The winding path towards symbiotic autonomous systems

Over the next 10 years, we are likely to see the convergence of two independent evolutionary paths: one leading to an augmentation of machine capabilities; the other with the augmentation of human capabilities. This convergence will not happen at a specific point in time; instead, it will be the result of progressive overlapping, to the point that it might be difficult to identify a defining moment. The following decade will likely be quite different from the present one. 5G will probably be remembered as a transitional system, artificial intelligence (AI) as a misplaced objective. We are looking forward to a communications fabric created by autonomous systems that will exist both in the physical world as well as in cyberspace, determining a continuum that gives rise to digital reality and where intelligence is an emerging property of the ambient. Hence, the dichotomy between AI and natural intelligence will no longer exist and AI will be considered as a tool for human augmentation and as the glue connecting minds and machines. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards symbiotic autonomous systems'.