The internet is feeling nostalgic about 2016. I also dug into the archives. It was a good year. We were running around the streets chasing Pokemon, neural networks seemed like funny filters, and Elon Musk was just a dreamer. Looking back now, you realize that's when the foundation was laid for the crazy world we live in today.
1. AlphaGo and Move 37
DeepMind's neural network beat Go world champion Lee Sedol 4:1. The program made Move 37, considered impossible for a human. The realization of futility broke Lee Sedol. He ended his career with a great and sad phrase: "Even if I become number one, there is an entity that cannot be defeated." The myth that creativity and intuition are exclusive to humans was shattered.
2. AirPods
Apple removed the 3.5mm jack and introduced wireless earbuds. Critics predicted failure due to design and price. But AirPods became the industry standard. Audio content consumption grew — people now wear earbuds constantly.
3. Tesla Model 3 and SpaceX
Elon Musk unveiled the "budget" Model 3 and for the first time successfully landed a rocket's first stage on a sea platform. Electric cars entered the mass market, and space became commercially viable through reusable rockets.
4. Prisma and MSQRD
They taught phones to process images in real time. Belarusian MSQRD did face tracking (and Facebook bought them!). Russian Prisma did style transfer. Alexey Moiseyenkov created the great-grandfather of Midjourney and Flux. "AI generation" became mainstream for the first time.
5. Pokemon Go
Niantic made the whole world go outside. The AR game became a cultural phenomenon and the first mass example of augmented reality in everyday life.