- Today, computers are redefining
the human experience at a rapid pace,
providing new solutions, greater possibilities,
and unlocking the secrets of the universe.
As Arthur C. Clarke,
the popular science fiction writer once wrote,
"Any sufficiently advanced technology
"is indistinguishable from magic."
We are both prospering and being challenged by this magic.
A tweet entered on a smartphone by someone with influence
can bounce around the world at light speed
and quickly impact markets and political events.
A medical breakthrough at a lab,
once sluggish to gain traction,
can now be distributed, analyzed, and further progressed
by scientists from all over the world,
increasing the likelihood of finding cures.
Advanced software and high-performing computers
are giving systems artificial intelligence,
enabling machines to augment and replace
routine and complex human activities.
From driving cars to diagnosing disease,
from sorting photographs to flying planes,
from optimizing crop yields to predicting climate patterns,
today's computing platforms
are advancing the human experience
in positive and often unpredictable ways.
New technologies are also creating remarkable challenges,
from the rapid erosion of privacy
to questions of technology ethics
that includes who should own data,
and machine decision-making on our roads,
in our hospitals, and in the theater of war.
Our current era of computing
is bringing so many of us a vast amount
of continuous and new value
in almost every area of our lives,
but also upending so much
of what used to be predictable and routine.
By most measures,
technology has been a boon to humanity.
While it has permeated much of the globe
and is often best reflected in our major cities,
we must remember that several parts of the planet
and far too many communities are still not connected,
and thus, not realizing its benefits.
As of early 2019,
almost 1/2 of the world's population
still doesn't have access to the Internet.
The news is promising, though.
Internet connectivity is rapidly expanding.
Our current computing age can be defined
by astounding progress and capability
metered with a series of serious concerns.
A platform that allows for the building
of online communities
that serve and help the less fortunate
is the same platform that can be leveraged
to spread harm and hate.
Our biggest and toughest challenges are all ahead of us.
As technology spreads to every corner of the world,
as it touches every aspect of the human experience,
as it even redefines what it means to be human,
we will face complexity and choices
that will make today's issues seem easy.
Today's computing power is enabling
more people to prosper than ever before.
It's also providing us with a larger toolkit of options
to solve the biggest challenges.
Areas such as the existential risks of climate change,
for space exploration,
for building better and smarter cities,
for leaps in medical possibilities like CRISPR
that enables us to edit our genomes
and change their function,
for improved manufacturing and materials,
more immersive entertainment,
and healthier food production.
Of course, we'll also see an increase
in nefarious uses of technology,
increased cybersecurity risks,
and challenges to human jobs
as robots and artificial intelligence play increasing roles.
We'll see the social impacts of too much screen time
and all this increased technology use
will place even greater pressure
on our existing energy systems.
Side by side,
the benefits of our technologically-powered society
far outweigh the negatives,
but we face one inevitable challenge ahead
on this largely positive curve.
We'll soon experience the physical limits
of our existing computing capabilities.
If we are going to be unsatisfied
with contending with an upper limit
of computing performance,
and I'm confident that this will be the case,
we'll need a new computing paradigm.
Without it, the rate of progress that we've come to expect
may slow down.
It will be needed to support
the innovation in computing performance necessary
in the decades ahead.
This is where quantum computing,
which may usher in a new era of computing possibilities,
will play an essential role.
It won't be the only technology to move us forward,
but it'll be an important and game-changing one.