The future is not too far away. In many ways, it is already here.

IBM suggests 5 trends to begin looking at now. They can significantly impact our future business.

1. The classroom will learn you – The classroom of the future will learn about each student over the course of their education, helping students master the skills critical to meeting their goals.
2. Buying local will beat online – Savvy retailers will tap cognitive technologies and use the immediacy of the physical store to create experiences that cannot be replicated by online-only retail.
3. Doctors will routinely use your DNA to keep you well –Computers will help doctors understand how specific mutations in a patient’s DNA have led to growth of a cancerous tumor. They’ll recommend a cocktail of medicine shown to best attack that cancer.
4. The city will help you live in it – Cognitive systems will learn to understand what people need, what they like, what they do, and how they move from place to place—so the managers of the city can respond better to their needs.
5. A digital guardian will protect you online –Security systems will acquire a 360-degree view of an individual’s data, devices and applications. They’ll readily spot patterns that could be precursors to a cyber attack or a stolen identity.

Imagine!!!

Imagine this: Your computer, the one you carry around in your pocket or purse, knows everything about you. With your permission, it knows about your relationships with the people, places and things in your world. It talks and listens to you. And, as your computer interacts with you and with the vast store of data about you, it learns to be an even better assistant—helping you navigate your personal and professional lives.

via IBM’s 5 in 5: In the Future, Computers Will Learn « A Smarter Planet Blog A Smarter Planet Blog.