In the 1950s, if you wanted to communicate with a computer you used a punch card. Engineers working in this field in the early 1960s realized that this form of interaction was a nightmare, and eventually discovered that it involved a lot of “talking” to machines through a keyboard and a monitor displaying this interaction.

how is this command line interface (CLI) This would be fundamental in Unix systems and later in the introduction of personal computers and microcomputers. We were all happy with it – I was happy with my C64, too – but we had no idea that in reality it was also pretty scary and hostile.

Then came Xerox PARC, where (among other things) a new concept called the graphical user interface (GUI) emerged. Those in charge of Xerox did not know what lay ahead of them and let the opportunity pass them by. Steve Jobs, no.

Apple’s co-founder saw this was the future and demonstrated it with his 1984 Macintosh. Eventually, Microsoft joined the trend and has continued to do so for more than two decades. We thought everything had already been invented and that there is no better way to interact with a machine than with a mouse and keyboard.

It was a lie.

In 2007, Steve Jobs showed the world that things could get better. The iPhone and its multi-touch screen were born. We no longer needed a mouse and keyboard to operate that pocket computer. Our fingers were enough. This even went through its own revolution (goodbye capacitive buttons, hello gestures) and led us to where we are today.

And once again we believe that everything has already been invented and there is no better way to interact with a machine than by placing our fingers on the screen.

Is this a lie?

This is the great unknown because They are looking for a product to replace the smartphone for years. The smartwatch tried it, and so did the virtual reality glasses, but neither one nor the other went beyond being an extension of the smartphone or the computer, respectively. Without them—at least in most cases—they lose much of their meaning.

But we took a look at some ideas that point to a new (and potential) disruption in 2023. There are new trends in the ways we communicate with machines, and perhaps some of them will achieve what seems difficult: human-machine interface (HCI) is even better. Which ones? Let’s review these:

1. Sound: Voice assistants like Google Assistant or Siri have tried to be the new way to interact with technology. Although they are an integral part of our mobile phones and are also drivers of devices connected to the Internet of Things, their scope has always been limited. Some cite the context issue as the reason for this: human speech is full of nuances, and translating them into an HCI system is useless for now. So we speak with clear orders, we almost have to learn the language of the machine so that it can understand us.
2. augmented reality: Google Glass could have happened, but it didn’t. Since then, we’ve made many attempts to turn augmented reality into the next big revolution in technology… but they’ve all failed. Magic Leap has made a lot of promise, and it’s been clear for a while that this is the way to go, and so is Apple. Your Apple Vision Pro Someone The great hope in this industry, and they are largely because of not what they do, but how they do it.
3. eye tracking: The first important pillar of Apple Vision Pro control is the eye tracking system, which allows us to detect where we are looking to interact with the element on the screen, and not with another element. This is an extraordinary idea that, yes, seems limited by the fact of having to wear glasses, but it is not alone.
4. Gestures: The other part of the Apple Vision Pro user interface is the gestures made with the fingers, which only need to be in the field of view of the glasses to be detected. The concept is not new; new Apple Watches also offer partial support for these gestures, and we’ve already seen how the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Kinect take advantage of this technology. Gestures aren’t likely to change everything, but they could become an interesting element of this new way of interacting with machines.
5. wearable devices: Humane’s AI Pin is the wearable tech industry’s latest big hero – in 2023, not even AI will be able to help us with a decent translation of this term – but that doesn’t mean it will be a success. The aim seems to be to replace the traditional mobile phone, but those who have seen it in action are less clear on that. That mini projector… Anyway.
6. chatbots: Maybe the real revolution in human-machine interfaces was before us because it was the one that started (almost) everything. We have already mentioned the command line: it was the way we talked to machines, but the GUI came and usability gained a lot of integer. Now this concept has come back into fashion with ChatGPT and other text-generating AI platforms: These chatbots (there’s a company that calls them co-pilots) allow us to talk to machines in a much more natural way. They understand us and respond to us so well that they almost make us want to leave traditional search engines behind and talk to machines.

Will some of these technologies really become important in the short term? A year ago we would have certainly ignored chatbots – be careful, our passion for this technology is already growing – but the arrival of ChatGPT has changed everything and we seem more willing than ever to chat with our computer or mobile phone. In the second one, speaking is even more natural because the chatbot understands us much better.

Therefore, it is assumed that voice and conversations are the main protagonists of this future. Microsoft isn’t stopping integrating ChatGPT options across all its platforms – Windows 11 already does this, but we can’t test it in Europe at the moment – and the rest of companies big and small in the tech space don’t want to miss this opportunity.

These two aspects therefore appear to be relevant. At least until we can communicate with machines through thought. And what seems like absolute madness may not be that far off after all.

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