I have been in Systems/technology all my professional career, beginning in 1959 when a Department I was the manager of, was automated by the then called Data Processing Group. Later I was one of the 11 founders of the Society for Information Management in 1968 [SIM]. Trying to anticipate future advantages of existing or new technology was, & is, always an elusive challenge. Perhaps, relatively speaking, it’s never been any less of a difficult responsibility than now. But is seems like there’s more research, more choices, more potential paths of deployment than was the case earlier in our industry’s short history.
For some time I’ve been a subscriber of Ray Kurzweil’s Weekly AI newsletter, which highlights a broader & more current span of research, venders, organizations, then many of the other publications I read. Having read years ago, reported on, and explained to others, my resulting conclusions from his book “The Singularity is Near”, I’ve always been intrigued by his views, and his extensive network of connections.
Especially , more recently I’ve begun “connecting the Dots”. He uses the verb “convergence”. Gartner’s March 2014 report uses the phase “nexus of forces”. Doing so is very provocative. Perhaps beyond some people, even scary or thought impossible
When you do this integration today….there clearly seems to be an explosion in the depth, pace and impact of technology, which excites, and sometimes overwhelms me. I hope many more of us are on that journey of understanding and preparation! It’s fundamental!!
