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Take a moment to rewind 50 years. Who would have thought that we would live to see the day when we can bop to the music of a pocket-sized jukebox, access all kinds of information at the touch of a fingertip and communicate to anyone anytime, anywhere. Cell phones, iPods, computers and the internet – what were once inconceivable are now indispensable parts of our daily lives. But imagine for a moment that in a few short decades, personal computers could be capable of human thought, man could travel faster than the speed of light and we could travel to space and back in an elevator.
Skeptics say that it’s impossible. But with the promising developments of science, traveling at the speed of light or a computer capable of thought could just be a real part of our future. What was once confined to the realm of dreams and the imagination, is now fast becoming a reality. It won’t take long for science fictions fantastic stories to actually become everyday facts.
Artificial Intelligence
Will computers eventually be able to think like human beings?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a relatively new field of scientific research that aims to replicate the mechanisms of intelligence through an application of the principles of cognitive and computer science. Aimed at developing machines capable of independent thought that could possibly surpass human intelligence, the technology of artificial intelligence could be applied in virtually all industries – from medicine and entertainment, to commerce and industry.
Since IBM’s Deep Blue defeated chess champion Gary Kasparov, the development of the AI industry was encouraged and has shown no signs of slowing down.
One thing is for sure, the development of artificial intelligence will drastically change society as we know it. Just as robots have been replacing the repetitive and mundane jobs of man for the past decades, machines capable of thought could replace employment once only occupied by humans. Furthermore, AI raises moral questions. Are we playing God by creating a machine more intelligent than we? What implications will computers capable of thought yet devoid of conscience have on society?
Teleportation
The basic idea of teleportation is that an object is dematerialized at its current spot and automatically transported to a desired location. And yes, it is a fact. Scientists at IBM have already been able to successfully teleport a photon. However, it came with a hefty downside – in the process of teleportation, the original teleported object had to be destroyed.
So before you say “Beam me up, Scotty,” be aware that it might take a long time before humans can actually be teleported. Scientists believe that in order to teleport a person, he has to move faster than the speed of light (which is currently deemed impossible) and be reconstructed in his destination with exact atomic precision. A millimeter out of place could mean a missing arm or leg, not to mention neurological and physiological defects. So, while human teleportation is still impossible, it might be wiser to take the bus.
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