When interaction with gadgets goes both ways

A new era of cognitive systems where machines learn, reason and engage with us is nearPEOPLE in Singapore - and all over the world - today face an interesting dilemma.mini storage Never before has there been so much information available to improve our quality of life. But at the same time, never before have we felt so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and how to make sense of it all.Fortunately, we are standing at the threshold of a new era where computers will get smarter and more customised through interactions with data, devices and people. Every year, IBM looks at five innovations that will change the way we work, live and interact in the next five years.This year, the five-year outlook is that everything, from software to supercomputers to sensors, will learn - driven by a new era of cognitive systems where machines learn, reason and engage with us in a more natural and personalised way.Enabled by cloud computing, big data analytics and learning technologies all coming together, these innovations are beginning to emerge, with the appropriate privacy and security considerations for consumers, citizens, students and patients.Just consider the impact that these five innovations could have on life here in Singapore and around the globe.The classroom will learn youEducation is one of the keys to Singapore's economic vigour, and there is still much we can do to make it even better.In five years, we will see learning that's tailored to the learner. Cloud-based smart content and cutting-edge analytics will unlock deep insights that will transform the approach to education and learning, and help move the classroom from assembly-line models into a truly personalised environment that motivates and engages learners at all levels - from a kindergartener learning the alphabet to a university student exploring new majors, or a mid-career professional taking up a new skill.The classroom of the future will have a seamless partnership between educators, students and parents. Cognitive systems will be able to provide "decision support" for teachers to identify students who are most at risk, their roadblocks and then provide insight into the interventions needed to overcome these challenges.Shopping in local stores will beat onlineIn five years, physical stores will have turned the tables to magnify the digital experience better than your favourite online-only retailer.Buying local will become du jour once again, as savvy retailers use the immediacy of the physical store and proximity to customers to create new experiences that simply cannot be replicated by online stores. For example, UK fashion retailer Topshop launched a Christmas campaign with online network Pinterest, allowing customers in its stores to pin, share and shop for items on giant touchscreens.As cognitive systems, supported by cloud computing, build on their understanding of what makes individuals tick, retailers will soon be able to anticipate with incredible accuracy the products you most want and need.Local stores will even merge digital with the instant gratification of physical shopping to offer a more immersive, personalised shopping experience and make same-day delivery a breeze.The city will help you live wellCities are the centre of our lives for many people. Today, they have new expectations, demanding the same level of service and interaction with their city as they would get from their reta儲存ler or bank - such as, why can't taxis arrive when I need them most?In five years, learning systems will create "sentient cities", while mobile devices and social engagement will enable citizens to build a relationship with their city leaders, so their voices are heard not just on election day, but every day.Through the use of smartphones, sensors, analytics, and cloud computing, cities will better understand the needs of individual citizens, predict problems before they occur, and deliver more tailored services to make city life better for all.City leaders will make decisions based on a variety of complex information types that can be simplified and visualised on heat maps, creating smarter cities that are cleaner, less congested and less bureaucratic.This will certainly be welcome news not just in Singapore where the population is estimated to hit between 6.5 million and 6.9 million by 2030. In fact, in that same year, towns and cities of the developing world will make up 80 per cent of urban humanity.Doctors will use your DNA to keep you wellDespite tremendous advances in research and treatment, global cancer rates are expected to jump by an astounding 75 per cent by 2030. Cancer care, personalised right down to a genomic level, has been on the horizon since scientists first sequenced the human genome.But with medical information increasing every year, the answers are out there buried in Big Data - and few clinicians actually have access to the tools and time to assess the insights available.The good news? In five years, systems will be able to learn about people's genomic information and how they respond to drugs, helping doctors understand how, for example, a cancer tumour affects a patient right down to their DNA, in order to come up with effective, DNA-specific treatment options at a scale and speed that we cannot do today.A digital guardian will protect you onlineMost of us have multiple online identities and use multiple devices to access the Web. This makes it harder than ever to protect personal information from being stolen or compromised. In the next five years, security is going to protect each of us by learning both who we are and who we aren't - so it can make inferences about what is normal, reasonable activity and what's not, and spot deviations that could be precursors to an attack and a stolen identity. For example, if you drive to work, your persona based on a smarter car, will put a hold on a large cash withdrawal from your savings account - an activity that cannot be done while driving.Quickly grasping all digitally available context information relevant to a user's behaviour requires real-time big data processing. With time, security will grow less dependent on rules such as passwords, and become more agile and contextual, based on who we are and what we care about. Think of it as your own digital watchdog that sniffs for clues to keep your identity safe.All these examples are not science fiction. They're within reach now, and they're just a glimpse into what is possible when advancements in science and technology are applied to tackle problems both profound and pragmatic.Today's info-packed world - a world where everything can "know" - sounds like a promising place to be. But given the rate of change we all grapple with daily, an even better place is a world where everything can learn.The writer is chief technology officer, IBM Asean迷你倉