Rise of the machine

by Tamsyn JN Green

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US Inventor Ray Kurzweil claims that machines will match the capacity of the human mind by 2030. Since the first freely programmable computer invented by Konrad Zuse in 1936, Kurzweil foretells that technology will exceed human intellect within a century. While the West prepares for an inevitable conquer of man by machine, computing in Sri Lanka is still in its infancy.

Since the global boom of the commercial web in the mid '90s, the increasing dependence on IT has affected innumerable aspects of society today. From online advertising attracting foreign exchange in tourism, to the growth of both national and international media resources online, the world is no longer limited by geographical and political borders. Online since 2001, Sunday Observer was the first national e-newspaper in Sri Lanka and among the first in South Asia. In the last 7 years, more than 15 Sri Lankan newspapers have followed suit.

Of all technologies, the internet has seen the fastest growth in accessibility. Reports from The Economist show that it took 16 years for PCs to reach 50 million users, compared to just 4 years for the World Wide Web to become as accessible. Online sources show that worldwide internet use has increased on average by 265.6% since 2000 while Asia alone has seen an increase of 346.6%.

In 2007, 13.7% of Asia's population was online, accounting for almost two fifths of the world's total internet usage. Despite the fact that internet use has increased by more than 250% in Sri Lanka since 2000, it reaches just 2% of the whole population, compared with India where web access is now available to more than 5% of the country. The Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) held an e-Learning symposium in late February at the OPA building, Colombo to advocate interactive learning online.

The event was the first 'Special Interest Group' workshop aimed at helping to 'make Sri Lanka e-ready'. Among the speakers were representatives from Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) and Shantha Fernando of Univesity of Moratuwa who expressed the importance of interactive learning. He described the way in which e-Learning enables the lecturer to become a facilitator for student-directed learning as 'humbling'. Interactive learning relies on the use of IT to supplement more conventional methods of teaching.

Fernando stressed the importance of maintaining personal links with students as research from the University of Moratuwa shows lower drop-out rates for interactive learning, compared with fully virtual learning. Research also suggests that online forums for departments encourage dialogue between students beyond the classroom. CSSL plan to hold training sessions available to the public for a small admission fee on a regular basis.

Despite the push to make Sri Lanka 'e-ready', the greatest benefits of accessibility are limited to the 10-12% of people in Colombo who speak English fluently. This figure decreases to a mere 5% countrywide. As English dominates the e-community, can internet really be a medium to advance Sri Lanka if its full extent is only accessible to such a minority? Improving the teaching of English in schools is an option, but it is not necessarily the answer. With Sinhala and Tamil media available online, perhaps there is scope for Sri Lanka to develop these linguistic e-communities that can operate independently of global standards.

Whilst the country can benefit from worldwide competition, interdependence may also hinder Sri Lanka's potential as a more self-sustaining country.

As 2007 drew to a close, the vision of Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) was set in motion. The OLPC initiative aims to improve education by providing a cheap, basic laptop for mass use in developing countries.

The non-profit organisation aims to improve the inadequate education of nearly two billion children in the developing world. Where funds are limited - in some countries less than $20 per pupil per year, compared to $7500 in the US - the idea behind the laptop is to inspire independent learning.

Rather than continue spending aid on teachers, building schools and classroom materials, providing access to efficient technology is thought to allow children to 'tap into their own potential, to be exposed to a whole world of ideas'. Peru will use the XO laptop in more than 9000 elementary schools, while Afghanistan, Rwanda, Nigeria and even schools in the UK are investing in the project. OLPC did receive criticisms that computers were of little use when children didn't have uniforms, seats and other basic amenities. However, the vision is still under realisation with recent support from the Inter-American Development Bank financing a $3-million pilot project to test the benefits of one-to-one computing in schools in Haiti.

Another development links children in rich and poor countries by the 'Give One Get One' program where the wealthier child finances two laptops, one to keep and one to give to a child in a developing country. This initiative is a global example of the trust we are putting in technology for the future.

The important link between initiatives here in Sri Lanka by organisations such as CSSL and worldwide projects like OPSL is the integration of humanitarian incentive and computing expertise; the idea that collaborative efforts will prove technology a catalyst for education, not a conclusion. So if machine meets man before 2030, it will indeed be a feat of technology.

But, the question is, can machine exceed man's competence. Unlike the circular cause and consequence debate over which came first - the chicken or the egg - man didn't just come first, it caused the computing age and surely that is supreme intellect?