又中又英 | Digital Nomads | 褚簡寧

　　There is now no doubt that artificial intelligence, commonly called AI, is the new frontier that will radically change the way we live. Countries such as the US, China, and the United Kingdom have made the research and improvement of their AI capabilities a top priority. A new frontier can mean an unexplored land mass. The American continent was a new frontier for Westerners centuries ago. A new frontier can also mean an unexplored scientific or technological area. Going to space and developing the internet were new frontiers. The internet, computers, and smartphones have changed our lives in a way that was unimaginable just a few decades ago.

　　During the Covid lockdowns, people could still work remotely online with their computers. Students could attend classes using computers and the internet. There are no more Covid lockdowns but some companies, especially in the West, still allow employees to work online from home. The combination of the internet, laptops, and smartphones have also created a new group of people known as digital nomads. Nomads are people who travel from place to place and have no permanent homes. A digital nomad is a person who travels from place to place and earns a living online with a laptop or smartphone.

　　Digital nomads are mostly web developers, bloggers, and freelance journalists. I am also a digital nomad. I don’t have a permanent home and file my columns from different places. AI is already changing our lives in ways unimaginable just years ago. When I open a blank page with Microsoft Word to write my column, it offers to write it for me! I never use it because I don't think AI can do my type of columns.

　　毫無疑問，俗稱AI的人工智能，會是徹底改變我們怎樣生活的新境界（new frontier）。像美國、中國和英國這些國家，都已將研究和發展其人工智能力量定為頭等大事。A new frontier可以是指未經勘探的地塊，好幾個世紀以前，對於西方人來說，美洲就是一個全新的邊疆（new frontier）。A new frontier也可以解作一個尚未探索的科技領域。從前，向太空進發和發展互聯網，都是全新的領域（new frontier）。互聯網、電腦、智能電話改變了我們的生活方式，是僅僅數十年前所難以想像的。

　　新冠肺炎疫情封城期間，人們仍能遠距離用電腦上網工作，學生亦能用電腦和網絡上課。現在已再無疫情封城，但一些國家，尤其在西方的，仍然容許僱員在家上網工作。結合網絡、手提電腦和智能電話，亦創立了一群人叫作digital nomads。Nomads是遊牧民，沒有固定居所，四處移居；digital nomad則是數碼遊牧，運用手提電腦或智能電話，就能四處移動，上網辦公謀生。

　　數碼遊牧（digital nomads）通常都是網頁開發者、博客作者，以及自由工作的記者。我也是個數碼遊牧民（digital nomad）。我沒有固定長遠的家，會從不同的地方交專欄稿件。人工智能已經改變我們的生活方式，是僅僅幾年前所不能想像的。當我在微軟文檔開一個空白頁，準備撰寫專欄文章時，它竟然提出可以為我撰寫！我從不會用它，因為我不認為人工智能可以寫到我這樣風格的專欄。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧  
中譯：七刻