Recently, Qualcomm took an in-depth look back at the past of digital communication technology, much of which it was responsible for developing. This turned out to be a personal retrospective because, in the 1960s, someone first ever used the mobile phone.
At that time, scientists and engineers thought making a call from a car was the most incredible thing. It was amusing that there were a dial and buttons on the screen, which always seemed to do little, and it acted more like a boat or airplane radio than a real phone. However, It was nice.
Our smartphones do more things than our PCs as we move forward 50 years to the present because they are more compact, more likely to be with us, and manage digital communication technology.
Cisco launched its replacement for desktop phones, the Webex Desk Center, last week. While this device only merges your desktop phone and smartphone initially, replacing your PC may also develop rapidly.
Let’s speculate a little about how smartphones and laptops are expected to develop over the next three decades as we reach the end of 2020 and expand on what that means for digital communication technology in 2050.
We’ll close the Webex mentioned above Desk Hub with my product of the week, which is probably the most innovative breakthrough in the desk phone since its invention.
Suddenly, the song “In the Year 2525” is being played repeatedly in my mind.
Digital Communication Technology in 2030
We’re expected to be at critical mass ten years from now with autonomous vehicles. Finally, digital assistants will be living up to their potential, and the norm should be clean energy, but we will still be living with the effects of climate change.
We’ll still have wired networks (remember how long the fax machine was hanging in there), but wireless should be the new creation. Expected cyber attacks will already cripple several governments, transportation networks, and industries, so a focused and funded international law enforcement agency will likely chase cybercriminals.
We’re going to be into robotics well, and we should have some sophisticated man-machine interfaces, possibly in the military initially. It is still too early for digital communication technology to be incorporated into civilians outside of prosthetics to cope with serious injuries.
This future implies that head-mounted and wearable would be, at most, the cutting-edge and high-end mobile phones, and less-expensive solutions would have integrated head-mounted displays. These displays allow you to video conferencing immediately and look like you are in virtual space using photorealistic avatars. Guess it depends on how many more pandemics we have by that time; workplaces are at risk of being redundant as we knew them, making it at least possible that wherever you are, your office would be.
Not only will these head-mounted phones have biometric devices to allow third-party service providers to monitor your safety and provide timely assistance. Also, to ensure that you are who you think you are and advise you on making the most effective results.
Most of the power of these digital communication technology devices will be in the cloud, and voice will be most of the way we interface with them. Instant translation and notifying nearby residents who might be sick or putting you at risk would provide standard capabilities.
Digital Communication Technology in 2040
This period is getting closer to when many expect the approach of singularity. The convergence of people and digital communication technology is near. We will face conflicts with people who have aggressively accepted this fusion of man and machine. These conflicts will be in opposition to purists who believe in a mixture of religious strife.
Much embedded technology would have primary physical and mental advantages and have significant identity and ethical issues.
As law enforcement and policymakers struggle to balance progress with social discontent and prejudice, abuse of this capacity is likely to be widespread. Just as we now have race-based discrimination, we may see bias based on digital communication technology or human blend.
We will have advanced personal robots, autonomous drones, vehicles, and independent military and defense systems. Due to hacking, these systems will occasionally go rogue.
The advent of digital communication technology is most likely to occur in specialized law enforcement departments, intelligence, and the military. To regulate the use of these innovations, we will likely have many complicated rules.
PCs will be completely virtual, and voice communications will seamlessly integrate with all other digital communication technologies, with AI filtering to maximize time. Many of the discussions you have, and those people have with you, will emulate AIs and summarize the conversation. These AIs will be thoroughly qualified to imitate who you are and can do many of the tedious tasks you are already doing, if not most.
Digital Communication Technology in 2050
This decade brings us to where many of us assume the singularity would have occurred. We’re still going to have pure humans living in established or off-planet regions battling change. Most individuals will even surgically link themselves to their computing facilities and mentally access those services to boost results.
Digital communication technology is becoming much more prevalent. However, at this stage, it has been available mainly to the wealthy for some time. Your digital assistant can evolve into friends and family. It can even emulate expired family members. You will be able to interact with them throughout your life. At this time, people who want to live in a virtual world will. Robots and AIs will ultimately take ideas and translate them into reality, significantly reducing the need for human labor.
At that time, the multitasking capacity of computers, machines, and robots will be significantly improved. A service will primarily control the human body, and it will remotely monitor your mental attitude. This result will generate significant problems with the evaluation of what is human and what is a robot. The complexity of the mix between the two terms will differ a lot. Suppose you are communicating with a real person or an AI. In that case, you usually won’t tell or care because much of your contact will now occur with digital communication technology and AI proxies.
Mobile phones no longer exist here because the integrated technology solution is inherent in communication. This consequence will significantly broaden the disparity between those who can afford and embrace these technological improvements and those who cannot. In this decade, we can expect several disputes that will settle poorly for pure humans. In short, you’re the smartphone of the 2050s.
Conclusion:
Transport’s redundancy
If we can virtually go anywhere and feel like we’re there, do we need to travel?
Nuclear Family Changes
“Many people prefer a virtual partner over a human because they can be specially designed for them. Would you like to raise a child, have a permanent virtual child, or own a smart virtual or robotic animal that perfectly fits your needs?
I think PCs and phones to converge at some stage in the 2030s if they haven’t already. People and personal technology will merge in the 2040s as both humans and robotics develop into hybrids.
We will face many political, social, and religious challenges. Some of these challenges are likely to lead to war before the 2060s. This could happen both within and between countries.
How we navigate these reforms will determine the outcome. It could be a utopia—or hell on Earth. The only certainty is that we’re not ready for these changes anywhere nearby.
Check out: Top 10 Emerging Technology Trends For 2021