Intel looks into future, sees blurring line between man and machine

Posted on Thursday, July 31 2008 @ 8:20 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Intel's CTO and senior fellow Justin Rattner made some predictions about the future of the computing industry:
Justin Rattner , CTO and a senior fellow at Intel, told Computerworld that perhaps as early as 2012 we'll see the lines between human and machine intelligence begin to blur. Nanoscale chips or machines will move through our bodies, fixing deteriorating organs or unclogging arteries. Sensors will float around our internal systems monitoring blood sugar levels and heart rates, and alerting doctors to potential health problems.

Virtual worlds will become increasingly realistic, while robots will develop enough intelligence and human-like characteristics that they'll become companions , not merely vacuum cleaners and toys.

Most aspects of our lives, in fact, will be very different as we close in on the year 2050. Computing will be less about launching applications and more about living lives in which computers are inextricably woven into our daily activities.

"What we think of as a computer and what we think of as IT, in general, is likely to change," said Rattner , who has been at Intel for 35 of the company's 40 years. "The intelligent systems will move from being information systems to intelligent systems that will carry out a whole variety of tasks that we just won't think of as computing tasks... The technology will find its way into so many things we do and we won't even think about it. The explicit way we've done computing in the past will be there, but it will be a very small subset of what we'll be doing."
Read more at PC World.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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