The topic of human nature and their tendency to use their creations for self-centered motivations is nothing new. Norbert Weiner, known as the inventor of “cybernetics,” warned about the future of machines and the potential consequences we could face if we fain ignorance. In Doug Hill's article The Eccentric Genius Whose Time May Have Finally Come (Again), he writes about how Weiner believes "humans can’t resist selfishly misusing the powers our machines give us", even if that means our planet suffers for it. Even now, there is growing concern about the influence of digital media and the internet on the masses. In a 2018 study, people expressed concerns about the dark side of digital life and the possible consequences that could arise within the next decade.
So how concerned should we all actually be? For me, it's less about the ability of machines to think and obtain conscious thought and more the individuals behind the scenes who are influencing the people doing the programming, building and contributing to the evolution of technology. I believe it would very naive of us to think that there are aren't people in higher places pushing the boundaries of what technology can do and don't have their own selfish ambitions that don't involve the betterment of society. The question becomes how far those individuals are willing to go in order to put more money in their pockets. So maybe your phone won't turn into a Decepticon in the near future, but the weaponization of technology and it's potential is not as far-fetched as you may think.
Your title definitely hooked me to your blog post and I admire how you used apocalypse movies to describe our potential future. I am a little confused on whether your point is blaming humans or blaming technology. Whether humans are purposefully advancing technologies for their themselves or for the betterment of society, I personally believe technology can do damage regardless. It would be interesting to see some examples of this “selfishness” and how they have led to bad situations in the modern world.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your post. I also agree it would be good to try and explore the idea of "selfishness" more. It's a good topic to unpack.
DeleteNice post, I liked your use of sources and the way you introduced them before the end. Your opening statement in relation to the title of your post is also well done, and it does a good job of setting up the rest of the blog post. The only thing that could be improved upon is the closing statement, you talk about this technology issue as if it’s purely societal, rather than some self-teaching AI leading to the rise of evil robots. Aside from that one nit-pick this blog post is good, and if you’re going to revise it in the future, I’d suggest keeping the first paragraph, it’s an excellent hook!
ReplyDeleteHi Olajide! Your title was extremely eye-catching and hooked me immediately! Your article is very interesting and informative. I really liked the hyperlinks you added, as it helps provide further information on the topic. I also like that you have multiple sources and evidence to back your arguments. To improve, I would suggest maybe delving deeper into people misusing technology for selfish reasons vs technology as a key source of the issue at hand. Overall, great article!
ReplyDeleteHey Olajide! Your blog post is very interesting! Excellent title and easy to read post. I liked your point about technology being dangerous because of the selfishness of those producing it, however I agree with other commenters that it could have been expanded upon a little more.
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