GEE 22 – LIVING IN THE IT ERA

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Overview

The quickening pace of evolution in technology is very evident in this era. It seems that it is progressing faster
than ever. From year to year, the evolution of technology is one of staggering promise and opportunity--as well
as uncertainty. Basically, technology has been around before, and as long as there are people, information
technology will be there also because there were always ways of communicating through technology available
at that point in time. The future may be unknown, but digital advancement continues to reshape our world in
ways that encourage people to form new habits, find new ways to work together and become better human
beings. And, in most cases, these changes translate into a range of opportunities and disruptions across every
industry. Humans have always been quick to adapt technologies for better and faster communication.

Objectives

• After successful completion of this module, the student can be able to;
• Demonstrate a sense of readiness for the upcoming semester;
• Identify their learning outcomes and expectations for the course;
• Recognize their capacity to create new understandings from reflecting on the course;
• Know the role and importance of ICT.
• Gain familiarity with the different discoveries during the different periods.
• Learn about different inventions and discoveries during the electro-mechanical age that led to the
inventions of today’s technology.
• Identify different technologies and their improvements during the different generations.

HISTORY OF ICT
ICT, or information and communications technology (or technologies), is the infrastructure and components
that enable modern computing.

Although there is no single, universal definition of ICT, the term is generally accepted to mean all devices,
networking components, applications, and systems that combined allow people and organizations (i.e.,
businesses, nonprofit agencies, governments, and criminal enterprises) to interact in the digital world.
Uses of ICT In Our Daily Lives
Communication

We all know that ICT plays a major role for us by means of communication, way back in the past our parents
used to make letter and send it via post mail. But now with the help of ICT, it is easier to communicate with our
loved ones. We can use cellular phones that are designed for communicating with other people even if they
are miles away from us.

Nowadays people are in touch with the help of ICT. Through chatting, E-mail, voice mail, and social networking
people communicate with each other. It is the cheapest means of communication.

ICT allows students to monitor and manage their own learning, think critically and creatively, solve simulated
real-world problems, work collaboratively, engage in ethical decision-making, and adopt a global perspective
towards issues and ideas. It also provides students from remote areas access to expert teachers and learning
resources and gives administrators and policymakers the data and expertise they need to work more
efficiently.

Job Opportunities

In the employment sector, ICT enables organizations to operate more efficiently, so employing staff with ICT
skills is vital to the smooth running of any business. Being able to use ICT systems effectively allows
employees more time to concentrate on areas of their job role that require soft skills.

For example, many pharmacies use robot technology to assist with picking prescribed drugs. This allows highly
trained pharmaceutical staff to focus on jobs requiring human intelligence and interaction, such as dispensing
and checking medication.
Nowadays, employers expect their staff to have basic ICT skills. This expectation even applies to job roles
where ICT skills may not have been an essential requirement in the past.

Nowadays, finding a job is different, you can just use your smartphone, laptop, desktop, or any gadgets that
are available in the comfort of your home.

Education

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can impact student learning when teachers are digitally
literate and understand how to integrate it into the curriculum.

Schools use a diverse set of ICT tools to communicate, create, disseminate, store, and manage information. In
some contexts, ICT has also become integral to the teaching-learning interaction, through such approaches as
replacing chalkboards with interactive digital whiteboards, using students’ own smartphones or other devices
for learning during class time, and the “flipped classroom” model where students watch lectures at home on the
computer and use classroom time for more interactive exercises.

When teachers are digitally literate and trained to use ICT, these approaches can lead to higher-order thinking
skills, provide creative and individualized options for students to express their understandings, and leave
students better prepared to deal with ongoing technological change in society and the workplace.

Socializing

Social media has changed the world. The rapid and vast adoption of these technologies is changing how we
find partners, how we access information from the news, and how we organize to demand political change.

The internet and social media provide young people with a range of benefits, and opportunities to empower
themselves in a variety of ways. Young people can maintain social connections and support networks that
otherwise wouldn't be possible and can access more information than ever before. The communities and social
interactions young people form online can be invaluable for bolstering and developing young people's self-
confidence and social skills.

As ICT has become ubiquitous, faster, and increasingly accessible to non-technical communities, social
networking and collaborative services have grown rapidly enabling people to communicate and share interests
in many more ways, sites like Facebook, Twitter LinkedIn Youtube, Flicker, Second Life delicious blogs wiki’s
and many more let people of all ages rapidly share their interest of the movement without others everywhere.
But Facebook seems to be the leading area where people communicate and share their opinions. What a
change! “Nothing is permanent, but change” (Heraditus in the 4th century BC). The Internet can be seen as the
international network of the interconnection of computer networks. The main purpose of the institution of the
internet are quest for information i.e. browsing, electronic mail, new groups fill transfer, and access and use of
other computers. Socialization can be seen as a process by which a child adapts a behavior to be an effective
member of society, which can only be achieved through learning or education.

IMPACT OF ICT IN THE SOCIETY

POSITIVE IMPACTS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• Access to information: Increase in access to information and services that has accompanied the growth
of the Internet. Some of the positive aspects of this increased access are better, and often cheaper,
communications, such as VoIP phones and Instant Messaging.
• Improved access to education, e.g. distance learning and online tutorials. New ways of learning, e.g.
interactive multi-media and virtual reality.
• New tools, new opportunities: ICT gives access to new tools that did not previously exist: digital
cameras, photo-editing software, and high-quality printers, screen magnification or screen reading
software enables partially sighted or blind people to work with ordinary text rather than Braille.
• Communication: Cost savings by using e.g. VoIP instead of normal telephone, email/messaging instead
of post, video conferencing instead of traveling to meetings, and e-commerce websites instead of sales
catalogs. Access to larger, even worldwide, markets.
• Information management: Data mining of customer information to produce lists for targeted advertising.
Improved stock control, resulting in less wastage, better cash flow, etc.
• Security: ICT solves or reduces some security problems, e.g. Encryption methods can keep data safe
from unauthorized people, both while it is being stored or while it is being sent electronically.
• ICT allows people to participate in a wider, even worldwide, society.
• Distance learning: students can access teaching materials from all over the world.
 • ICT facilitates the ability to perform ‘impossible’ experiments’ by using simulations.
• Creation of new more interesting jobs. Examples would be systems analysts, programmers and
software engineers, as well as help desk operators and trainers.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• Job loss: Manual operations being replaced by automation. e.g. robots replacing people on an
assembly line. Job export. e.g. Data processing work being sent to other countries where operating
costs are lower. Multiple workers being replaced by a smaller number who are able to do the same
amount of work. e.g. A worker on a supermarket checkout can serve more customers per hour if a bar-
code scanner linked to a computerized till is used to detect goods instead of the worker having to enter
the item and price manually
• Reduced personal interaction: Most people need some form of social interaction in their daily lives and
if they do not get the chance to meet and talk with other people they may feel isolated and unhappy.
• Reduced physical activity: This can lead to health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and
diabetes.
• Cost: A lot of ICT hardware and software is expensive, both to purchase and to maintain. An ICT
system usually requires specialist staff to run it and there is also the challenge of keeping up with ever-
changing technology.
• Competition: this is usually thought of as being a good thing, but for some organizations being exposed
to greater competition can be a problem. If the organization is competing for customers, donations, or
other means of funding nationally or even internationally, they may lose out to other organizations that
can offer the same service for less money.

HISTORY OF COMPUTER: BASIC COMPUTING PERIODS

Definition of Computer
• Computer is a programmable machine.
• Computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability to store,
retrieve, and process data.
• Computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions (program).
• Computer is any device which aids humans in performing various kinds of computations or calculations.

Three principal characteristics of computer:

• It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner.
• It can execute a pre-recorded list of instructions.
• It can quickly store and retrieve large amounts of data.

Applications of ICT (Computers) in Our Daily Lives

1. Business
Almost every business uses computers nowadays. They can be employed to store and maintain
accounts, personnel records, manage projects, track inventory, create presentations and reports. They
enable communication with people both within and outside the business, using various technologies,
including e-mail. They can be used to promote the business and enable direct interaction with
customers.

2. Education
Computers can be used to give learners audio-visual packages, interactive exercises, and remote
learning, including tutoring over the internet. They can be used to access educational information from
intranet and internet sources, or via e-books. They can be used to maintain and monitor student
performance, including through the use of online examinations, as well as to create projects and
assignments.

3. Healthcare
Healthcare continues to be revolutionized by computers. As well as digitized medical information making
it easier to store and access patient data, complex information can also be analyzed by software to aid
discovery of diagnoses, as well as search for risks of diseases. Computers control lab equipment, heart
rate monitors, and blood pressure monitors. They enable doctors to have greater access to information
on the latest drugs, as well as the ability to share information on diseases with other medical specialists.

4. Retail and Trade

Computers can be used to buy and sell products online - this enables sellers to reach a wider market
with low overheads, and buyers to compare prices, read reviews, and choose delivery preferences. They
can be used for direct trading and advertising too, using sites such as eBay, Craigslist, or local listings
on social media or independent websites.
5. Government
Various government departments use computers to improve the quality and efficiency of their services.
Examples include city planning, law enforcement, traffic, and tourism. Computers can be used to store
information, promote services, communicate internally and externally, as well as for routine
administrative purposes.

6. Marketing
Computers enable marketing campaigns to be more precise through the analysis and manipulation of
data. They facilitate the creation of websites and promotional materials. They can be used to generate
social media campaigns. They enable direct communication with customers through email and online
chat.

7. Science
Scientists were one of the first groups to adopt computers as a work tool. In science, computers can be
used for research, sharing information with other specialists both locally and internationally, as well as
collecting, categorizing, analyzing, and storing data. Computers also play a vital role in launching,
controlling, and maintaining space craft, as well as operating other advanced technology.

8. Publishing
Computers can be used to design pretty much any type of publication. These might include newsletters,
marketing materials, fashion magazines, novels, or newspapers. Computers are used in the publishing
of both hard-copy and e-books. They are also used to market publications and track sales.

9. Arts and Entertainment

Computers are now used in virtually every branch of the arts, as well as in the wider entertainment
industry. Computers can be used to create drawings, graphic designs, and paintings. They can be used
to edit, copy, send, and print photographs. They can be used by writers to create and edit. They can be
used to make, record, edit, play, and listen to music. They can be used to capture, edit and watch
videos. They can be used for playing games.

10. Communication
Computers have made real-time communication over the internet easy, thanks to software and
videoconferencing services such as Skype. Families can connect with audio and video, businesses can
hold meetings between remote participants, and news organizations can interview people without the
need for a film crew. Modern computers usually have microphones and webcams built-in nowadays to
facilitate software like Skype. Older communications technologies such as email are also still used
widely.
11. Banking and Finance
Most banking in advanced countries now takes place online. You can use computers to check your
account balance, transfer money, or pay off credit cards. You can also use computer technology to
access information on stock markets, trade stocks, and manage investments. Banks store customer
account data, as well as detailed information on customer behavior which is used to streamline
marketing.

12. Transport
Road vehicles, trains, planes, and boats are increasingly automated with computers being used to
maintain safety and navigation systems, and increasingly to drive, fly, or steer. They can also highlight
problems that require attention, such as low fuel levels, oil changes, or a failing mechanical part.
Computers can be used to customize settings for individuals, for example, seat setup, air-conditioning
temperatures.

13. Navigation
Navigation has become increasingly computerized, especially since computer technology has been
combined with GPS technology. Computers combined with satellites mean that it's now easy to pinpoint
your exact location, know which way that you are moving on a map, and have a good idea of amenities
and places of interest around you.

14. Working From Home

Computers have made working from home and other forms of remote working increasingly common.
Workers can access necessary data, communicate, and share information without commuting to a
traditional office. Managers are able to monitor workers' productivity remotely.

15. Military
Computers are used extensively by the military. They are used for training purposes. They are used for
analyzing intelligence data. They are used to control smart technology, such as guided missiles and
 drones, as well as for tracking incoming missiles and destroying them. They work with other technologies
such as satellites to provide geospatial information and analysis. They aid communications. They help
tanks and planes to target enemy forces.

16. Social and Romance

Computers have opened up many ways of socializing that didn't previously exist. Social media enables
people to chat in text or audio in real-time across large distances, as well as exchange photographs,
videos, and memes. Dating sites and apps help people to find romance. Online groups help people to
connect with others who have similar interests. Blogs enable people to post a variety of views, updates,
and experiences. Online forums enable discussions between people on specialist or general topics.

17. Booking Vacations

Computers can be used by travelers to study timetables, examine route options, and buy plane, train, or
bus tickets. They can be used to explore and book accommodation, whether traditional hotels, or
through newer services, such as Air BnB. Guided tours, excursions, events, and trips can also be
explored and booked online using computers.

18. Security and Surveillance

Computers are increasingly being combined with other technologies to monitor people and goods.
Computers combined with biometric passports make it harder for people to fraudulently enter a country
or gain access to a passenger airplane. Face-recognition technology makes it easier to identify
terrorists or criminals in public places. Driver plates can be auto-scanned by speed cameras or police
cars. Private security systems have also become much more sophisticated with the introduction of
computer technology and internet technology.

19. Weather Forecasting

The world's weather is complex and depends upon a multitude of factors that are constantly changing.
It's impossible for human beings to monitor and process all the information coming in from satellites
and other technologies, never mind performing the complex calculations that are needed to predict
what is likely to happen in the future. Computers can process large amounts of meteorological
information.

20. Robotics
Robotics is an expanding area of technology that combines computers with science and engineering to
produce machines that can either replace humans or do specific jobs that humans are unable to do.
One of the first uses of robotics was in manufacturing to build cars. Since then, robots have been
developed to explore areas where conditions are too harsh for humans, to help law enforcement, to
help the military, and to assist healthcare professionals.

History of Computer: Basic Computing Periods

Earliest Computers originally calculations were computed by humans, whose job title was computers.

• These human computers were typically engaged in the calculation of a mathematical expression.
• The calculations of this period were specialized and expensive, requiring years of training in mathematics.
• The first use of the word "computer" was recorded in 1613, referring to a person who carried out calculations,
or computations, and the word continued to be used in that sense until the middle of the 20th century.

a) Tally sticks
A tally stick was an ancient memory aid device to record and document numbers, quantities, or even
messages.

Figure 1.1 Tally Sticks

b) Abacus
An abacus is a mechanical device used to aid an individual in performing mathematical calculations.

• The abacus was invented in Babylonia in 2400 B.C.

• The abacus in the form we are most familiar with was first used in China in around 500 B.C.
• It used to perform basic arithmetic operations.

Figure 1.2 Abacus

c) Napier’s Bones
• Invented by John Napier in 1614.
• Allowed the operator to multiply, divide and calculate square and cube roots by moving the rods
around and placing them in specially constructed boards.

Figure 1.3 Napie’s Bones

d) Slide Rule
Invented by William Oughtred in 1622.
• Is based on Napier's ideas about logarithms.
• Used primarily for – multiplication – division – roots – logarithms – Trigonometry
• Not normally used for addition or subtraction.

Figure 1.4 Slide Rule

e) Pascaline
• Invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642.
• It was its limitation to addition and subtraction.
• It is too expensive.

Figure 1.5 Pascaline

f) Stepped Reckoner
• Invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1672.
• The machine that can add, subtract, multiply and divide automatically.
 Figure 1.6 Stepped Reckoner

g) Jacquard Loom
• The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1881.
• It is an automatic loom controlled by punched cards.

Figure 1.7 Jacquard Loom

h) Arithmometer
• A mechanical calculator invented by Thomas de Colmar in 1820,
• The first reliable, useful and commercially successful calculating machine.
• The machine could perform the four basic mathematic functions.
• The first mass-produced calculating machine.

Figure 1.8 Arithmometer

i) Difference Engine and Analytical Engine

• It an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions.
• Invented by Charles Babbage in 1822 and 1834
• It is the first mechanical computer.

Figure 1.9 Difference Engine & Analytical Engine

 j. First Computer Programmer
• In 1840, Augusta Ada Byron suggests to Babbage that he use the binary system.
• She writes programs for the Analytical Engine.

Figure 1.10 Augusta Ada Byron

k. Scheutzian Calculation Engine

• Invented by Per Georg Scheutz in 1843.
• Based on Charles Babbage's difference engine.

Figure 1.11 Scheutzian Calculation Engine

l. Tabulating Machine
• Invented by Herman Hollerith in 1890.
• To assist in summarizing information and accounting.

Figure 1.12 Tabulating Machine

m. Harvard Mark 1
• Also known as IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC).
• Invented by Howard H. Aiken in 1943
• The first electro-mechanical computer.

Figure 1.13 Harvard Mark 1

n. Z1
• The first programmable computer.
• Created by Konrad Zuse in Germany from 1936 to 1938.
• To program the Z1 required that the user insert punch tape into a punch tape reader and all
output was also generated through punch tape.
 Figure 1.14 Z1

Figure 1.14 Z1

o. Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)

• It was the first electronic digital computing device.
• Invented by Professor John Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry at Iowa State
University between 1939 and 1942.

Figure 1.15 Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC)

p. ENIAC
• ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer.
• It was the first electronic general-purpose computer.
• Completed in 1946.
• Developed by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.

Figure 1.16 ENIAC

q. UNIVAC 1
• The UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer 1) was the first commercial computer.
• Designed by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.

Figure 1.17 UNIVAC 1

r. EDVAC
• EDVAC stands for Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer
• The First Stored Program Computer
• Designed by Von Neumann in 1952.
• It has a memory to hold both a stored program as well as data.
 Figure 1.18 EDVAC

s. The First Portable Computer

• Osborne 1 – the first portable computer.
• Released in 1981 by the Osborne Computer Corporation.

Figure 1.19 The First Portable Computer

t. The First Computer Company

• The first computer company was the Electronic Controls Company.
• Founded in 1949 by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly.

Basic Computing Periods - Ages

a. Premechanical
The premechanical age is the earliest age of information technology. It can be defined as the time between
3000B.C. and 1450A.D. We are talking about a long time ago. When humans first started communicating they
would try to use language or simple picture drawings known as petroglyths which were usually carved in rock.
Early alphabets were developed such as the Phoenician alphabet.

Figure 2.1 Petroglyph

As alphabets became more popular and more people were writing information down, pens and paper began to
be developed. It started off as just marks in wet clay, but later paper was created out of papyrus plant. The
most popular kind of paper made was probably by the Chinese who made paper from rags.
Now that people were writing a lot of information down, they needed ways to keep it all in permanent storage.
This is where the first books and libraries are developed. You’ve probably heard of Egyptian scrolls which were
popular ways of writing down information to save. Some groups of people were actually binding paper together
into a book-like form.

Also, during this period were the first numbering systems. Around 100A.D. was when the first 1-9 system was
created by people from India. However, it wasn’t until 875A.D. (775 years later) that the number 0 was
invented. And yes, now that numbers were created, people wanted stuff to do with them, so they created
calculators. A calculator was the very first sign of an information processor. The popular model of that time was
the abacus.

b. Mechanical
The mechanical age is when we first start to see connections between our current technology and its
ancestors. The mechanical age can be defined as the time between 1450 and 1840. A lot of new technologies
are developed in this era as there is a large explosion in interest with this area. Technologies like the slide rule
(an analog computer used for multiplying and dividing) were invented. Blaise Pascal invented the Pascaline
which was a very popular mechanical computer. Charles Babbage developed the difference engine which
tabulated polynomial equations using the method of finite differences.

Figure 2.2 Difference Engine

There were lots of different machines created during this era and while we have not yet gotten to a machine
that can do more than one type of calculation in one, like our modern-day calculators, we are still learning
about how all of our all-in-one machines started. Also, if you look at the size of the machines invented in this
time compared to the power behind them it seems (to us) absolutely ridiculous to understand why anybody
would want to use them, but to the people living in that time ALL of these inventions were HUGE.
c. Electromechanical
Now we are finally getting close to some technologies that resemble our modern-day technology. The
electromechanical age can be defined as the time between 1840 and 1940. These are the beginnings of
telecommunication. The telegraph was created in the early 1800s. Morse code was created by Samuel Morse
in 1835. The telephone (one of the most popular forms of communication ever) was created by Alexander
Graham Bell in 1876. The first radio developed by Guglielmo Marconi in 1894. All of these were extremely
crucial emerging technologies that led to big advances in the information technology field.

The first large-scale automatic digital computer in the United States was the Mark 1 created by Harvard
University around 1940. This computer was 8ft high, 50ft long, 2ft wide, and weighed 5 tons - HUGE. It was
programmed using punch cards. How does your PC match up to this hunk of metal? It was from huge
machines like this that people began to look at downsizing all the parts to first make them usable by
businesses and eventually in your own home.
 Figure 2.3 Harvard Mark 1

d. Electronic
The electronic age is what we currently live in. It can be defined as the time between 1940 and right now. The
ENIAC was the first high-speed, digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of
computing problems. This computer was designed to be used by the U.S. Army for artillery firing tables. This
machine was even bigger than the Mark 1 taking up 680 square feet and weighing 30 tons - HUGE. It mainly
used vacuum tubes to do its calculations.

There are 4 main sections of digital computing. The first was the era of vacuum tubes and punch cards like the
ENIAC and Mark 1. Rotating magnetic drums were used for internal storage. The second generation replaced
vacuum tubes with transistors, punch cards were replaced with magnetic tape, and rotating magnetic drums
were replaced by magnetic cores for internal storage. Also during this time high-level programming languages
were created such as FORTRAN and COBOL. The third generation replaced transistors with integrated
circuits, magnetic tape was used throughout all computers, and magnetic core turned into metal oxide
semiconductors. An actual operating system showed up around this time along with the advanced
programming language BASIC. The fourth and latest generation brought in CPUs (central processing units)
which contained memory, logic, and control circuits all on a single chip. The personal computer was developed
(Apple II). The graphical user interface (GUI) was developed.

History of Computer: Generations of Computer

There are five generations of computer:

• First generation- 1946 to 1958

• Second generation- 1959 to 1964
• Third generation- 1965 to 1970
• Fourth generation – 1971 toToday
• Fifth generation – Today to future

a. The First Generation

The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often
enormous, taking up entire rooms. They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of
electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions. First generation computers
relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform
operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on punched cards and paper
tape, and output was displayed on printouts.
Examples: – ENIAC – EDSAC – UNIVAC I, UNIVAC II, UNIVAC 1101

b. The Second Generation

Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. One transistor
replaced the equivalent of 40 vacuum tubes. Allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more
energy-efficient and more reliable. Still generated a great deal of heat that can damage the computer.

Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly,
languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. Second-generation computers still
relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output. These were also the first computers that stored their
instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.

Examples: UNIVAC III, RCA 501, Philco Transact S-2000, NCR 300 series, IBM 7030 Stretch, IBM 7070,
7080, 7090 series
c. The Third Generation
The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. Transistors
were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed
and efficiency of computers. It could carry out instructions in billionths of a second. Much smaller and cheaper
compare to the second-generation computers.
d. The Fourth Generation
The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built
onto a single silicon chip. As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to
form networks, which eventually led to the development of the Internet.
Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices.
e. The Fifth Generation
Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Still in development. The use of parallel processing and superconductors
is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. The goal is to develop devices that respond to natural
language input and are capable of learning and self-organization. There are some applications, such as voice
recognition, that are being used today.