AN ALPHABET OF TOMORROW (A-G)

Artificial Intelligence (AI). Artificial intelligence is the art/science of creating smart machines, as well as the label for those "thinking" entities that may result from such endeavours. Today, work in AI research includes the development of "software agents" that may help with online search and analysis, as well as work to create smarter robots.

Whether or not any machine will ever possess human intelligence is a matter of debate. Not least this is because it causes us to question whether we ourselves are simply "machines", as well as if all forms of intelligence have to be "human" in nature. This said, once any online resource or robot starts to exhibit something approaching human intelligence the smart thing is probably to get on good terms with it and to forget about the deep philosophy!

Like it or not, with developments in biocomputing and quantum computing, online systems and other machines will develop at the very least a great deal of smartness over the coming decades. We will be able to communicate with at least some forms by technology via natural conversation. The world-wide web is also widely predicted to become semantically embedded with understanding. Today we may "visit" a web page in the same way as we visit a newspaper. However tomorrow we will visit a web page in a manner more like visiting a company representative or a friend.

Biocomputers. Biocomputers are computing devices built from biological hardware (or "wetware") rather than semiconductors and other inorganic electronic technology. The brains of all living organisms are therefore biocomputers. However, the fledgling science of biocomputing (also referred to as biomolecular computing or DNA computing) is concerned with the creation of artificial biocomputers in which biochemical reactions or bioelectronics will perform computation. Future biocomputers could potentially self-replicate and use far less power than existing silicone-based computing technologies, and may hence comprise the next major leap forward in computing evolution in a few decades time.

The development of biocomputers is also linked to the equally new science of nanobiotechnology. This is already leading to the creation in research labs of nanoscale biocomputer implants constructed from DNA, RNA and proteins. In future such "molecular doctors" may be able to monitor human cells in order to detect cancer mutations or other diseases. They could also control medicine delivery systems capable of targeting specific cells. More information can he found in this article from Medical News Today. You may also want to watch my "Fantasy Future?" video Biocomputer Unboxing.

Climate change. Most scientists, citizens and even politicians now agree that the world's climate is changing. The vast majority now also consider humanity's industrial activities to be a key causal factor in such change. As a result of these two common beliefs, climate change is something that will increasingly impact on all of us economically, socially and politically -- let alone physically -- regardless of any ongoing disputes concerning the scientific evidence for either global warming or its human determination.

An excellent source of information on the available scientific evidence is the website of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC).

Dematerialization. Dematerialization is the replacement of physical items or physically manipulative services with purely digital equivalents. Dematerialization thereby removes the need to produce and transport physical items (with the resultant environmental benefits), as well as increasing the range of places and times in which goods and services can be accessed and consumed.

Examples of dematerialization include downloading documents, music or video from the web (as opposed to purchasing a book, CD or DVD), receiving "paperless" bills, bank statements, tickets or greetings cards, and sharing photos online rather than exchanging physical prints. Future developments in dematerialization are likely to include the use of e-book readers and digital paper to make it even easier and more practical to avoid printing things out.

Eugenics. Eugenics is the making of social choices to proactively direct human evolution, and as reflected in the Transhuman Agenda. Eugenics may therefore involve the application of genetic engineering and/or nanotechnology to "improve" the human condition. The vast majority of people advocating eugenics do so altruistically in order to decrease suffering and to promote life extension via practices that currently include genetic screening to prevent hereditary genetic illnesses. However, across history a eugenics philosophy has also been used to justify discrimination and most horrifically the holocaust. It is therefore hardly surprising that many still believe any practice of eugenics to be immoral.

The most ardent advocates of eugenics -- most notably including transhumanists -- believe that we should now actively steer human evolution in order to improve both our physical and mental capabilities. For the most part, until very recently such debates have been largely theoretical. However, by the second and third decades of the 21st century and beyond, an increasing array of technological tools will exist that will make the widespread practice of eugenics a distinct possibility. The ethical debate therefore now needs to start involving us all. More information on eugenics can be found at Eugenics.net.

Flu Pandemic. A pandemic is a disease that spreads across a wide geographic area and almost certainly the globe. Flu pandemics have historically occurred about every 30 years, with the next therefore being overdue. It is also quite probable that the next pandemic will be in the form of "Avian Flu" or "Bird Flu". This is because there is already an A/H5N1 Avian Flu pandemic amongst birds in over 50 countries. There have also already been 409 cases of humans contracting the virus from very close contact with infected poultry. Such cases have now been confirmed in 17 countries. The mortality rate for those who have contracted the disease has also been 63 per cent. A human Avian Flu pandemic will result if an A/H5N1 virus mutates to become highly contagious amongst humans, with millions or tens of millions of people likely to die as a result.

Regardless of travel restrictions, the next pandemic will probably go global in four to six weeks. It could also last 18 months, with millions or even tens of millions of deaths and tens or hundreds of millions of people becoming ill. Economic and social disruption will therefore be significant, as will be the long term implications. For more information, including the latest situation on swine flu, see viral pandemic.

Genetic Engineering. Genetic engineering is the science of altering the traits of living organisms by changing the genetic information encoded within their DNA. This can involve genetic modifications/manipulations, and/or the splicing of genes between organisms to create artificial or "recombinant" DNA. Where gene splicing is conducted across species it is known as transgenics.

Both transgenic plants and transgenic animals have already been created. For example, plants have been transgenically altered to produce insulin to treat diabetes, whilst transgenic mice have been bred to develop cancer. There are now also transgenic enviropigs that have been altered to produce more environmentally-friendly manure.

Genetic engineering is likely to be one of the major areas of technological development of the 21st century. However, it faces both massive technological challenges, as well as a host of ethical battles. For example, whilst genetically modified (GM) crops have the potential to increase yields and hence to help overcome food shortages, public opposition to them in some territories (such as Europe) is preventing their use. Opportunities for parents to choose the traits of their children -- not just in order to prevent genetic diseases, but to select looks, strength, intelligence and behavioural predispositions -- will also become technically possible. However, whether or not laws, societies or religions will "permit" their application is uncertain, at least in the short term. For more information see the Genetic Engineering Fact File.