The Advent of Modern Technologies
It has been more than two decades since we entered the 21st century. Entering a new century was a milestone of its own, but what followed was even more interesting. The rise of the internet, the dot com era, and the IT revolution changed the way the world worked, communicated and imagined the future.
The late 1990s and early 2000s witnessed a significant technological revolution. Computers, which were once outside the reach of many ordinary people, slowly became part of everyday life.
They also created a new aspiration, especially among young people. Suddenly, working with computers looked exciting and different. Software engineering became one of the most sought after careers in India, after government jobs.
When computers were still new
I remember our computer classes in the early 2000s. The programming languages introduced to us were DOS and FoxPro .
Honestly, programming did not create much excitement among us at that time. The interesting part was gaming. We loved playing games on the computer. It was similar to video games, but playing on a computer felt like a completely different experience.
If you were born in India and were not from one of the major metro cities, you probably did not see computers being used everywhere. Computers were slowly entering school curriculums, but they were still unfamiliar to many families.
It was not always about affordability. In many cases, people simply did not know what a computer could actually do.
That changed very quickly.
The computer did not evolve alone
The interesting part is that computers did not evolve in isolation. It was a global technological revolution.
Computers became faster. Processors became more powerful. Hardware improved year after year, following ideas such as Moore Law .
At the same time, the telecom sector was growing rapidly. First came 2G , followed by 2.5G and eventually 3G .
3G was no less than a revolution. It brought people closer and made mobile internet considerably more useful. Video calls became possible with much better image and voice quality.
Today we are familiar with 4G and 5G, but at that time even 3G felt like something from the future.
From mobile phones to mobility
The first internet enabled phone was launched in 1996 by Nokia in Finland. The handset was the Nokia 9000 Communicator .
Today, almost every mobile phone comes with internet connectivity. Somewhere along this journey, the mobile phone stopped being just a communication device and became a part of everyday life.
The smartphone changed the relationship even further. Computers were no longer tied to a desk. The internet was no longer tied to a particular location.
Mobile became mobility.
It allowed people to work, communicate and travel at the same time. I have been doing this since 2013.
The arrival of Artificial Intelligence
The advent of modern technologies did not simply overwhelm us. It also opened the door for newer technologies.
One of the most interesting among them is Artificial Intelligence .
The term Artificial Intelligence was coined in 1956. The subject has evolved significantly since then and today includes areas such as Machine Learning and Deep Learning.
One of the most famous ideas associated with AI is the Turing Test , proposed by Alan Turing.
The interesting question is not only whether machines can think, but how closely machines can imitate human behaviour.
Today, the term AI is used everywhere. But not everything that uses technology is necessarily Artificial Intelligence. The distinction between automation, software, Machine Learning and AI is important.
When technology starts driving
With the development of AI and related technologies, entrepreneurs have started exploring completely new possibilities.
One of the most fascinating examples is the driverless car .
Think about the possibilities.
If you have lived in Bangalore, you know the traffic situation. A distance of 10 to 15 kilometres during peak hours can sometimes take almost two hours.
A person can easily spend three to four hours every day commuting to work, followed by another long workday.
Now imagine a future where the car drives itself.
Those hours that were previously spent driving suddenly become available for something else.
You could complete office work, read something, watch a video, communicate with someone, shop online, or simply do nothing.
And that is where technology becomes more than technology. Your saved time becomes a business opportunity for someone else.
The future of work
This change will not happen in isolation.
New technologies will change the way the world works. Some jobs will disappear. New jobs will emerge, including jobs that we may not even have names for today.
This means our understanding of human capital will also have to change.
The advent of one technology can lead to the development of another. That technology can create another opportunity, which can lead to another industry.
It becomes a continuous chain of innovation in an increasingly integrated world and an integrated economy.
Technology and the value of time
There is another side to this technological revolution that interests me.
We often talk about technology making life easier. But technology also creates new expectations.
When communication becomes instant, people expect instant responses. When information becomes easily available, people expect immediate answers. When commuting becomes productive, even leisure can start looking like wasted time.
Somewhere along the way, technology may not only save our time. It may also find new ways to consume it.
Are humans still the priority?
I understand that it might be too early to think about where all of this will eventually lead.
But it might also not be too late.
These are only my thoughts and personal observations. The way we understand technology depends on the way we look at the world around us.
Sometimes I wonder whether humans are still the priority, or whether we have slowly become an important object within a capitalist economy.
Is that good?
Is that bad?
I do not know.
Perhaps time will be the wisest counsellor.
For now, as someone who works with technology, the only practical thing I can think of is to keep learning and keep improving our skills.
And then there is space
Technology is not limited to computers, mobile phones and Artificial Intelligence.
Space technology is another area where private companies and entrepreneurs are trying to push the boundaries of what is possible.
The idea of commercial space travel once sounded like science fiction. Today it is being discussed as a possible part of the future.
It is difficult to predict where this journey will take us. Perhaps one day travelling beyond Earth will become considerably more accessible than it is today.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
I am not sure whether this ancient Indian concept fits perfectly into an article about technology, but I would still like to include it here.
उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् |
Ayam nijah paro veti ganana laghu chetasam. Udar charitanam tu vasudhaiva kutumbakam.
For narrow minded people, there is a distinction between what belongs to them and what belongs to others. A person with a broader mind does not see the world in the same way. For such a person, the entire universe is one family.
Everything is connected.
So, where are we heading?
That is probably the question I started this article with, and I still do not have a definite answer.
Technology has already changed the way we live, work, communicate and travel. The next few decades will probably change it even more.
We may see machines becoming more capable, transportation becoming more autonomous, work becoming more flexible, and space becoming more accessible.
The important thing is to understand the change instead of simply being overwhelmed by it.
The future is coming anyway.
We might as well be ready for it.
~ CoolSage