Digital Revolution - The Technology Innovation for the 21st Century by Raja Ahmad Shahrir “I think the biggest innovations of the 21st century will be at the intersection of biology and technology. A new era is beginning” - Steve Jobs - During the last 10 years, technology played an important role in changing the way we live. From the way we shop, perform banking transactions, read magazines and news, communicate with one another, research for information, and building communities and networks, technological developments have made the way we perform all these so differently compared to 10 years prior. Can you imagine a world without Google, Gmail, Facebook, Waze and Whatsapp? Just 5 years ago, tablets were a remedy for headaches. At the end of 2013, a tablet was in the hands of 1 in every 7 people in this world. How long will this rapid rise in technology last for? What else can we expect from the technological inventions and innovations of the brightest minds globally? Let’s start off and look at another revolution, the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution lasted from 1760 to 1840. During this time, major changes were evident in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transport and technology itself, and as a result, average income and population rose significantly. Recently, we have entered into the Digital Revolution, which arguably started around the 1980s. If we were to benchmark the length of the Digital Revolution to the Industrial Revolution, we only have 46 years to go before things become stagnant and society accepts everything that the Digital Revolution has brought to us as the norm. The diagram below provides a summary of how technology has evolved. We are now in the Digital phase where Social, Mobility, Analytics and Cloud (SMAC) or (SCAM) for the more cynically minded, form the crux of this phase. This trend not only establishes new industries such as wearable device, smart phones and watches, cloud computing, but also a new approach to how society live their day-to-day lives. Among some of the interesting findings are: • 98% of consumers were found to move sequentially between screens and devices to complete a task • Reviews and Word of Mouth are found to be 3 – 5 times more influential to consumers trust than TV and radio ads • 80% of consumers are more likely to recommend a brand that offers a simple experience Lately, many businesses have been seen scrambling to jump on the bandwagon of the Digital phase. Companies are busy trying to identify methods which allow them to maximise and take this opportunity to gain a bigger slice of the pie. Emphasis has been placed on the fact that data is everywhere (Internet of Things), data is economical (Cloud), data is insightful (Analytics) and data is accessible (Mobility). However, as we are all scrambling to find the best way to utilise these changes, what are the pioneers of the technology up to? Similar to how large companies and developed countries are busy grappling to get a foothold in the Emerging Markets, pioneers in the technology world are also busy inventing and innovating to the tune of what is called, Emerging Technology. While we are busy accepting the rapid movement and adjusting to the developments in the Digital phase, works are on-going on how Emerging Technology can be used to save social issues. The list covers agriculture, climate engineering, construction, displays, home appliance, electronics, energy, entertainment, IT and communications, medical, military, outer space, robotics, transport and so on. While the best brains are put together to develop a breakthrough idea within these spaces, Technology Review has recently listed 10 emerging technologies that is most likely to change our world soon. Among them are: Emerging Technology What They Are Universal Translation Enables people from different cultures to communicate Synthetic Biology Assembling genes into networks designed to direct cells to perform almost any task their programmers conceive Nanowires Key element in many working nanodevices T-Rays Ability to penetrate many common materials without the medical risks of x-rays Distributed Storage Simplifies the data storage process while eliminating the threat of catastrophes that obliterate information, from blackouts to hard-drive failures. RNAi Interference Turning off specific genes at will to prevent or cure diseases and ailments caused by own errant genes or invading organisms Power Grid Control Hardware and software to track electric flows across continent-wide grids several times a second, identify disturbances, and take immediate action Microfluidic Optical Fibers Improve the flow of data-carrying photons, speeding transmission and improving reliability Bayesian Machine Learning Develop programmed decisions based on probabilistic approaches Personal Genomics To quickly determine whether a patients genetic makeup results in greater vulnerability to a particular disease, or makes him/her a suitable candidate for a specific drug. Well known futurist, Ray Kurzweil, known for his ability to predict technological innovations (the internet was among them), believes that technology will evolve so quickly that it will irreversibly change the way we live. With evidence that information technology grows exponentially, he calls this phenomena “singularity”, and predicts that it will come as soon as 2045. For those who are not familiar with this term, “singularity” is defined by Kurzweil as the point where machine intelligence will be infinitely more powerful than all human intelligence combined. Will this day come? The question on everyone’s minds is “Will this day ever come”? Ray Kurzweil certainly believes so. He has many analyses to prove how the exponential effect has reshaped the world, and firmly believes that this time around is no different. While I do believe and have seen the rapid rise in information technology, the point of “singularity” does seem slightly far-fetched. My view on this matter lies within 2 things which I believe are not replicable (or programmable). They are feelings and emotions. Furthermore, the ability of a machine is restricted to the design of man. A machine may be able to last longer before breaking down, lift much heavier objects, remember a larger repository of information, execute multiple steps of activities, and if current trend continues, emulate human-like intelligence, however it still relies on human being to be able to input the right instructions and information. Therefore, I find it rather impossible for a machine to outsmart a human brain. The element of emotions and feelings are two factors that make human beings who they are. Machines will be able to do as they are told, but they are unable to use discretion at certain crucial moments. I do believe in the 10 emerging technologies as reported by Technology Review. I do believe that they will shape the way we live in the near future. And I do believe that these technologies will soon play a key role especially in areas such as in medicine, where it will provide us the opportunity to live not only healthier but longer. Just as the late Steve Jobs said, technology and biology will meet to create the best innovation of the 21st century. I am however, sceptical about “singularity”.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 08:23:18 +0000
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