For the better part of the last two decades, technology has been loud. Every technology device launched into the market promises a revolution of some sort. Headlines are filled with stories of disruption, innovation, and the next big thing that promises to revolutionize everything.
The peculiar thing, however, about future technology is that perhaps the biggest changes will not be very noticeable.
Instead of trumpeting their presence loudly, future technology could simply merge into our lives unnoticed. We will go about our day, go to work, live our lives, talk to other people, and do our daily activities while technology works away in the background.
One day, you might just wake up and notice that everything seems a little more streamlined, a little more efficient, a little more intuitive. Your devices are responding faster, your apps are more attuned to your needs, your home is a smarter place.
And you might not even notice the technology making it all work.
This might end up being the technology of the future.
The Quiet Evolution of Future Technology
When we think about the future, we think about one that is full of robots, holograms, and flying cars. We envision a future filled with amazing technology.
The truth is that the reality is not like that.
A great deal of technology that significantly impacts society does not arrive in a flashy way; it arrives quietly.
Think about the technologies that we already take for granted that drive our modern world. Cloud computing enables countless digital services, but we don’t often consider it. GPS navigation helps millions of people drive every day but does not call attention to itself or the complex system that enables it. Recommendation engines on streaming services and online stores influence our decisions but don’t seem to be trying to.
The most important technologies are those that fade into the background when they mature and become reliable. At that point, they are no longer “technologies” but are starting to act like infrastructure.
That is what is now driving the direction of future technology, especially artificial intelligence.
Why Future Technology Is Becoming Less Visible
The biggest change being experienced today is the shift of technology away from interfaces and toward automation.
The older forms of software have constantly needed interaction. Users have to open the applications, navigate through the interfaces, etc. New innovations are all focused on making this interaction unnecessary.
The goal of technology in the future is not to make things more complex. Instead, it is to make things easier.
Many technologies are now running in the background. They are constantly impacting the lives of people without requiring their attention. Some examples are the systems used to detect fraud, the navigation systems that suggest alternative routes to a destination, etc.
This means the most powerful technology of the future might be the technology people don’t even notice.
The Rise of the AI Virtual Assistant
One of the most obvious demonstrations of this is the evolution of the artificial intelligence virtual assistant.
The first digital assistants were obvious. Users had to open them up, ask their questions, and then receive their answers. They were like any other program running on a device.
But the next generation of artificial intelligence virtual assistant systems is going to be much less obvious.
Instead of waiting for users to give them commands, they will be monitoring activities and needs, and carrying out tasks almost undetected. In time, they may even be ubiquitous across devices, applications, and services, not just tools but almost invisible.
So what does this mean for the future of digital assistants?
They may:
- Arrange users’ daily schedules for them
- Summarize long chains of emails before users even open them
- Create notes for meetings
- Plan better routes for travel based on traffic patterns
- Automate tasks on digital devices
According to a study carried out by McKinsey & Company, it was discovered that artificial intelligence is being integrated directly into business systems and daily tools. This means that in the near future, the concept of an AI virtual assistant will change from being a part of a visible application to a background layer.
This, in essence, will mean that people will experience a form of future technology that is natural, as opposed to futuristic.
The Shift From AI Tools to Invisible Infrastructure
A few years ago, artificial intelligence was mostly described as a set of tools. Companies were developing chatbots, analytics, and prediction tools, and people were able to use these tools as standalone products.
Today, that trend is shifting.
Instead of developing these standalone products, organizations are now putting artificial intelligence into ecosystems, and these ecosystems are now affecting decision-making in areas like supply chain, product recommendations, logistics, and customer operations.
In many cases, people are interacting with these results without ever even realizing what technology is behind these results.
However, this shift has also led to discussions about whether or not automation is actually making the workplace more efficient. The topic of AI productivity has become an increasingly important one as businesses become even more reliant on automated processes.
Smartmag continues to examine more deeply this idea of productivity trends with regard to artificial intelligence and whether or not automation is actually making the workplace more efficient or simply changing the way things are done.
The key takeaway is that future technology is no longer about physical tools but rather about silent systems.
Are We Thinking Less in the AI Era
As the artificial intelligence improves, another important question may arise.
If artificial intelligence assists more in making decisions, what happens to the thinking capacity of humans?
Experts have suggested that the challenge of the artificial intelligence age may not be the development of technology alone, but the maintenance of the creativity, thinking capacity, and problem-solving skills of humans along with the artificial intelligence technology.
As the artificial intelligence technology assists humans more in their research, writing, planning, etc., humans may start to rely on the technology more to perform such tasks.
This growing concern has given rise to a conversation about our ability to think in the age of AI, especially as these smart technologies are integrated into our daily digital experiences.
The aim for the future will be to ensure that our emerging technologies are able to enhance our intelligence, rather than replace it.
Technology, Habits, and Human Behavior
While artificial intelligence technology is constantly improving, its overall impact will still rely on the behavior of humans.
Technology does not operate independently. Instead, it constantly interacts with human routines, habits, and social behavior. Recommendation algorithms, for example, evolve based on what people watch, search, and click over time. Productivity software adapts to individual work patterns, while navigation systems analyze driving behavior to suggest faster and safer routes.
Even the most advanced technology ultimately responds to how people behave. The systems may be intelligent, but their effectiveness still depends heavily on human patterns and daily habits.
According to some researchers, the impact of technology may not come directly from the algorithms. Instead, it may come indirectly from the habits of the users. The relationship between algorithms and habits plays a significant role in the overall impact of technology. Therefore, the technology may get smarter in the future, but the habits of humans will still have an impact on the technology.
The Quiet Future of Technology
The biggest misconception that people have about the technology of the future is that it’s always dramatic and disruptive.
But the truth is, the technology that ends up changing society the most is often the technology that slips under the radar, gets used, becomes more efficient, and becomes a normal part of the way things are done.
We may not live in a decade that’s marked by revolutionary inventions. We may live in a decade that’s marked by small, incremental improvements that make the technology around us a little more natural, a little more helpful, and a little less obtrusive.
We may use devices that are a little smarter, systems that are a little faster, and lives that are a little easier. We may not even notice how or why.
And that may be the most interesting thing of all.
The most advanced, sophisticated, and revolutionary technology of the future won’t necessarily be the one that gets the most attention. It won’t necessarily be the technology that gets the most use. It will simply exist, quietly making the way people live and work a little better. And that may end up being the loudest innovation of the decade.
