4 “Star Trek” Technologies That Have Come to Life Thanks to AI
By Kris Moniz, Centric Consulting Practice Lead, Data & Analytics and Tim Hoolihan, Centric Consulting Capability Lead, AI Strategy
“Star Trek” has always been ahead of its time in the most important ways. While there is still much work to be done in realizing the show’s vision for society, our technical capabilities are starting to catch up. Here are some of the real-life “Star Trek” tools that, if used responsibly, can help to make the world a better place.
For more than six decades, the crew of the Starship Enterprise on “Star Trek” has helped us to both escape from and understand troubled times on Planet Earth. They’ve helped us to see the vast potential of our future.
Long before executive boards would strive for equity and inclusivity, Starfleet celebrated difference and advanced officers of all races from across the galaxy. Long before it was common for women, especially women of color, to hold positions of influence, Lt. Nyota Uhura used sophisticated linguistic skills to lead negotiations and save civilizations.
“Star Trek” told simple stories to help decode complex and controversial topics — like groupthink, tyranny, and collective trauma. Gene Roddenberry, the show’s creator, even embraced portrayals (allegories) of the Vietnam and Cold Wars.
Spock taught us how to respectfully greet enemies and friends alike 🖖 and disagree with dignity.
The show featured one of the first televised interracial kisses.
It was one of the only programs Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would let his children watch because of the future it foresaw.
On Planet Earth, in 2024, we still have so much work to do to fully realize the Starfleet vision. However, in certain ways, we are catching up with the technological capabilities of our Trekkie dreams.
Many “Star Trek” technologies already exist thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). If used responsibly, these tools stand to transform the world and make it a better place.
4 Real-Life “Star Trek” Tools
Here are just a few of the “Star Trek” technologies we enjoy today. We explain their capabilities, where to access them, and why/how to use them as a force for good.
We know, we know — this list is far from comprehensive. Want to share other Trekkie tech tips with the community? Join the conversation on Medium and LinkedIn.
1. The Replicator: Printing Food to End World Hunger
Replicator technology allows the crew of the Enterprise to materialize any comfort food or crave on demand. Captain Jean-Luc Picard can ask for his warm milk before bed. Vulcan crew members can start their day with a helping of Plomeek soup.
Present-day food printing is possibly even more exciting. Food scientists and nutritionists are collaborating with additive manufacturers (companies that print 3D materials) and data scientists to solve large-scale food problems. They are using the power of their combined disciplines — and AI — to study and optimize both the nutritional makeup and structure of their laboratory culinary creations.
At a time when threats like climate change, wars, and trade route disruptions are undermining global food security, scientists are working to make food production:
· Faster and more affordable
· Less dependent on pesticides and chemical additives
· Sustainable for ecosystems
· Kind to animals
· Respectful of farm and food workers
· Healthier and more nutritionally diverse
One example is printed seafood, which protects consumers from contaminants like plastics and heavy metals that are increasingly found in both wild-caught and farm-raised seafood. It’s also nicer for the fish.
Printed meats can increase access to expensive and often limited-supply proteins. And they offset methane emissions and save animals’ lives. Meat printing can be done using plant cells or cultured (reproduced) cells originally taken from animals.
Once they can be printed and distributed at scale, printed staple foods like rice and potatoes stand to solve hunger in communities around the world.
Many companies and research teams specialize in 3D food printing. Their products are in various phases of development, from prototyping to being served at fine-dining 3D food restaurants. A simple Google search will turn up the products and eateries available near you.
2. The Holodeck: Preparing First Responders for Unthinkable Scenarios
You might remember Alexander’s mini-Klingon warrior practice, Jean-Luc’s reunion with his first lover in Paris, or Data’s poker games with Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
The holodeck — or the Enterprise’s virtual reality room — allows its crew to practice cultural interactions and flex Starfleet skills in brave new worlds before leaving the ship. It offers full sensory immersion and complete interactive capabilities.
Thanks to emerging AI video generation, this technology has arrived on Earth, and nearly any organization can benefit from it. Holodeck-level immersion can be delivered in the form of virtual and augmented reality headsets, as well as virtual immersion rooms. While the headsets may be household technologies already, the clean, high-resolution generative AI videos are new.
Gone are the (upsetting) days of Will Smith eating spaghetti. AI can now generate sleek and breathtaking video images upon request. You really can say, “Holodeck, send a chopper so we can get this guy out of here” and see a rescue helicopter appear.
For businesses, the possibilities of generative AI videos are vast.
Under new tax laws, manufacturers who are incentivized to move assembly lines back to the U.S. can train thousands of employees at once with AI-generated videos. They can reduce on-the-job injuries and avoid preventable deaths. That is, people can practice daily tasks and learn hard lessons from virtual feedback instead of learning from real injuries.
Surgeons can perform hundreds of hours of surgery before touching a real patient. Disaster response nurses can fly into hurricanes without personal risk. Firefighters can experiment with new techniques for containing increasingly aggressive wildfires.
While these possibilities are potentially lifesaving, cost-saving, and transformative, we cannot overlook the implications of generative AI for creative professionals. Actors, film crews, set designers, and countless others could lose work as demand for human-produced film decreases. They also stand to lose compensation for their intellectual property — and the ability to consent to the use of their face and images.
Ethical leadership means assessing the sourcing habits of image generation companies. Were creative professionals paid competitive wages for the art (visual data points) being used to generate new images? Did they consent to their face or likeness being manipulated? If you can’t honestly answer those questions, seek a different AI video vendor.
3. Tricorders: Portable EKGs, Ultrasounds, and More
In “Star Trek,” a tricorder is a small, wand-like device that the ship’s medical staff uses to diagnose and treat conditions. The instant gratification of the tricorder is the envy of real-world clinicians and patients alike. While we haven’t yet achieved Dr. Crusher-level diagnostic ease, we are close.
Health apps, wearables, and remote-connected devices mean anyone can now perform health checks and diagnostic tests from any location. People can access once invasive and time-consuming tests from conflict zones, rural communities, airplanes, and living rooms. (They’re also paying heaps less than in the hospital.)
Examples include:
· Pocket EKGs: These often involve placing two fingers on a pocket-sized electrode plate while a smartphone/smartwatch interprets your heart rhythm.
· Handheld ultrasound wands: These are giving pregnant people peace of mind about their baby’s health — minus the midnight runs to the hospital.
· Smart inhalers: These inhalers can monitor lung health and give users feedback about their inhalation technique.
· Smart pill bottles: These can help people with memory loss or multiple conditions stick to their medication schedule.
The examples on this list do not provide comprehensive or nuanced medical care. They cannot give formal diagnoses. However, if you are a medic in a humanitarian aid camp or a nurse responding to a mass casualty incident, they can help you make lifesaving choices in real time. They can help everyday people weigh whether it’s safe to stay home — or if they need to call an ambulance.
As with all tech tools, the examples on this list should be used for decision-making support. They should never replace a human expert.
4. Computer: Ready to Serve Across Industries
You’re probably familiar with text-to-voice technologies like screen readers and voice recognition technologies like Amazon’s Alexa. In fact, for many of us, Alexa is basically a member of the family — a robotic auntie to our kids. What you might not realize is just how affordable (relatively speaking) and accessible it can be to build custom voice assistants.
Like Computer on the Enterprise, custom voice assistants are tailored to your business’s needs. These solutions can be built using internal company data, relevant external industry data, and inputs from the Internet of Things (e.g., people’s smartwatches, bio monitors, and product monitors).
Custom voice assistants have evolved past cookie-cutter chatbot answers. New iterations are nearly indistinguishable from human assistants. They can talk with people, ask clarifying questions, and narrow focus until they find the information you need.
These assistants are helping businesses to streamline operations, effectively expanding staffing. For instance, employees at an overstretched nonprofit could work with their voice assistant to pull case files, in real time, while counseling families. The organization’s leader could quickly ask for their team’s latest numbers before walking into a funding meeting. A staff clinician could ask when a child with panic attacks last took their medication while focusing on soothing the child.
Incredibly, with the right contractors, this type of custom build is something that companies can now create in a matter of weeks. If an organization wants to integrate sensor data from the Internet of Things, a custom “Computer” can be ready in months.
Using AI as a Force for Good
Whether these AI tools improve the world or cause harm depends on the people who design them — and the people who use them. AI creation must be purposeful, ethical, and done in moderation. In every instance, it should be informed by the people and communities that will be affected by it.
For instance, if large language models (LLMs) are trained using text data that reflects race or gender bias, AI’s responses to human questions will be biased as well. If data inputs for health tools are flawed or do not represent diverse groups of people, health outputs like EKG readings can be incorrect or inappropriate for the user.
It’s not acceptable to heedlessly embrace our emerging technical capabilities. As we learned in “Star Trek,” the Prime Directive is all about protecting civilizations from the potential harms of their people adopting new technologies before they’re ready.
Look beyond the immediate benefits of a proposed technology. Ask yourself: What must be done to protect people, communities, and environments from unintended long-term harms?
Do not try to answer that question on your own. Ask for help. Ask for input. Invite stakeholders of every level to weigh in on every phase of testing and development. Listen to their guidance and work together to build solutions that will truly benefit society.
Centric Consulting is an international management consulting firm with unmatched in-house expertise in business transformation, hybrid workplace strategy, technology implementation and adoption. Founded in 1999 with a remote workforce, Centric has established a reputation for solving its clients’ toughest problems, delivering tailored solutions, and bringing deeply experienced consultants centered on what’s best for your business.
