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trajectory. More than 35 years ago I continued the trajectory curve of computing’s price performance and capacity and we’re exactly where I said we’d be. And that’s true of all the other types of information technology. It’s important because in during the 2020s we’ll be printing out clothing, food and housing using 3D print technology and this will be the nature of manufacturing and construction. So we’ll be wearing, eating and living in information technology.
You predicted that we would eventually be able
to connect our brains to non-biological neurones that hook us up to the cloud. In that scenario, what role does consciousness play?
My predication that by 2029, machines will be able to handle human intelligent activities like language at human levels means that they will be conscious. You can have a character in a VR environment today that says ‘I’m very angry at you’ but we don’t believe it because it doesn’t show the subtle signs that we associate with the subjective state of being angry. But by the 2030s, machines will have those subtle behavioural nuances and if they’re convincing enough, this will make them conscious.
What does this mean for brand messaging?
The essence of our neocortex, the part of the brain that allows us to see and hear, is to recognise patterns. So it’s already the role of brands to help guide us through all these patterns so that we can
Discovery
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THE EDIT ISSUE 7 | Q3 2017