Will it imply extinction, transcendence, or anything in the middle?

“Is that going to help us grow extinct like the dinosaurs or is it going to help us spread through the universe like Carl Sagan dreamed of? Right now, it’s very unclear to me personally.” 

– futurist Nikola Danaylov

Take a step back 

Okay, let’s dig ourselves out of this abyss of unfathomable change. The ultimate purpose of developing new technology is to improve people’s lives. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing how it will all play out – is genuinely better, or does it have major negative effects? We do know, however, that we cannot stop evolution, and that we must think hard and work smart to keep up. With the exponential rise of technology, we must adapt our linear thinking.

What does it all signify in the modern era? Technology is developing quicker every year, and this trend will continue in the coming years. Because it takes time for all areas of society to adapt to changes, nothing drastic is likely to occur overnight. Nonetheless, there are people and enterprises capable of adapting faster, anticipating possibilities, and profiting from these transitions. They will gain from it.