Are you curious about where computational advancements will be in four decades? The Computing Community Consortium’s (CCC) council member Bill Gropp and The Computing Research Association’s Widening Participation (CRA-WP) board member Nancy Amato along with four other faculty members from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC) shared their knowledge on how developments in computer science and robotics will impact society by 2067.
In an article from Illinois Alumni at the UIUC, these experts see a future of innovation and optimism despite possible challenges.
Computer Science
In the future, Gropp explained that computing advancements won’t rely on faster hardware alone. Instead, compute speedups will depend on making processes more efficient and equal. This shift is crucial due to stagnating raw performance gains and concerns over energy use. By 2067, computers will likely blend specialized and general-purpose elements for speed and efficiency.
Regarding artificial intelligence, current technology mimics intelligence by processing vast data but doesn’t truly understand like humans do. Future AI may integrate machine learning with more human-like reasoning, potentially leading to genuine artificial intelligence.
Gropp believes predicting the future of technology is tricky—major innovations often surprise us, like social media did. The next big shifts may come from unexpected places, reshaping how we live in ways we can’t foresee today.
Robotics
According to Amato, there’s a major shift happening with advanced learning models. These systems can process vast amounts of text, but they can’t physically move or interact in the real world. By 2067, we’ll likely experience a similar revolution with robots that can move and act autonomously. Imagine personal assistant robots that start helping from childhood, playing and teaching kids, and later assisting with daily tasks and storing memories like a digital diary.
These robots won’t just be at home; they’ll also take on dangerous jobs like cleaning up nuclear sites or exploring space. They’ll make decisions on their own while receiving guidance from humans. However, creating these robots causes challenges. For instance, they need to navigate complex environments like offices safely and reliably, which is still a work in progress.
There’s also the design aspect. Robots should resemble humans enough to be relatable but not so much that they become unsettling—this is known as the uncanny valley effect. Throughout our lives, these assistants might change in appearance to suit different stages of our needs.
However, access to these advancements must be fair, and we need to address ethical, privacy, and policy concerns. Engineers can’t solve these issues alone; collaboration with ethicists, psychologists, and diverse experts is crucial to ensure these technologies benefit everyone.
The future promises a convergence of advanced technologies that will reshape industries, improve quality of life, and address global challenges with unprecedented efficiency and precision.
Read the full article here to learn about the other advancements in media and medicine.
