Web Summary

Emerging Global Communications. Two models of telecommunications are prevalent. In the tree-and-branch telecommunications model, a centralized information provider sends out messages through many channels to many consumers, as in many mass media. In the switched-network telecommunications model, people on the system are not only consumers of information but also possible providers of it; this model, embodied in the Internet, is much more participatory.

Artificial Intelligence. Artificial intelligence consists of technologies used for developing machines to emulate human qualities, including the following: (1) Virtual reality, devices that project a person into a sensation of three-dimensional space, is used in arcade-type games and also in simulators, devices that represent the behavior of physical or abstract systems and are used in training, as of airplane pilots. (2) Robotics, the development and study of machines that can perform work normally done by people, has produced robots, automatic devices that perform functions usually performed by people. (3) Natural language processing is the study of ways for computers to recognize and understand human language. (4) Fuzzy logic is a method of dealing with imprecise data and uncertainty, with problems that have many answers rather than one. (5) Expert systems are interactive computer programs used to solve problems normally requiring the assistance of human experts. An expert system has three components: a knowledge base, a database of knowledge about a particular subject; an inference engine, the software that controls the knowledge base and produces conclusions; and a user interface. (6) Neural networks use physical electronic devices or software to mimic the neurological structure of the human brain. (7) Genetic algorithms are programs that use Darwinian principles of random mutation to improve themselves.

Artificial life is the study of "creatures" computer instructions, or pure information that, like live organisms, are created, replicate, evolve, and die. A-life raises the question of how we can know when computers can be said to possess "intelligence" or "self-awareness." One answer is suggested by the Turing test, in which a human judge converses by means of a computer terminal with two entities one a person, one a computer hidden in another location--to try to determine which seems to have the most human qualities.

Information & Education. The challenge of making sense of vast stores of information is being addressed with intelligent agents, programs that roam networks and compile data and perform work tasks on your behalf. In education, students at all levels are finding computers helpful. Their use in distance learning over the Internet is increasing.

Health, Medicine, & Science.Telemedicine medical care delivered via telecommunications is one way computers and communications are changing health and medicine. The digitizing of medical information is affecting everything from psychotherapy to implants. Patients' use of health-care databases is changing their relationship with doctors. A new idea in science is the "collaboratory," an Internet-based collaborative laboratory of researchers around the world, such as that among space physicists. In archaeology, computer technology may be used to avoid invasive excavations.

Commerce & Money. Information technology erases boundaries in business between company departments, suppliers, and customers. Consequently, the idea of what constitutes an organization is changing. There are new developments in sales and marketing and retailing, as with online sales, and in banking and cybercash, as with electronic payment systems.

Entertainment & the Arts. Information technology is producing changes in music and movies. In music, new digitized instruments offer a wide range of sounds, while the Internet is reshaping the marketing of songs. In movies, computers are used for all kinds of animation and other special effects; digital equipment permits better film editing, and enables amateurs to make movies more cheaply.

Government & Electronic Democracy. The Internet has potential for civic betterment because it is free of government intrusion, is fast and cheap, and facilitates communication among citizens. Examples are found in cities in California, Colorado, Texas, and Nevada. Online voting has been tried and may be expanded. The government itself is making increasing use of computers, as in electronic tax filing.

Jobs & Careers. Job seekers can now use employer databases to get leads on jobs, and they can post résumés with electronic job registries so employers can find them. The five information-technology job categories projected to have the largest percentage increase in the near future are computer engineers, computer support specialists, systems analysts, database administrators, and desktop publishing specialists.