Internet, Social Media, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics (I’m not a Bot). . . Not sure about you, but I’m running out of energy trying to keep up with the incredible speed and volume of change we humans seem to be inundated with almost daily. But as dizzying as this change is, I must admit to being somewhat attracted to the endless possibilities posed by these changes. For a speculative writer, like myself, these possibilities offer a wealth of fuel for the imagination, and I find the story ideas pouring down like a waterfall.
But what are some of these changes? Let’s start with the latest in hologram technology. Light Field Lab, a Silicon Valley startup, has created a technology called “Solid Light” that makes very lifelike holograms that seem to just be there, in the air and not on a screen, possible. Solid light holograms are. sol lielike, they make the now ancient hologram of Princess Leia in Star Wars look like a cartoon of the past. Reports are that you expect to touch one and feel it, but your hand goes right through the image. Here is a link to see this in action: www.lightfieldlab.com .
Add to the mix the current state of robotics driven by artificial intelligence processing that enable them to actually learn—possibly more and faster than we can learn. The most widely known example of a hybrid AI/Robotics is the Hanson Labs hybrid named Sophia. Seen here on their website, Sophia tells us “My designers and I dream of that future, wherein AI and humans live and work together in friendship and symbiosis to make the world a better place. Human-AI collaboration: That’s what I’m all about.”
Now, think back one hundred years ago. Try to imagine someone telling you that we would have actual humanoid robots that could make such claims as Sophia made. You would just laugh. Now look ahead a mere hundred years, and try to think how much this technology will advance. The possibilities are limitless.
