After 20 years of calling me to fix their email and antivirus settings, my parents started calling my 13-year-old daughter for help instead. Technology seems to have been nagging rather than helping grandparents, but the advent of cheap computing gives fundamental reasons to change this balance.
To counteract these challenges, the focus must shift towards increasing productivity without human overload. In other words, we need to get more human equivalent. Historically, automation has played a key role in boosting productivity. However, the recent decrease in computational costs suggests a potential profound transformation on the horizon. The promise of almost free computer power has significant implications for productivity growth.
The ESP32-CAM from Espressif, a low-cost development kit capable of computer vision applications, perfectly exemplifies the advent of cheap computing. In fact, in an article where it was presented 5 years ago it prompted the author to say computing [with ESP32] is not just cheap but it’s essentially free [5]. This seemingly trivial device’s potential is immense, setting a precedent for affordable compute power that creates value from virtually nothing.
When I learned about Espressif, I was working at Intel in the technology department building the MyriadX chip. I tried out ESP32 in my spare time because it had some similarities to Myriad: it could use a camera, do some level of image processing, and claimed to do computer vision applications. A couple of weekends later, I was able to build a few interesting applications and was very excited. But then I looked at machine learning applications on ESP32, and the performance there was really limiting my ideas. Even so, the article comment was something that stuck in my mind: a platform that makes compute essentially free.
This revelation came back into focus when during an internal brainstorming session, Fabrizio del Maffeo, our CEO at Axelera, commented that we were essentially getting Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS) for free with In-Memory Computing. At the time the comment was made, we were still waiting for Metis, Axelera’s first commercially available chip to come from the factory into the lab. The comment still felt theoretical.
The rise of affordable computation, coupled with advances in AI, could provide tangible relief to pension funds. By boosting overall productivity, the returns from investment-based pension funds could improve, and profit tax revenues for state-financed pension funds could increase. This shift could effectively stabilize pension fund sustainability even with a smaller proportion of working individuals. It could also potentially improve living standards for retirees, without an increased financial burden on the younger generation.
Additionally, an increased reliance on automation could also alleviate workload stress for workers. By automating repetitive tasks and processes, workers could focus on more engaging, creative aspects of their jobs. A reduction in workload stress could lead to improved job satisfaction and mental well-being, contributing to an overall higher quality of life.
So there’s a lot of benefit coming over for grandparents. But is technology still a nag? My father found creative ways of enjoying his retirement with chatGPT recently. He remembered vaguely at some point in his youth a friend of his used to have a great traditional stew recipe but could never really find a recipe for that. He decided to feed transfomers every information he remembered and sure enough: chatGPT came with the right recipe and instructions for getting the special stew done. I think the nag is being forgiven.
[1] James Royal, A. O. (2023, 05 30). nerdwallet. Retrieved from https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/average-stock-market-return
[2] Thomson, S. (2021, December 14). Civilization is going to crumble,’ if we don’t have more kids, says Elon Musk. Retrieved from thehub.ca: https://thehub.ca/2021-12-14/civilization-is-going-to-crumble-if-we-dont-have-more-kids/
[3] David Knox, G. P. (2022, November 16). How Shrinking Populations Can Affect Pensions. Retrieved from brinknews.com: https://www.brinknews.com/how-shrinking-populations-can-affect-pensions/
[4] Mazur, C. (2023, February 11). 40+ WORRISOME WORKPLACE STRESS STATISTICS [2023]: FACTS, CAUSES, AND TRENDS. Retrieved from zippia.com: https://www.zippia.com/advice/workplace-stress-statistics/
[5] Allan, A. (2018, June 27). hackster.io. Retrieved from Using a Camera with the ESP32: https://www.hackster.io/news/using-a-camera-with-the-esp32-9d6994b34a2b
[6] Albert Reuther, P. M. (2022). AI and ML Accelerator Survey and Trends. MIT Lincoln Laboratory Supercomputing Center.
[7] S.K.Katti, M. a. (2010). Superficial Analogies and Differences between the Human Brain. IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, 197. Retrieved from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=536bef6aeb17f591da6fd0ab9e86746d6e6222e8
[8] Sender, H. (2021, May 5). Robots will make doubling China’s GDP by 2035 look easy. Retrieved from https://asia.nikkei.com/: https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Robots-will-make-doubling-China-s-GDP-by-2035-look-easy