Science and Technology Daily reporter Liu Xia
The fireworks in the world have been consistent for thousands of years, but the development of technology is changing with each passing day, and the impact on mankind is becoming more and more complicated. The US “Forbes” biweekly magazine website listed us five major technological trends in 2022 in a recent report, including the ubiquity of artificial intelligence (AI), the acceleration of the entire society towards digitalization and virtualization, and the full-scale code-free revolution. The demand for technology supervision is increasing, and renewable energy and new energy are increasingly favored.
AI is everywhere
Devices driven by AI, usually machine learning algorithms, will help us in more and more innovative ways. For example, smart cars will use facial recognition algorithms to detect whether the driver is paying attention to the road, and alert when the driver feels tired and tired; smart phones use AI algorithms to do everything from maintaining call quality to helping us take better photos, etc. ; Even the upcoming smart toilet is the same-it can help diagnose gastrointestinal problems by analyzing stool samples!
AI has penetrated into various tools in our daily lives-from voice assistants to language translation, and tools that allow us to extract structured data from pictures and handwritten notes. AI also powers many process automations and relieves the workload and pressure of employees in management, logistics, accounting, and human resources departments.
In 2022, the collaborative work of AI, the Internet of Things, and emerging ultra-high-speed networks (such as 5G) will greatly increase our capabilities in all aspects, and factors such as increasing data volume, faster networks and processor speeds will merge together. , The impact on society far exceeds the impact of a single factor.
No code interface is more popular
Another driving force for social development will be the continued democratization of data and technology. In recent years, an emerging industry has emerged, the goal of which is to enable more members of society to enjoy the fruits of technological development and use the skills and tools required for technology-led innovation.
Codeless interfaces will become more popular! OpenAI, founded by Elon Musk and funded by companies such as Microsoft, announced Codex in August this year, which is a programming model that can translate human spoken language into code. It can translate English into code, aiming to reduce the workload of professional programmers and help amateurs to code.
In 2022, this type of technology will become more and more mature. Ready-made AI solutions will be suitable for everything from marketing to human resources, project management, and production process planning and design.
Increasing trends in digitization and virtualization
In 2022, the entire society will accelerate towards digitization and virtualization, and the “meta universe” will get closer and closer to our lives.
A few days ago, Facebook changed its name to Meta (the prefix of MetaVerse) to focus on the business of Metaverse, which attracted great attention. Microsoft, Apple, etc. have successively announced their entry into Meta Universe, allowing Meta Universe to “swipe the screen” in the media. The meta universe is a digital world that exists parallel to the physical world in which we live. With the continuous development of digital technology, Metaverse will simulate the real world with higher and higher accuracy, enabling us to have a more immersive, persuasive and ultimate value experience in the digital field. Although many people have experienced some kind of immersive virtual reality through headsets, a series of new devices that will be launched will greatly improve this experience, providing tactile and even odor feedback.
For example, Ericsson provided virtual reality headsets for employees working from home during the new crown epidemic, and is also developing the so-called “Internet of perception.” The company previously issued a report stating that consumers are looking forward to the emergence of the Internet of perception in 2030, when it will be difficult for consumers to distinguish virtual experiences from reality. As the new movie “The Matrix” is about to be released, we will be closer to the world described by “The Matrix” in 2022.
The voice of regulatory AI is growing
Facebook’s AI tool recently identified black people in the Daily Mail video as “primates,” and a company spokesperson subsequently apologized for this “unacceptable error”. In fact, this is not the first time AI has had a problem. Last year, the facial recognition system led to the wrongful arrest of two black men in Detroit.
In view of this, transparent and interpretable AI has become more and more popular in recent years. Governments also clearly recognize the need for a regulatory framework. The EU’s proposed legislation prohibits the government and relevant agencies from using AI to create social scoring systems and the use of facial recognition tools in public places. It also lists a list of potential hazardous effects, including “exploiting loopholes” and “causing physical or psychological harm”, etc., AI solves Solution providers must prove that their systems will not cause these effects to be allowed to sell.
But Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that although he recognizes the need to regulate AI, in order to ensure that innovation is not stifled, “a balance is needed.”
As more and more people realize the possible positive and negative impacts of AI and other technological trends on society, how to find what Pichai calls the “balance point” will become a hot topic in 2022.
Sustainable energy is becoming more and more “favored”
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the production and use of renewable energy will increase by 40% in 2020 compared to the previous year, and predicts that this growth will continue until 2022. In addition, the cost of generating electricity from various renewable energy sources such as onshore and offshore wind, solar, and tidal energy has dropped by 7%-16%. Exciting emerging energy sources, such as biofuels, liquid hydrogen, and even nuclear fusion, are also becoming more viable.
According to the World Nuclear News website, Helion Energy announced on June 22 that its sixth prototype fusion generator Trenta has reached a high temperature of more than 100 million degrees Celsius, becoming the world’s first private fusion research company to achieve this milestone. The company’s latest fusion generator prototype will go online in 2022.
In addition, the “green hydrogen” energy field is also expected to add more green to the entire world. In 2020, “Green Hydrogen” has become the preferred future green fuel in many countries. Within a year, “Green Hydrogen” projects totaling more than US$150 billion have been announced globally. This trend is expected to be further highlighted in 2022.