As the BCS begins its 50th anniversary year, members
have been told that new approaches will be required from the IT
community to meet a range of global and national
challenges.
In his incoming president's message Nigel Shadbolt said, "We
should stand in awe at the way our technology has evolved in the
past 50 years. In just half that time I have seen a millionfold
increase in the power of computing devices. What also holds my
attention is our changing relationship with the rest of
society.
"It was not until the early 1970s that a computer first appeared
at the London Hospital in Whitechapel. To most staff and patients
it was an oddity. Today, health informatics is huge, employing
25,000 people in the NHS. It is the subject of great debate among
IT practitioners, healthcare practitioners and the media. Our
domain has become a part of the fabric of our society beyond
anyone's expectations, and the rate of change continues apace."
The BCS president also spoke about the future of IT and the
society's involvement in shaping it.
"In 2007, those taking their GCSE exams will have been born when
Tim Berners-Lee published the specification for the world wide web.
They have grown up in a web-enabled world. Today's children, living
in a connected world, are integrating this technology into their
lives. When the BCS reaches 100 years of age, the world will have
changed around them as much as it has changed around us," he
said.
"By then, the promise of artificial intelligence, agent
software, pervasive computing and the other technologies I research
may not have delivered a HAL or met Asimov's expectations, but they
will have changed the world again. We can be sure of little other
than constant and surprising change.
"For the next 50 years, the global challenges of climate change,
security, ageing populations and scarce resources will all require
innovative contributions from us. We will also be an essential part
of maintaining this country's economic and social well-being.
"Our mission in 2007 is to be leaders in solving these global
and national challenges. That requires a new approach from us
within the IT community, and a new relationship with those outside
it."
Shadbolt concluded by stressing that this year the BCS will
continue its professionalism programme and will seek to engage more
with the wider public.
To celebrate its anniversary, the BCS is holding a year-long
programme of events, details of which can be found online
www.bcs.org
www.computerweekly.com/220298
More information
claire.davenport@hq.bcs.org.uk
Comment on this article:
computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk