Proactive computing

Human-in-the-loop computing has its limits. What must we do differently to prepare for the networking of thousands of embedded processors per person? And how do we move from human-centered to human-supervised computing? For the past 40 years, most of the IT research community has focused on interactive computing, J.C.R. Licklider’s powerful and human-centered vision of human-computer symbiosis 3. In tandem with this research has come the creation of an IT industry that is hurtling toward the human/machine/network breakpoint—the point at which the number of networked interactive computers will surpass the number of people on the planet. We still have a long way to go before Licklider’s vision is attained—and are many years from extending per-capita penetration to most parts of the world. However, “missing science ” may no longer be the factor limiting progress toward these long-cherished goals. It is reasonable, though perhaps heretical, to suggest that refinements of the existing science base will be sufficient to drive these efforts forward. It is time for a change. The computer science research community now enjoys a rare and exciting opportunity to redefine its agenda and establish the new goals that will propel society beyond interactive computing and the human/machine breakpoint. In lifting our sights toward a world in which networked computers outnumber human beings by a hundred or thousand to one, we should consider what these “excess ” computers will be doing and craft a research agenda that can lead to increased human productivity and quality of life.