Game-changing moments in technology happen more often than we realize. Looking back over the past few decades, we’ve seen groundbreaking innovations reshape society, businesses, and everyday life.

We’re fortunate to witness these transformative leaps. The rise of mobile phones revolutionized communication, making instant connectivity a part of our daily routine. The Internet became an essential tool, giving us unlimited access to knowledge, news, and social connections on multiple devices nearly everywhere. Streaming services, like Netflix, Youtube and others, changed entertainment forever, bringing movies and shows directly to our homes without the need for rentals or trips to the cinema. Cloud computing removed barriers for businesses and individuals, enabling scalable and cost-effective solutions without the need of owning physical infrastructure. Platform-based businesses like Uber and Airbnb redefined entire industries, while social media reshaped how we interact and consume information. Most recently, artificial intelligence has emerged as a game-changer, influencing everything from automation to creativity.

So, what’s the common denominator behind these breakthroughs? I believe it’s the perfect combination of technological innovation, a ready and mature environment, and people’s willingness to adopt and integrate the change into their lives. Each of these factors must align for a technology to go from a great idea to a revolution. When they do, the impact is groundbreaking, shaping the way we live, work, and connect with the world.

I grew up playing games during the era of the ZX Spectrum, which was one of the most popular pieces of consumer technology for kids at the time. I spent countless hours playing different games, but back then, I didn’t think of it as a technological breakthrough as I had no reference point for what came before.

It wasn’t until my twenties that I truly experienced a tech breakthrough that felt life-changing: the rise of mobile phones. Growing up with fixed-line phones meant relying on paper phonebooks to dial my friends’ numbers and hoping they were home to answer. It was a completely different experience compared to the instant accessibility of mobile phones today. The newer generations may never understand what it was like to call to a friend’s home and start with, “Hi Mr./Mrs. … , may I please speak with …?”, have to  listen to the parents screaming for the friends name, waiting for him/her to arrive before a conversation could take place. Now that I think about it, it was actually funny.

The shift from that reality to a world where everyone was suddenly reachable anytime, anywhere was fascinating. Watching how quickly people embraced mobile phones and how they transformed communication left an impression on me. It was the first time I truly felt the impact of technology reshaping everyday life.

We lead busy lives, both professionally and personally, and AI is evolving at an incredible pace. The AI agents we see today are becoming more accurate, capable, and specialized than ever before.

For me, the ideal collaboration with AI is around AI agents. In the near future, they will become more personalized, understand our behaviours, preferences, and needs. They won’t just assist, they’ll take action on our behalf, handling operational and routine tasks while supporting us in more creative and strategic work. Imagine having a 24/7 AI assistant that knows you well, helping you manage your schedule, optimize daily routines, and free up time for what truly matters. These agents will become extensions of ourselves, enhancing our efficiency in both our professional and personal lives. And for sure that this is just the beginning.

At Celfocus, we are continuously exploring new ways to boost our teams’ efficiency using Generative AI. Our initiative, the Apex Project, is dedicated to leveraging AI agents and other advanced AI-driven solutions to enhance the way we build and deliver solutions. The future in this area is really exciting, and we are taking the necessary steps to take the most out of it.

That’s an interesting question, especially given today’s geopolitical situation. There are countless global challenges we face as a society: armed conflicts between nations, pollution threatening biodiversity, rising cybersecurity threats compromising our privacy, the growing demand for energy to power our technology-driven lives, just no name a few.

While all of these are critical, I would prioritize another issue which is in the field of medicine. Specifically, I believe technology should focus on accelerating scientific research to address epidemics and find cures for diseases that have plagued humanity for decades.

It’s fascinating that we’re sending spacecrafts to explore Mars, yet millions still suffer or ultimately dying from cancer and other long-standing illnesses. As someone outside the scientific field, it’s hard to understand why, despite our enormous computational power and technological advancements, we haven’t made greater breakthroughs in curing these diseases. Sure, biological systems are complex, and it requires proper financial incentives to advance on this field, but it is still difficult for me to comprehend the slow progress.

Urban mobility in large cities is still a bit messy. Despite decades of advancements with better trains, subways, buses, and even electric scooters with dedicated bike lanes, traffic continues to be a daily headache. While the severity varies across the world, major urban areas continue to struggle, and I don’t see a game-changing solution on the horizon.

Could Autonomous Driving be the answer? Even if it is an interesting technological advancement in mobility, it won’t solve the problem. At best, it might make sitting in traffic a little less frustrating.

Could flying vehicles be the answer? Maybe, but only if technology advances enough to make them safe, reliable, and scalable. Until then, getting around a big city will likely stay as chaotic as it is nowadays.

The rapid rise of Generative AI has shown us just how quickly technology can become widespread, almost overnight, without proper regulations in place. This pattern tends to repeat itself whenever we experience major technological leaps, as usually regulation comes after.

Governments are already struggling to keep up with the pace of innovation. Even if in EU there it was published the AI Act July last year, long after AI technologies had become mainstream, not all countries followed similar a path. Local regulations alone won’t be enough. Different countries have different policies, leading to inconsistencies in how technology is governed globally. Besides that, governments, corporations, and individuals all have their own definitions of responsible use. What one group considers ethical, another may not.

While Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is still a theoretical concept, with experts debating its timeline and even if it will ever exist, we’re already facing challenges in managing today’s fast-moving technologies. Right now, the focus is on deepfakes and AI-driven misinformation. In the future, self-learning AI systems could present even greater risks, making responsible oversight even more difficult and critical.

That said, there is no right answer to the question, but I strongly believe in humanity’s ability to adapt. Throughout history, we’ve found ways to manage the risks of new technologies, and I have no doubt that current and future generations will continue to do so.