Our technological challenge is not technical
The biggest challenge we face as humanity in the area of technology will not be technical. It is to put the technological advancements in use for humanity. In other words use new technological possibilities to create a new world from a new mindset. Feed the paradigm shift.
We are creating a world where the smartest person in a room is the room itself. A world where economies driven by computer thrive without the interference of humans. A world where design and production are one via 3d printing. Where organs, houses, weapons and food will come from a printer and where technology will know us better than we do.
A technological dreamworld?
Apps which are able to detect depressions and new laws which make it possible for doctors to prescribe app instead of medicines. Cars that drive themselves and software which replaces judges. We can print our own robots at home for less than a 1000 dollar. And have you already heard of MyndPlay? A service which makes it possible to adjust the content you are watching on TV based your brainactivity and emotions. Scientists have succeeded in hacking someone’s brains and identify his signals if he is attracted to a commercial product. The first companies are now replacing their production lines to the homecountries where the factory worker is a robot. There are more jobs created for machines not humans. Technology merges with our human body so the weapon of the future will be WiFi-access. If they can hack satelites they can also hack a pacemaker.
Technology is outcompeting us
Leon Panetta, the retired minister of Defence of the U.S, warns us for a digital pearl harbour in the beginnen of 2013. We live in a world where, according to Edelman’s trust monitor, technology is trusted the most. In this world our dependence of technology is also increasing. Are we creating a world where we will be totally outcompeted by our own creations? For now we still make our technologies but for how long? Our creativity is still something in which technology will not outcompete us.
A digital Pearl Harbor
Two experts in technology and productivity from the MIT Center of Digital Business said in a report that humans lose their jobs to machines. In their ebook ‘Race against the Machine’, they say that currenty more jobs are created for machines not humans. Also the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) recently announced to start a research related to the speed of technological advancements. Question is: are we able to do a research on the effects of technology? This because our way of thinking and creativity is already being challenged. It will be dificult because we can predict technological advancements but is is nearly impossible to predict the effects they have on society.
Technology from a different mindset
You might think that I am negative about the technological ‘progress’. I am not. But I think it is time for more awareness about how we use all those technological possibilities. Is it from the old paradigm of more, faster and better or the new paradigm: human, connected, together, balance? A bright future with technology is in the new paradigm and I fear the old one. So the biggest challenge we face in technology is not technical. It is a challenge of mindset and the usage of technology. The book ‘Race of the Machines’ gave us an advice: develop subsidary technology which is not competitve with humans. Do let us lose ourselves in all the technological possibilities. Like I said before let’s use our technological progress to make a better and more balanced world.
The video is from Black Mirror (Charlie Brooker).
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