The Shape of Things to Come

Not that long ago - 1997 - I gave an in-house training course to staff at EASAMS, and made a few startling to them but obvious (to me) predictions. That the Web was just beginning, that in 5 years time, most of the planet's computers would be connected. I predicted that if you wanted guaranteed emplyment, go into e-commerce, it was still in it's infancy.

Now a short film that makes similar predictions. The one area they have it wrong is the implications of complexity and the human brain. They don't actually say that AIs (Artificial Intelligences) will be cheap. But the implication is there.

That the hardware will exist, I have no doubts. That self-programming, learning software that learns the right things will exist is another matter. I'm very sceptical that we know enough about natural intelligence to grow artificial ones. And "growing" is the right word, not "manufacturing".

Anyway, enough if the introduction, in with the film.