As electronic and digital technology advances with the aim to improve and help make our lives easier I have noticed that it is increasingly progressing from an accessory tool to a basic human essential living requirement. The invasive, fun and essential functionalities of technology with the ubiquitous not forgetting cheaper or mostly free accessibility (free wordpress account 🙂 ) are all but sucking in and gripping the masses like a vacuum.
Technology has served its purpose helping make our lives easier but has come to the point where cars will be driven autonomously – don’t have to drive! Most of our daily life processes have all been crammed into application and websites where we don’t have to do a lot of work – an access to a smartphone and you’re set for life. Now that the Internet of Things has become operational like everything else before, it will only be a matter of time before the technology becomes really affordable for us to have (a short time maybe) with more ease and more functionalities that we won’t have to lift a sweat as everything will be done be done just by commanding and/ or even thinking. Moore’s Law at its best.
This begs the next question Artificial Intelligence!
The first time I came across artificial intelligence or AI, I freaked out because it was through the movie Terminator (I watched all the installments). It was a serious apocalyptic foretaste and man Arnold Schwarzenegger was very convincing in his embodiment of AI – A powerful military defence program becoming self aware and turning against its creators hence machines against humanity resulting in massive destruction and annihilation of the world with the minority of remnant humans becoming the resistance to the AI. What about the Matrix movies?
Currently with the existing technology, AI will in a matter of years be a fruition as it is has garnered a lot of attention for political, philosophical and technological reasons. the idea of giving a machine the ability to think an behave like a human is a huge pill to swallow. Among those expressing concerns over AI of its potential threats AI has over humans are Steven Hawking, Elon Musk and Bill Gates to name a few.
For me AI is a very complex engineering feat that requires a lot of ethical considerations on every aspect of its operation . There is science and then there is humanity to consider. The future of AI is on the horizon however are we all confident that is the next best thing for us? Let us not let our instinct of aggression overcome us but think before developing.
chrisgandi 