Lesson 8: Technology vs. Humanity PDF

**LESSON 8 Technology vs. Humanity** **Introduction** Technology is still developed by humans and, in turn, is re-defining what we can and will do. Every single technological development is now having a much deeper effect on humanity than ever before, because technology will soon have an effect on...

**LESSON 8 Technology vs. Humanity** **Introduction** Technology is still developed by humans and, in turn, is re-defining what we can and will do. Every single technological development is now having a much deeper effect on humanity than ever before, because technology will soon have an effect on our own genetics, especially through the emergence of genome editing and artificial intelligence. Technology is no longer just a tool that we use to do something-we are now becoming machines (i.e. technology) ourselves. Let's examine what a futurist can say about the coming clash between man and machine. **Learning outcomes** By the end of this lesson, the students must have: 1. Described what is meant by exponential technologies. 2. Illustrated the 10 megashifts in technology that transformed the society. 3. Cite the darktrends or negative impacts of modern technology use. 4. Examined human rights in the digital age in order to uphold such rights in technological ethical dilemmas. 5. Examined the value and impact of modern technologies by asking the 7 questions proposed by Gerd Leonhard. 6. Practiced negotiation in the world of technology +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | **Vocabularies** | +=======================================================================+ | - **Technology**. A human activity involved with the making and | | using of material artifacts. | | | | - **Humanity**. The quality or state of being human. | | | | - **Artificial intelligence (AI).** An area of computer science | | that emphasizes the creation of intelligent machines that work | | and react like humans (Techopedia.com). | | | | - **Internet of Things (IoT).** A network of devices such as | | vehicles, and home appliances that contain electronics, software, | | actuators, and connectivity which allows these things to connect, | | interact and exchange data. | | | | - **Intelligent digital assistant (IDA).** A software service which | | offers some interesting set of the abilities of a traditional, | | human assistant, most notably answering questions and performing | | tasks using voice and natural language processing (NLP) backed by | | artificial intelligence (AI) (Krupansky, 2017). | | | | - **Algorithm**. A process or set of rules to be followed in | | calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a | | computer. | | | | - **Big data**. Extremely large data sets that may be analyzed | | computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, | | especially relating to human behavior and interactions. | | | | - **Bot, web robot (*chatbot, socbot*).** A software application | | that runs automated tasks over the internet. | | | | - **Cloud or cloud computing**. The practice of using a network of | | remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and | | process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ I. **Take off/Motivation**    II. **Content Focus** **Gerd Leonhard** Gerd Leonhard is a European futurist, humanist, speaker, author and CEO of The Futures Agency. He specializes in the debate between humanity and technology. Leonhard was born in Bonn, Germany in 1961. He studied theology at the University of Bonn and Music at the Berklee College of Music. A professional musician, arranger and composer. He is considered as "one of the leading media-futurists in the world". **The 10 Megashifts in Technology** 1. **Digitization**: Everything that can be digitized will be, from music (think Spotify) to travel (think Uber and Airbnb). 2. **Mobilization**: Computing is no longer tied to a computer, and soon next-to-limitless connectivity will become the new normal. 3. **Screenification**: Interfaces are increasingly moving to screens, whether supplanting buttons and dials on your car dashboard or replacing the print version of your morning newspaper. 4. **Disintermediation**: This is "disruption by going direct" -- cutting out the middle man and adopting peer-to-peer models (such as PayPal). 5. **Transformation**: Digital transformation is already the core of almost everyone's business model today -- requiring massive amounts of foresight and courage. 6. **Intelligization**: Things are becoming intelligent --we're moving toward giving them processing power, access to data, a set of rules and a simple command, and then letting them work. 7. **Automation**: The key to hyper-efficiency is automation, and with AI and machine learning becoming more effective, it will soon be integral to business. 8. **Virtualization**: From desktops and servers to software-defined networking, virtualization is, by some estimates, capable of delivering savings of up to 90 percent. 9. **Anticipation**: As digital assistants and sensor-driven technologies get more intelligent, they'll be able to start anticipating our needs more effectively. 10. **Robotization**: Robots that are becoming increasingly useful, likeable and accessible. **Digital Hiroshimas** 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. **Bridging the Gap** - What technology can do, and what it should do to result in overall human happiness. - We must **invest as much energy in furthering humanity as we do in developing technology**. - Algorithms can measure or even simulate everything except for **what really matters to humans**. - Mis-defining what human flourishing means, **will only empower machines**. **Humanity is at risk** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. - - - - - - - 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. III. **References** 1. Immink, Ron. \"Technology Vs Humanity: The Coming Clash Between Man And Machine\". Medium, 2018, https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/technology-vs-humanity-the-coming-clash-between-man-and-machine-da074eee067f. Accessed 20 Oct 2020. 2. Leonhard, Gerd. Technology vs. humanity. London: Fast Future Publishing, 2016. 3. Swearengen, Jack. \"TECHNOLOGY VS. HUMANITY: The Coming Clash between Man and Machine.\" Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 69.2 (2017): 125-128.