ZU Magazine is a publication of ZU Media. The following is an article from Issue 5: Revolution.
ZU Magazine Managing Editor | Chloe’ Bagley
Just 25 years ago, the World Wide Web was invented, Amazon was one of Jeff Bezo’s dream projects and floppy disks were still a thing. Cell phones had antennas and businessmen carried pagers. We have come a long way in 25 years, and our childhoods have revolved around the technological boom of the 21st Century.
The tech industry is full of big thinkers with even bigger dreams that are changing how people live their lives.
Tesla and SpaceX
He has simultaneously taken the car industry and world of space travel by storm, a South-African born Canadian American with little to no experience in any of the fields which have made him famous. The New York Times called him, “arguably the most successful and important entrepreneur in the world.” A self-proclaimed ‘technologist,’ Elon Musk has had all eyes on him since his most recent accomplishment — the successful launching of his rocket, Falcon Heavy, by his company, SpaceX.
Musk is known for his grand ambitions in the world of technology. Some of these ambitions, like SpaceX and Tesla, are already checked off of his to-do list. Others ideas are still developing, such as converting entire industries from fossil fuels to sustainable energy and creating a new form of high speed city-to-city travel.
One of Musk’s most recent developments in his electric car company is a reimagined semi which aims to turn the trucking industry electric as well. People have recently started posting sightings of the Tesla Truck on social media.
Musk announced that the company would be conducting test runs of the prototypes over the next few weeks; fans of the billionaire have been trying to track the trucks enroute between factories. Come next year, the trucks may be much more common. UPS has already pre-ordered over 125 Tesla Semis with competitors following their lead.
The Tesla Truck may be the next accomplishment on Musk’s long list of business goals and ideas, but it seems he is never working on just one project. The entrepreneur is reported to often work 100-hour work weeks and is known to closely oversee each one of his projects.
One project Musk is particularly passionate about is Artificial Intelligence, although not for the same reason as many of his competitors. Musk is reported as warning against the rapidly accelerating world of artificial intelligence. At the 2017 World Government Summit in Dubai, Musk commented on the developing industry saying, “sometimes what will happen is a scientist will get so engrossed in their work that they don’t really realize the ramifications of what they’re doing.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence research can be dated back to the 1950s. Its development since can be broken up into three eras; neural networks, machine learning and deep learning.
Neural network research refers to work done during the ‘50s – ‘70s. This early research focused on creating machines that could follow simple problem-solving patterns.
Machine learning development during the ‘80s – early 2000s is what modern technologists are currently building upon. During those years, researchers began creating machines that could imitate basic human reasoning. Organizations like the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) utilized the technology in a way that could be used publicly. In 2003, DARPA designed the first intelligent personal assistants.
Deep learning is the era of AI we are in currently, and it’s what researchers are calling the practical application of machine learning. It gives us fun things like the iPhone X’s Animojis and more progressive technology like self-driving cars.
For years, it seemed that AI was the stuff of movies, fantasized and dramatized by Hollywood’s world-destroying robots. Today, we are surrounded by AI programs and technology. Siri gives us directions to and from our destinations and Alexa orders our groceries. In the era of deep learning, artificial intelligence is being integrated into many aspects of our society.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Photo by Billetto Editorial on Unsplash
Although still in its early stages, Palmer Luckey, founder of virtual reality company Oculus, calls VR, ‘the final platform’ of the entertainment industry.
Virtual reality utilizes 3D visuals and sensors to throw its users into another world. The technology is projected to revolutionize the way gamers interact, the way sports fans watch their favorite teams and the way movie-goers enjoy new films.
In an interview with The New York Times, Ted Schilowitz, the in-house futurist at 20th Century Fox, said, “We’re at the brick-size cellphone days of VR. The technology works. It’s remarkable. But it is nowhere near good enough, on any front, to take on mass adoption.”
Faced with a whole new version of storytelling, VR technicians face major obstacles. These include keeping the equipment portable and comfortable and also finding ways to keep users from becoming ‘cyber-sick’ and claustrophobic.
There are many players in the industry who are attempting to catapult VR technology into a viable business. Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg bought Oculus from Luckey in 2014 with the hopes of making the company a front-runner in the industry. Virtual reality filmmakers Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphael have been trailblazing new techniques that will be necessary to create VR worlds.
Nonny de la Peña, a former correspondent for Newsweek and writer for The Los Angeles Times, is introducing VR to the world of journalism to help reporters create immersive experiences to accompany their work.
With entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and technology such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, the industry is headed for a major technological revolution. One could even argue that these companies and programs are not only revolutionizing the tech industry, they’re changing our future careers and everyday lives.