There can be no doubt that the whole world of artificial intelligence has accelerated to yet another level.
Whether we like it or not, this technology and what it can deliver is poised to make yet another breakthrough.
This is not something we can now avoid or that might happen in 10 years’ time.
Technologists are developing a new generation of machines that will either be working with us or taking over many of the functions that we normally take for granted.
A report from the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona indicates what dramatic progress has been made.
One of the attendees reported being handed a morning coffee that was delivered by a robot having carefully filled the cup from an ordinary coffee machine.
Some of the demonstrations also indicated the range of capabilities that can now be achieved.
One example was a performance of keyhole surgery on a fake patient.
Most of the assistants at this event were robots, who dealt with almost every task including giving directions and helping delegates who had become lost.
There is no doubt that the basic technology has now been cracked and that these machines can perform an enormous range of tasks.
Where the developers are now focusing their attention is to build machines that have human characteristics.
Those leading on this argue that the new generation of robots need to move like a person to fit “a world made for people”.
Inevitably, Elon Musk is in on this action.
He has been working on building a “human like” robot called Optimus.
He predicts that within the next 20 years there will be over a billion of these machines operating on earth.
It is extraordinary to look back at the developments that have led to where we are today.
We have become used to seeing these machines in Science Fiction films, but an early example was a robot built in England in 1928. This was called Eric. This machine was recreated in 2016 and could stand, bow, give a 4-minute speech and answer up to 60 questions.
It is encouraging that the South West is at the forefront of this industry.
Engineered Arts in Falmouth has been building humanoid robots since 2004.
What is now driving this market is not just making the robots look more human but also increasing their mental capacity.
There is no question that they can be programmed to perform multiple tasks at speeds we can scarcely imagine. The wholly grail now, is to create thinking machines that can rationalise and perform almost all the tasks that we take for granted, including the ability to plan ahead and to be both intuitive and emotional.
The leaders in this industry are investing huge amounts of money to provide the final breakthrough which will see thinking machines capable of functioning (almost) as well as we do.
Once this is achieved, then the normal conduct of society will undoubtedly change, and we will be thinking of very different ways of conducting tasks we currently take for granted.
The scale of investment is best illustrated by the makers of Chat GPT.
They are investing in a new production plant in the States, which will bring together some of the leading designers and ground breaking equipment in a programme expected to cost over £100 billion.
Just to power the facility will require more electrical capacity than is needed by the whole of London. The end product is being described as Artificial General Intelligence.
Many businesses including a number in Northern Devon, have already recognised the benefits of this new technology. There are an increasing number who routinely use Chat GPT.
This is likely to mean that within five years, there will be few, if any, call centres manned by humans.
Many employers are working out ways in which robots can work in parallel with a human employee.
The role of a virtual assistant has already allowed one UK company to replace 700 of their 3,000 customer service jobs. This is saving the business £40 million a year.
It is also clear that in many departments of government, similar investments are being made.
Just one stark example of the improvements that can be achieved through these changes, is in the business of customer support.
The waiting time has now dropped from three minutes down to seven seconds and the average time to resolve a problem has gone from 11 minutes to three minutes, whilst customer satisfaction has remained the same.
Elon Musk is of the view that this technology will illuminate the need for jobs entirely, with people working only for “personal satisfaction”.
However we might choose to respond to this, there is some help at hand.
The government has recently announced a fund of over £1 billion to enable thousands more current workers to be trained in future technologies such as this.
Northern Devon needs to recognise this challenge and develop its own strategy for making the best of the huge opportunities that can be derived.