Sci-fi technology can put city in driving seat

BUSINESS leaders have been shown how Manchester can become a smarter city by journeying into the future.

Head of technology for partners at Microsoft, James Akrigg, told his audience that far from being way ahead in the future, the technological advances were affecting businesses and people’s lives right now.

Akrigg, a Manchester resident, told the Great Manchester Business Conference, the keys to the revolution in business practices were machine learning and predictive analytics.

“You can’t have smarter cities unless we enable smarter business, and you can’t have smarter business unless you have smarter working processes,” he said.

He explained that the widespread use of data to identify patterns to predict outcomes, breakdowns in machinery and other issues within society would have a revolutionary effect.

“In America, there are already specialist partners that are already able to do this predictive type of analysis and put it into effect,” he said. “It sounds like science fiction, but it’s already happening today.”

Akrigg said for cities like Manchester to become smarter and keep abreast of competitors, there needed to a “democratisation in the use of data science.”

“This will allow people, organisations and businesses to make predictive outcomes and bring those services into software, websites and so on.

“It will lead to product recommendation systems and an ability to predict even health care problems, when I lift is going to break and more. This is a game changer.”

Akrigg said within the next five years it was possible the first and second medical consultation of patient will take place, not with medic, but a machine.

“This is not to put doctors out of work,” he said. “This is purely to alleviate the pressure they are already under.

“The question is – would you rather have a diagnosis done by a doctor with limited local knowledge doing or a  consultation with something that has the world’s medical knowledge of diagnosis available. These are massive changes we are going to see.”

Other technological advances, including voice recognition which will translate a person’s voice perfectly into another language are also in the pipeline.

People and businesses are being enabled to use Skype to talk to someone in places like China – with no knowledge of the language – and be understood, a tool which could revolutionise economies.

Other advances on the way include HoloLens which blends holograms with reality. The technology has the ability to design and shape holograms.

Akrigg added: “We’re really interested in working with our partners to help transform Manchester.”