Intelligent communication systems

The information technology (IT) revolution is surely coming in this century, just as did the agricultural and industrial revolutions that have already so enriched our lives. As the IT revolution progresses, it is expected that almost all social structures and economic activities will be changed substantially. In order for the IT revolution to penetrate our societies and enrich our lives, everyone in the world must have easy access to the information infrastructure and enjoy the use of any of the functions made available by that revolution. To accomplish this, the following basic functions have to be developed. Human-friendly human-machine interfaces should be provided to enable everyone, young or old, access to the information. Development tools have to be available for anyone to develop the new IT services. A more human-friendly communication environment is needed to allow people to communicate via the Internet as if they were gathered at the same place.