From Morse Code to Machine Learning: Evolution of Language and Comms Technology
From Morse Code to AI, the last two centuries have witnessed a rapid change in language technologies. At each stage of this evolution, new technology has astonished and shocked those who have received it. These new technologies also began as exclusive military or elite, and trickled down to the common man slowly but surely. This can be said of morse code, the telephone, the internet and artificial intelligence. Now that AI has become accessible to us all after being exclusively under the domain of government or military operations, let us consider the way in which this evolution happened, and how we can trace changes from AI all the way back to morse code, and each stage of evolution and changed how we use language and how we we communicate.
Invented by Samuel Morse in the 1830’s, Morse code revolutionized long distance communication. The first notable use of Morse code was by the military, especially in the middle of the 19th century. As colonial powers took control of vast lands, long distance communication became crucial in maintaining that control. This included maritime communications and the postal service.
Forty years later, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone marked a pivotal moment in the history of communication. This was the first time humans had heard the voice of a long distance communicator. The 20th Century witnessed the advent of the internet and email, completely changing how businesses, governments and the public communicated with each other. Suddenly, communication was much faster, far cheaper and all the more accessible. Quickly following the internet was the introduction of SMS, which, coupled together has given us applications like WhatsApp for real time digital communication.
Natural language processing paved the way for virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa who used advanced versions of the technology to recognise speech. Coupled with highly capable AI, this will revolutionize our experience of the digital world. That brings us to the final step –at least, so far– in the evolution of language and communications technologies. Machine learning has completely transformed the landscape and will continue to break down global barriers, from languages and culture to business and trade.
Sources:
1. https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/telegraph