Communication Could be the Key to Solving Our Diversity Issues
Mark Habgood, Product Manager at leading global software company Ideagen Plc, reviews the history of how we communicate and makes some predictions for the future.
NOTTINGHAM, UK, SEP 29, 2021 - Communication is a characteristic that is core to every part of organic life, whether it’s trees sending chemical signals through their roots, a Peacock flamboyantly flaring its feathers or the rhythmic song of a Humpback Whale. For humans, communication methods have developed rapidly since our ancestors roamed the plains of Africa 300,000 years ago. From cave paintings, to sending notes via carrier pigeon, to telecommunications and now, for better or worse, to memes, humans have come a long way in how we communicate with each other. We have excelled at finding new, innovative ways to make communication as easy, quick and effortless as possible, but what could we expect communications to look like at the end of the 21st century?
AI Support
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is still in its infancy, and it could really change the way we communicate. It might be through streamlining operations such as customer services or enabling an easier and more effective way to communicate across borders and in multiple languages. AI could provide a great foundation to start building an ever more connected world.
Using complex self-learning chatbots could improve the way we communicate in a business setting, whether it be used for customer service or even as a PA. Chatbots already exist today, with first contact customer support the common use for them, but they can be incredibly frustrating and a lot of the time they are almost useless. Much work and investment is taking place to ensure chatbots are improved and streamlined to solve individual queries, and to learn from each situation. This is bound to lead to more useful chatbots in the future and this will make it easier and quicker to solve problems online.
Pushing multifunctionality of our devices is something that will keep improving in the future as technology companies try to dominate all areas of entertainment and communication. Having a central AI system in the buildings in which we live and work would allow us to communicate on the move. The ability to talk to this advanced AI system to do tasks such as send emails, set up hologram meeting or simply make a coffee could be the future of our ever more sedentary lives. There are already cars equipped with Alexa that can turn on the lights in your home as you enter your driveway!
Having AI that builds on the technology we already have of voice activated language translation could be one of the most innovative technologies humans has ever seen. To have technology that translates in real-time, clearly, and in any language could present a final piece in creating a truly globalised world that could share communication, commerce, and culture. A small earpiece could receive, translate, and relay any language and could even create an accurate accent of the person talking. To take it further this technology could be implemented into more personal technology, something that will make earpieces, mobiles and tablets a thing of the past.
Going Hands Free
Having such incredible processing power at your fingertips, in the form of a mobile phone, has forever changed the way we communicate. But imagine increasing this powerful communication and processing ability, without the fear of losing your phone or cracking its screen? Sounds great, doesn’t it? In the next 100 years we could find mobile handsets a thing of the past. Maybe that old blackberry you have knocking about will become a valuable museum-worthy piece of technological history.
Why would we need to burden ourselves with a clunky device when we can input and control applications straight from the source, our brains. Having an implanted chip that did everything your phone can do and more could be the next step on our road to improving communication. Being able to text, email, and search for information just by thought would speed up the way we interact, learn and work with one and other.
Such an implant would completely change how we perceive communication. For business this could mean specialised apps that can provide faster ways to present and come up with ideas, ‘brainstorming’ in its most literal sense. Specialised contact lenses could work in tandem with the implant, using VR (Virtual Reality) technology as the foundation. This would allow for more personal ‘video conferencing’ with members being able to be in any meeting room anywhere in the world in a digital form.
So long as the technology can find a way of not transmitting every thought we have before we have self-censored it could work. Otherwise, we may find ourselves entering a world where we are all a lot more honest. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing!
Communication is Key
It’s fun to imagine what communication could look like in the future, but what is clear is that computer technology will be the main driving force in the next stage of human development. Improving the way we interact with each other and technology has many benefits from both a business and societal point of view. Being able to connect and converse with anyone, anywhere would bring people and cultures closer together, after all communication allows us to understand and learn from others and that’s the only way we can continue to develop and improve as a society.
https://www.ideagen.com/products/pleasereview/journey-through-communication-technology
For more information contact:
Heather Astbury, heather.astbury@ideagen.com, +447340158049
About Ideagen
Ideagen’s software helps companies comply with regulation and manage risk.
Ideagen is a leader in the £31.2 billion regulatory and compliance software market, serving highly regulated industries such as life sciences, healthcare, banking and finance and insurance. Ideagen has made 23 acquisitions to build its market leadership.
More than 6,000 organisations use Ideagen's software, including nine of the top 10 UK accounting firms, 7 of the top aerospace and defence companies and 75% of leading pharmaceutical firms.
Ideagen has a diversified customer base including blue chip, global brands such as Heineken, British Airways, BAE, Aggreko, US Navy, Bank of New York and Johnson Matthey, as well as 250 hospitals across the UK and US.
Ideagen is headquartered in the UK, listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market (Ticker: IDEA.L), and has key hubs in the UK, EU, US, Middle East and South East Asia. For further information please visit www.ideagen.com.