Humans will have a "third brain" in the future, and 5G will speed up everything

"5G brings a lot of data, but the question is what can we do with that data? If we can't turn it into application scenarios, it's useless."

The advent of the 5G era has enabled the digitalization of the economy and science to start, and the collection of big data will be an important part of the 5G era. However, 5G itself cannot really form an application scenario. How to transform this data into an industrial chain that is truly useful to people's livelihood and enterprises and can truly make money and serve the people will be the next problem to be faced.

Academician Chen Shiqing believes that only by combining brain science, artificial intelligence and grid edge supercomputing can we complete application scenarios from end to edge and establish a complete industrial chain.

At the 2020 New Infrastructure to Promote the Development of Industrial Internet Theme Forum, Chen Shiqing, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, discussed and looked forward to the existing applications of artificial intelligence in various fields and the future of brain-computer integration through various easy-to-understand examples.

“AI is the new infrastructure of the future, but it is the human brain that can really be brought into play. We need to learn how the brain calculates.”

"The human brain is very innovative. We know that the human eye has certain limitations. It cannot see far or very small things, so we invented telescopes and microscopes. We cannot run faster than horses or dogs, so we invented bicycles, cars and airplanes. Humans use their imagination to extend the functions of the body, which is a manifestation of the brain's innovative ability." Academician Chen Shiqing said that we already have various invention extensions, and the only thing that has not been extended, the last thing that needs to be conquered, is our own brain.

"In addition to the cerebrum and cerebellum, each of us has an extended third brain," explained Academician Chen Shiqing, who has focused on the research of the third brain in recent years. The mobile phone we interact with every day is actually the third brain, which stores almost all the data related to us, including music, photos and even our thoughts. Unlike other universal artificial intelligence, the third brain is an artificial intelligence that belongs to each person.

Academician Chen Shiqing emphasized that future research should combine brain science with AI to achieve brain-machine integration, use the innovation ability of the human brain and the speed of AI to create artificial intelligence for everyone and drive future application scenarios. Where will this happen? It will happen where we live, in communities, streets or next to industrial parks. In the view of Academician Chen Shiqing, the combination of brain science and artificial intelligence technology has a wide range of application scenarios, and in these scenarios, a large amount of data brought by 5G is needed.

“All big data is used to serve people, either individuals or groups.”

There is no oil company in the world that does not buy supercomputers, because only by simulating explosions and sound waves in the strata can we find where oil may exist. Why are the planes and cars we take every day so safe? Because when they were made, supercomputers have already simulated possible situations and taken precautions in advance.

Academician Chen Shiqing used various examples to illustrate the uses of supercomputers in various aspects. At the same time, he also said that this type of supercomputer is large and centralized, consumes huge amounts of energy, and can only be maintained by national laboratories. With the advancement of science and technology and the upgrading of communication technology, AI will drive new algorithms and improve the development of the human brain, so that everyone will have their own "supercomputer". "All big data is to serve people, whether it is personal or group, and the complete application scenarios will take place next to the community or the street."

There are numerous application scenarios for artificial intelligence, including smart healthcare, smart education, smart agriculture, smart transportation, smart energy, and even smart cultural and creative industries and smart finance.

Taking smart healthcare as an example, Academician Chen Shiqing's vision is: "We want to build a national health network and a national health card. When the virus comes, one network and one health number will do." How to "foresee the future" and diagnose the disease in advance is the hope of research. Academician Chen Shiqing explained that when conducting research, data is needed. In various scenarios, people's data is collected and then analyzed. This is what edge supercomputing is about. Academician Chen Shiqing further explained this using the example of heart disease.

"If one day, a patient with heart disease suddenly falls on the road, and there are more than a dozen types of heart attacks, if we cannot know the type of the patient within 20 minutes, then when the ambulance arrives, we will not know which hospital to send the patient to, because not all hospitals have cardiology departments. Therefore, within 20 minutes, we can quickly use edge supercomputing through artificial intelligence to calculate all relevant data, such as personal conditions, the place where the patient fell, and the nearby community, to quickly know which type of heart disease the patient has and which hospital to send him to. This is a very important application."

“Artificial intelligence requires a lot of talent. We need 5 million people.”

"The 5G era is an important opportunity for the accelerated development of artificial intelligence. The most pressing issues to be addressed at present are to develop cutting-edge application scenarios and accelerate the training of talents." However, there is still a large gap in artificial intelligence talents in China. Academician Chen Shiqing believes that my country currently needs at least 5 million artificial intelligence development talents, but there are only less than 50,000 now. In this regard, he expressed the hope to build 100 artificial intelligence universities in China to cultivate mid- to high-end talents. As for the efficient training of talents, Academician Chen Shiqing believes that the use of brain-computer combination methods will enable efficient intelligent education.

One aspect of smart education is the intelligence of the physical environment, explained Academician Chen Shiqing. For example, the micro study room at home can use AR technology to form 3D images, which will make it easier to study efficiently. It can even include the oxygen content in the air, the highest concentration of carbon dioxide, your seating environment, etc., to improve learning efficiency through images.

At the same time, Academician Chen Shiqing also shared another application vision of intelligent education: to find a law from brain science so that from birth to kindergarten, it can be judged whether a person is suitable for scientific, technical, engineering, artistic or medical learning. "Because the learning and creative abilities of the human brain are at their peak at the age of 20, and according to the current education process, after completing a doctorate, one is already 35 years old, and the brain's ability has begun to decline."

Academician Chen Shiqing said that reforming the future education system through AI empowerment according to brain science methods will be able to achieve very amazing results. He believes that only by accelerating the speed of releasing talents into society can we truly avoid wasting people and China's second demographic dividend will come. "Now that the first demographic dividend has passed and society has entered the aging stage, it is possible to release the second demographic dividend using scientific and technological methods and brain science methods."

"What is the purpose of research now? It is not to make money, but to let the benefits of technology benefit everyone and solve social and economic problems. The way of science and technology is to benefit everyone." Academician Chen Shiqing said that all artificial intelligence application scenarios are related to artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence requires algorithms, and algorithms require computing power. This area must be vigorously developed in the future.