Artificial Intelligence is poised to forever change how we use computers, or at least Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates thinks so.
In a blog post Thursday Gates shares some of his predictions for the future, now that AI is becoming more and more prevalent. According to Gates, within the next five years, we won’t be using different apps for different tasks, instead, you’ll simply tell your phone or computer what you want to do in everyday language and it will be able to handle your request.
“In the near future, anyone who’s online will be able to have a personal assistant powered by artificial intelligence that’s far beyond today’s technology,” Gates says.
Gates calls the software that would be able to accomplish tasks based on its knowledge of you as a person an "agent."
“Agents are not only going to change how everyone interacts with computers. They’re also going to upend the software industry, bringing about the biggest revolution in computing since we went from typing commands to tapping on icons,” Gates says.
The key for agents to work is for them to be able to learn about you as a person. The more they know about you, the more they’ll be able to anticipate your needs and help you with what you want.
“They’re proactive—capable of making suggestions before you ask for them. They accomplish tasks across applications,” Gates says. “They improve over time because they remember your activities and recognize intent and patterns in your behavior. Based on this information, they offer to provide what they think you need, although you will always make the final decisions.”
Gates’ post goes into detail about how he thinks AI will transform the healthcare industry, education, productivity, entertainment, and more.
Gates ultimately sees AI as being a huge part of every aspect of our lives.
“Agents will be able to help with virtually any activity and any area of life,” Gates says. “In the computing industry, we talk about platforms—the technologies that apps and services are built on. Android, iOS, and Windows are all platforms. Agents will be the next platform.”
