Visions for the future: How technology changes our lives

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Europe

In Boao, south China's Hainan Province, you can step into a real-world experience of how technology has been transforming our lives. I've attended an exhibition depicting three different eras.

The first was a throwback to the 1970s. Back then, we would have been proud to have a transistor radio sitting on the kitchen cupboard. I then walked into a room from the 1980s and saw a cassette player, which now only belongs in a museum. The last part featured what communication in the 21st century is really like: You talk to a machine and it talks back.

All these changes happened over the past 40 years.

We always wonder how our life changes.

But very few people realize that technology is always one step ahead of our perception of change. But when technology kicks in, it turns everything upside down overnight.

Deep down, we know we are on the cusp of another round of technological revolution. We don’t know what killer app it will be or how it will reshape the world around us.

But one thing is for sure, any individual, company or country able to ride this wave will be a leader of that time.

Britain was there when the steam engine was invented 300 years ago. The United States too, when Henry Ford began making Model Ts in 1908, and when Americans made the first computer Eniac in 1946. We are waiting and watching for the next big moment.

Technology is clearly transforming our lives.

Of course, some people may say it's a double-edged sword: the protection of privacy versus convenience, which is more important?

Technological development, however, isn't going to wait for a verdict. For people like us, an open mind and a readiness to learn are the best ways to meet a changing world. These are my thoughts.