This document outlines four different futures for human-machine symbiosis based on different underlying beliefs and values:
- Blue futures prioritize control and view people as predictable parts of a rational system optimized for efficiency.
- Red futures are competitive and value innovation, strength, and ingenuity above all else. Only the strongest survive.
- Green futures emphasize social harmony, tradition, and quality of life. Technology is integrated carefully.
- Purple futures involve confronting the unknown and transcending what is familiar as humans enhance and remix their senses with technology in novel ways.
We’ve highlighted five platforms for working towards Augmented Humanity in 2020. In each chapter we’ll cover evolving trends, key action points for businesses and brands and showcase best-in-class examples of these trends in action. The first four subsections within each theme are key action points, the fifth subsection is a nascent or emerging one-to-watch trend to explore in the coming years.
Machine learning, advanced robots, and virtual reality are here. Crucial design and ethical decisions are being made, and will be made in the near (3-5 year) future that will shape the interactions between machines and people for years to come. Today’s designers and product managers will be and are the architects of these relationships moving forward.
Learn what are the most important decisions designers will make, and the skills and knowledge you will need to design our future with technology.
"Human beings no longer have a monopoly
on memory, perception and the elaboration
of knowledge. In fact, we now find classically
human cognitive capabilities in many objects
that fill our homes and offices, or are even
worn around our necks or on our arms.
We are not talking about science fiction here,
but rather a very concrete vision of today’s
product design scenario."
2015 is on the edge between cloud computing and the Internet of Things era. Being connected is the natural state of mind for any smart object.
In fact, adding a personality to a digital product or connecting an already digital object to the Internet of Things provides a range of opportunities for business - very tempting for companies looking to bring their goods and services even closer to the needs of their customer base.
Placing an object in a pocket, in a car, on a desktop or in customers’ homes means building a personal, bi-directional, “always-on” communication channel.
-
Design Group Italia has been around since 1968 helping companies design and innovate their physical products.
The value of being human - finding balance between the artificial and nature ...Salema Veliu
A short opinion piece based upon a panel discussion l gave at the International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS20). Exploring the societal and individual implications of Technology. Proposing how a revisiting and embodiment of certain eastern philosophies that help ground us in the nature world provide the balance to the artificial world we are creating. Understanding our previous, present and future relationships and behaviours with a higher intelligence may yet help us create a more accountable and holistic framework for Ai as echoed by the WEF.
"Robotics & AI for the purpose to increase our human potential and enrich society"
This was my Keynote around the subject of Robots provided at CreativeMornings in Amsterdam and leading into the Ideathon that was hosted later that day (www.thetimeisnao.com)
The End of Information Technology: Introducing Hypersense & Human TechnologyMartin Geddes
If we were to climb into a time machine and set the dial for ten years into the future, what might personal communications look like? Might you inhabit a soothing virtual reality where your conference call takes place in a simulated lakeside villa? Might you consult with a virtual doctor? Employ a “Guardian Avatar” to act autonomously on your behalf eliminating online drudgery and security concerns? Although no particular future is certain, the seeds of what is to come can always be found within the present reality, albeit often only in retrospect.
In the ever-evolving realm of technology, a profound question arises: Can artificial intelligence truly rival the power and capabilities of the human mind? Today, we delve into this fascinating debate, exploring the strengths and unique qualities of both AI and the human intellect.
Artificial intelligence, a product of human ingenuity, has made remarkable strides in recent years. Its ability to process vast amounts of data at lightning speed, recognize patterns, and learn from experience is truly awe-inspiring.
AI FOR ALL: HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE W...RiteshChoudhary31
How would you feel if you couldn’t walk or see? How do you think your life would be different? When we think about the lives of people with disabilities, we usually imagine them being pitied or sympathised with, but that’s not how everyone sees it. Many disabled people have started to use cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence to overcome their disabilities and help them get closer to living like any other person in the world. And not only are they feeling better, they’re becoming more productive than they ever could have imagined!
We’ve highlighted five platforms for working towards Augmented Humanity in 2020. In each chapter we’ll cover evolving trends, key action points for businesses and brands and showcase best-in-class examples of these trends in action. The first four subsections within each theme are key action points, the fifth subsection is a nascent or emerging one-to-watch trend to explore in the coming years.
Machine learning, advanced robots, and virtual reality are here. Crucial design and ethical decisions are being made, and will be made in the near (3-5 year) future that will shape the interactions between machines and people for years to come. Today’s designers and product managers will be and are the architects of these relationships moving forward.
Learn what are the most important decisions designers will make, and the skills and knowledge you will need to design our future with technology.
"Human beings no longer have a monopoly
on memory, perception and the elaboration
of knowledge. In fact, we now find classically
human cognitive capabilities in many objects
that fill our homes and offices, or are even
worn around our necks or on our arms.
We are not talking about science fiction here,
but rather a very concrete vision of today’s
product design scenario."
2015 is on the edge between cloud computing and the Internet of Things era. Being connected is the natural state of mind for any smart object.
In fact, adding a personality to a digital product or connecting an already digital object to the Internet of Things provides a range of opportunities for business - very tempting for companies looking to bring their goods and services even closer to the needs of their customer base.
Placing an object in a pocket, in a car, on a desktop or in customers’ homes means building a personal, bi-directional, “always-on” communication channel.
-
Design Group Italia has been around since 1968 helping companies design and innovate their physical products.
The value of being human - finding balance between the artificial and nature ...Salema Veliu
A short opinion piece based upon a panel discussion l gave at the International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS20). Exploring the societal and individual implications of Technology. Proposing how a revisiting and embodiment of certain eastern philosophies that help ground us in the nature world provide the balance to the artificial world we are creating. Understanding our previous, present and future relationships and behaviours with a higher intelligence may yet help us create a more accountable and holistic framework for Ai as echoed by the WEF.
"Robotics & AI for the purpose to increase our human potential and enrich society"
This was my Keynote around the subject of Robots provided at CreativeMornings in Amsterdam and leading into the Ideathon that was hosted later that day (www.thetimeisnao.com)
The End of Information Technology: Introducing Hypersense & Human TechnologyMartin Geddes
If we were to climb into a time machine and set the dial for ten years into the future, what might personal communications look like? Might you inhabit a soothing virtual reality where your conference call takes place in a simulated lakeside villa? Might you consult with a virtual doctor? Employ a “Guardian Avatar” to act autonomously on your behalf eliminating online drudgery and security concerns? Although no particular future is certain, the seeds of what is to come can always be found within the present reality, albeit often only in retrospect.
In the ever-evolving realm of technology, a profound question arises: Can artificial intelligence truly rival the power and capabilities of the human mind? Today, we delve into this fascinating debate, exploring the strengths and unique qualities of both AI and the human intellect.
Artificial intelligence, a product of human ingenuity, has made remarkable strides in recent years. Its ability to process vast amounts of data at lightning speed, recognize patterns, and learn from experience is truly awe-inspiring.
AI FOR ALL: HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE W...RiteshChoudhary31
How would you feel if you couldn’t walk or see? How do you think your life would be different? When we think about the lives of people with disabilities, we usually imagine them being pitied or sympathised with, but that’s not how everyone sees it. Many disabled people have started to use cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence to overcome their disabilities and help them get closer to living like any other person in the world. And not only are they feeling better, they’re becoming more productive than they ever could have imagined!
Welcome to the Launch of the Transformative Tech international chapters.
We focus on technology to scale, business to sustain, and entrepreneurship and innovation to experiment.
We serve entrepreneurs and innovators to find feedback, funding, and friends.
Intimate technology - the battle for our body and behaviourKarlos Svoboda
This essay aims to spark a wave of public and political debate about a series of new products already showered out over you, the volume of which will continue to increase during the coming years. This essay takes a serious look at the trend that technology is rapidly nesting itself in between us, very close to us and even within us, increasingly coming to know us and even receiving human traits. In short, we have become human-machine mixtures, cyborgs.
4. SORRY, YOUR SENSES ARE OUT OF DATE!
Sensory augmentations, like any other technology, will go
through iterations, upgrades, recalls, bugs, and reboots.
Implantable augmentations, especially, or those that
require hard coupling (through surgery) to a wet biological
interface, will need to be designed to be easily upgraded
and improved.
WHO OWNS MY SENSES?
The vast majority of the computing devices and software
we use are technically owned by others—either the
manufacturer or owner of the device, OS, or code. We use
these tools under license (the terms of service we click but
never read). This can cause issues for users when certain
data is deleted or when access to programs is denied if
users don’t follow the terms set out by those licensees.
MACHINE À TROIS?
It is generally socially acceptable for people to enhance
their senses or wear a device that augments their memory
and recall, but some may not want every conversation to
be recorded, or have other flaws erased by your wearable
rose-colored glasses. Bottom line: others may not want to
be part of your human-machine relationship.
SCENIUS ECONOMICS
Scenius is a term coined by musician and futurist Brian
Eno to describe “the intelligence and the intuition of a
whole cultural scene,” in contrast to the individual nature
of genius. As we see an increase in the overall creativity
and inventiveness of scenes populated by augmented
humans, intelligent machines, learning algorithms, and
intuitive devices, how will we reward the agents in this
creative environment?
EMBRACE YOUR INNER CYBORG
Humans have always used technologies to alter and extend
ourselves and to change the world around us. The seven
billion humans on earth could not exist in the twenty-first
century without the advanced technologies we’ve woven
into the fabric of our existence. The important question
then, is not: Are we becoming cyborgs? It is: What kind of
cyborg do we want to be, now and in the future?
EMBEDDED COMPUTATION
The fabric of our material world is being
interwoven with computation. Low-cost
sensors and actuators are being embedded in
products, packaging, and other goods. Many
of the applications of ubiquitous sensing and
computation are in location-based services and
tracking, but as costs continue to come down
and communication protocols are standardized,
more sophisticated applications and services
will be added to this networked ecosystem.
QUANTIFIED SELVES
Wearable technologies and massive data
collection are leading to new behavioral patterns
and deeper self-knowledge. The Quantified Self
movement has shown the possibilities for radical
self-tracking of everything from calorie intake to
exercise, sleep, sex, work, and more. With more
devices passively gathering information about us,
the data story we are building is enlightening, but
it also creates new vulnerabilities for individuals.
ALGORITHMIC PERSUASION
With real-time feedback mechanisms and devices
on our bodies and interfacing with our senses,
there are more opportunities for right-time,
right-place influence. These interactions could
help us make better food choices and be more
productive, but they could also be exploited to
deliver targeted advertisements and other highly
persuasive enticements.
CONSTANT CONNECTION
It is now well established that people, especially
younger generations, not only desire but require
constant network connection. This need for
connection has psychological effects—most
millennials would rather be without a car than
without their mobile device. It also has cognitive
effects as memory, information processing,
and other thinking functions are increasingly
done in concert with networked technologies.
MIND-READING MACHINES
Direct neural interfaces are coming, but even before
those are ready for mass adoption, machines will
be reading a host of other subtle communicative
cues from people. Intention can be inferred from
signals such as direction of gaze, posture, pupil
dilation, fidgeting, typing speed, and many other
biological and behavioral indicators. Having
machine access to this language of intention will
allow designers to create highly responsive and
even predictive service ecosystems.
BATTERY INNOVATION
Battery access, storage, and extended life are
critical for wearable and implantable computers to
reach a tipping point into mainstream acceptance.
Massive resources are being invested in battery
technology by stakeholders ranging from the auto-
mobile industry to renewable energy companies to
mobile device firms. New breakthroughs, such as
lithium-ion batteries that can triple the life of mobile
devices, are already being readied for production.
As a result the battery market could see a quantum
leap forward in as little as three to five years.
DRIVERS
A number of technological and
social forces are driving the coming
human+machine future.
DILEMMAS
Greater human-machine intimacy creates
new vulnerabilities, anomalies, and risks.
blue FUTURES ARE ABOUT CONTROL
green FUTURES ARE ABOUT CONNECTION
red FUTURES ARE ABOUT COMPETITION
purple FUTURES ARE ABOUT TRANSCENDENCE
HUMANS + MACHINES ARE:
Discovering how our senses work at high-resolution levels
Amplifying our “natural” sensory modalities
Borrowing, mimicking, or inventing senses we don’t yet have
Mediating our sensory experience through machine interfaces
Remixing our senses for different experiences
Sharing our senses in high fidelity, and in more profound ways
Merging minds
with brain-brain
interfaces
Brain-brain interfaces
provide a platform for
new forms of highly
efficient communication,
networked empathy,
and more.
University of Washington
First human brain-to-
brain interface
Mapping
real-time
affective flows
City planners design
systems and spaces
that can read and induce
moods, creating a real-time
biosensory feedback loop
that automatically
adjusts for group and
individual needs.
Pulse of the City
Street installation
features device
that produces
music based on
biometrics of people
who touch it
Outsourcing
intelligence to
devices
Devices to outsource and manage
cognitive processes—such as
remembering calendar appointments
and friends’ phone numbers—provide
real-time recommendations, useful
cues, and vital information to
users, often before they even
realize they need them.
Unispeech
Real-time language
translation
Lucid dream inducing
headband
Image:AdamKelly/iWinks
Unlocking
the mystery
of dreaming
New technologies
unravel the mystery of
dreaming, giving people
the ability to record and
control their dreams and
opening a vast reservoir
of resources with
potential
therapeutic uses.
iwinks.org
Nourishing
eco-health literacy
New technologies for health and
well-being take an ecosystems
approach, leveraging new
understandings that the physical
health of individuals is dependent
on emotional, community, and
environmental health. Devices help
connect people to support from
friends and steer them into social
and physical environments that
increase their well-being.
Jens Dyvik
Wearables track and
display emotion, giving
people greater self-
knowledge and an
avenue for seeking
social support.
Analyzing real-time
consumer sentiment
Instant behavioral and biometric
analysis performed by smart
devices capable of recognizing
gestures, subtle skin color
changes, and vocal inflection tell
retailers which products make a
shopper stop and stare or which
make her breath quicken.
abine.com/blog
Image:Microsoft
Biometric sensing
of consumer
entertainment
Cloaking emotions
for competitive edge
New devices and services
guard against emotional reading,
including ways to change your
emotional state to manipulate the
response of any observer.
Instructables.com
DIY instructions for
making cell phone
signal jammers
Stretching
synapses
Science for brain
optimization emerges,
redefining education and
other institutions as well
as constructs such as
personal development.
wired.com
Image:NintendoofAmerica
Brain training games
Extending
ourselves into
objects
Brain-machine interfaces allow
people to interact with the Internet
of Things and computers using
only thought, creating faster,
more reactive, and more intuitive
systems. Turning on the lights
becomes as simple as thinking
about turning on the lights.
popsci.com
Image:UniversityofPittsburgMedicalCenter
Thought-controlled
robotic arm
Earbuds synch
to heart rate to
motivate movement
Programming
public health
Choice support is
programmed into the
devices we wear, as devices
that monitor emotional and
physiological states activate
sensory experiences that
push people toward desired
individual and collective
health goals.
engadget.com
Embedding
laws into the
environment
Regulators and law enforcers
build algorithmic systems—using
a combination of continuous
monitoring, predictive analytics,
and ubiquitous technologies
embedded in people, places, and
things—to stop harmful or outlier
activities before they occur.
autoemotive.media.mit.edu
Driver safety through
mood detection
Orchestrating
people’s movements
for greater efficiency
Algorithms guide the movement of
people through cities. Connected
to massive centers for urban data,
wearable devices will collect data
and give sensorial cues to entice
actions that contribute to the
efficiency of the overall system.
dhairyadand.com
City navigation
assistance through
smart shoes
Reading
emotions with
biometrics
Consumer hormone sensors
let people time important
questions of all kinds, from
romantic to professional, to
when conversation partners
will be most receptive.
GE Global
Low-cost hormone
tracking with DIY
sensors
Cultivating the
microbial self
As we begin to understand
how the microbiome
influences the ecosystem,
we unlock new relationships
to our environment, blurring
the boundaries between
what we have considered our
contained bodies and the
world around us.
realvegancheese.org
Biohackers engineer yeast
to make real milk proteins
to create vegan cheese
Keeping score
with “points”
Brands and people fighting
for likes and other forms
of social recognition risk
become caught in an
endless cycle of play or
making bids for attention
on social media.
telegraph.co.uk/games
Image:King
Games dominate
time people spend
on smart devices
Filtering social
situations with
facial recognition
People use facial recognition
technology to navigate social
situations, recognizing others
from a distance, learning
pertinent information about
them and deciding whether
or not to engage and how.
theverge.com
Facial recognition on
Facebook
Upgrading brain
hardware
Technologies designed to
support damaged brains—
such as implanted computers
or wearable headsets—get
repurposed for productivity,
recreation, and spirituality
technologyreview.com
Image:Geralt
Prosthetic memory
implants
Multisensory book
creates immersive
storytelling experience
tailored to the reader
Engineering
community
Devices to trigger
sensory experiences and
responses bring new shared
experiences. Moods and
memories that are seemingly
natural will actually be
engineered for social
cohesion ... or unrest.
scifi2scifab.media.mit.edu
Rediscovering
meaningthrough
humanconnection
While people today look to
professional work as a primary
source of meaning and identity, going
forward this will be less and less the
case as the nature and availability
of jobs changes. People will create
technologies to better connect to one
another and find meaning in social
interactions and roles outside of
traditional employment.
thesocialcoin.org
Web-enabled currency
that track acts of kindness
Animal-accessible
technology
Opening
interspecies
interfaces
Advances in communication
technologies will unlock new levels
of interaction with both the natural
world and artificial systems.
newscientist.com
Image:cnet.com