What Will 2022 Look Like? The IEEE CS 2022 Report

Abstract

In creating the CS 2022 Report, we were searching for a meta-innovation that would tie all these technology areas together. We found a unifying theme in seamless intelligence, where everything is connected through ubiquitous networks, interfaces, and so on. While similar to previous pervasive and ubiquitous computing scenarios, seamless intelligence has deep roots in technology advancement that didn't exist in the near past. Since the inception of digital computing in the mid-1940s, society has experienced a revolution in the acquisition, processing, and communication of information. This revolution has transformed every aspect of society through increased automation, ubiquitous access to information, and pervasive human networking. We continue to witness an increase in the number, shapes, and sizes of computing devices, as well as a combinatorial increase in local and global connectivity. With pervasive computing and communication capabilities, information technology will increasingly enhance and augment human knowledge, intelligence, and connectivity. We project that by 2022 society will advance so that intelligence becomes seamless and ubiquitous for those who can afford and use state-of-the-art information technology.