My personal perspective of advances in artificial intelligence in my five decades of using it

Technology has been moving so quickly in the past few decades that it can be difficult to keep up with all of the technological advancements that have taken place.

I can recall that when I was a child, personal computers did not even exist. Calculators, for that matter, were not commonplace in schools either. I learned how to perform mathematical computations by hand. Complex mathematics were computed using a slide rule. While I had seen a slide rule, I have to say that I had never used one.

Fast forward just two decades and personal computers were entering the marketplace. I had purchased a Commodore 64 and a Commodore 128.

It was not until I was close to 30 years of age that I acquired my first IBM compatible computer, which was the industry standard at that time. I also bought a laptop computer, which was large and cumbersome in comparison to today’s laptops.

The first interface that I used to enter commands into my computer was a text interface, with the MS-DOS dot prompt being the industry standard at the time.

In the 1990’s, however, graphical user interfaces were introduced and most people now interact with their computers using that technology.

Data was stored on a floppy disk, which was initially a 5 ¼ inch disk. The data storage became smaller, with a more sturdy 3 ½ inch disk replacing its predecessor.

It was not long, however, until a memory stick replaced the disk, which was smaller and was interested into a female plug in the computer.

Although memory sticks are now used on occasion, most work is now accomplished online.

If a person wanted a piece of software, he has to purchase it and then manually install it onto his computer.

Times have changed in that regard now because most software is now downloadable off the net. There are many websites that can now be used online, which I tend to use much of the time. Examples of these sites are Google Docs, Kaggle, and screen recorders.

In addition to online websites that people use to accomplish computing tasks, applications have been made that can be downloaded and used on the computer, Two applications that I personally use on my laptop are Python 3.13 and a Samsung screen recorder.

The way that we communicate has changed drastically. When I was a child the main method of communication was by letter or phone. In time, fax machines were used to documents.

Fax machines are now no longer used for the most part because any documents are now sent via email to the intended recipient.

It used to be very expensive to ring someone long distance, but all that has changed too. Skype was introduced that allowed a person to make free or inexpensive phone calls, and this has greatly enhanced a person’s ability to stay in touch with friends and loved ones.

Although Skype has been a great tool that I have used to keep in touch with loved ones overseas, it seems that this application will soon be discontinued; in May 2025 to be precise.

Skype is being replaced by Microsoft teams, which is an application that I have limited exposure to.

Social media is another area that has made significant advances in the last two decades, with Facebook, Twitter (now X), and YouTube being three of the most popular sites that people use.

One great thing about Facebook is the fact that it has Facebook Messenger, which people can use to keep in touch.

The area of data science has also made significant advances in the past decade or so. There are now many job roles associated with data science, to include data analyst, machine learning engineer, and data scientist.

The advances in technology have also brought significant achievements in software and other applications. For example, only in this decade alone has large language models been introduced. People no longer have to spend laborious hours in the library or searching Google to find the information they are looking for. They only need to ask a large language model, such as ChatGPT CoPilot for information they are seeking.

It needs to be stressed, however, that these large language models are still in the experimental stages and are therefore prone to hallucinations (providing incorrect answers).

While the most basic large language models are provided at no cost to the user, some of the more developed ones are available on subscription and can provide very advanced work at a very high educational level.

In conclusion, technology has advanced at an exponential rate since I was a child in the Arkansas countryside. I am now living in an urban area in the UK and know that the world that I grew up in is not the world that I am living in today.

Because technology is evolving exponentially, who knows where we will be in as little as five years’ time. Some people, such as Bill Gates, have postulated that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace teachers, doctors, and lawyers in the near future. Some deep thinkers are also asserting that humans will no longer be necessary in the near future.

Are we in the midst of experiencing the extinction of humanity?