The AI Era of Computing Marks a Sharp Break From Prior Eras

With the caveat that we have not reached agreement on what to call the present and immediately past periods of computing (some prefer “mobile” for the present era while others prefer “personal computing” or “internet” appellations), artificial intelligence is a candidate to define the era that might follow. 

And though AI will include changes in processors and become part of most software experiences, AI is likely to mostly represent a change in functions.

Where in the past computing was mostly about executing instructions, AI is more about learning, predicting and problem solving (making inferences) based on knowledge of massive data sets. 

Era	Processor Hardware	Key Software	Platforms
Mainframe (1950s-1970s)	Central Processing Unit (CPU) - bulky, expensive, limited processing power	Punch cards, batch processing, COBOL programming	IBM mainframe systems (OS/360)
Personal Computer (1970s-1990s)	Microprocessor (CPU) - smaller, more affordable, increased processing power	Word processing, spreadsheets, databases, early games	DOS, Windows, Apple OS
Client-Server (1990s-2000s)	Improved CPUs, increased RAM	Email, web browsing, enterprise applications	Microsoft Windows Server, Novell Netware, Unix/Linux
Personal Computing (1980s-2000)	PCs, laptops	Productivity suites, web browsing, social media	Windows, macOS
Mobile (2000s-Present)	Mobile processors (low power, high efficiency), multi-core CPUs	Mobile apps, social media, streaming services	iOS, Android

Prior eras of computing were mostly about telling machines what we wanted them to do. The AI era will be the first where machines will try to figure out what else we might want to do. 

Prior eras of computing had a focus on tasks: Humans  provided the program, data, and commands, and the computer delivered the desired output. The machines lacked the ability to understand the context or intent behind our instructions and operated on a literal level.

The coming AI era will be different, as machines increasingly anticipate human wants or needs. 

AI will aspire to understand our needs and desires, even if we haven't explicitly stated them. 

In other words, the machines will attempt to predict what happens next, based on past behavior and context. AI also will continually learn from user interactions and data to improve its ability to anticipate wants.

In other words, AI will try to be proactive, suggesting solutions, completing tasks, or providing information before we even realize we need it. And that is a big change from all prior eras of computing.