Week 2 Year 2 - Monday, October 22nd 2012
"Future Scenarios"
In the end, technology will be so much part of our lives it will become invisible to us (Eric E. Schmidt of Google's on the future of technology at Princeton). And the birth of a collective consciousness on a global scale is an inevitable outcome which, I hope, will not undermine or even cancel, not so much our freedom as our autonomy of thought. That is because, along with the many distinctions, barriers and differences of all kinds, first of all language and culture, the risk that the diversity of thought may be wiped out is very high. But perhaps this is exactly what we are aiming at. Is not through self annihilation that we are able to embrace the immense? Any reluctance or resistance to this trend must be necessarily due to a sort of nostalgia that precedes the state of things which determines it. An effect without a cause. It is in this sense that I tend to interpret the notion of technology "becoming invisible" in our daily lives. We'll get to witness effects without even having to think or act, we’ll even do without being conscious of most things happening around us. Such as is banally the case today where lighting may be automatically controlled by sensors. But this is only a timid start and example of what will be.
Looming at large, in my own view, there are quite a few possible scenarios. It is impossible to predict today which of these will settle but the trend is unquestionable. Technologies, artificial intelligence and automation will replace human action and effort wherever possible, that is everywhere, at times even our own thoughts will be unnecessary as one of the advantages offered by technology is the possibility to program and anticipate. It’s a bit like being kids again. Being relieved of a number of tasks, complications, inconveniences, will allow us to save loads of time and will spare us many headaches. But the most impressive aspect of the projection we’re given of the future, is the fact that our very existence will be determined by "data". - “Now you exist, now you don’t. How do you mean I don’t? I'm here, open up the door, I want to get in the house. - Sorry, unidentified user." And how many more similar situations that may occur. Of course we will arrive at a state of the art, an optimized system. But in the meantime, who knows what can happen.
So, taken away all the trivial and strenuous tasks like driving a car, turning on a light or suffering from insomnia, because insomnia will become a thing of the past, I have no doubt about it. What exactly is going to be left for us to do? What great destiny awaits humanity? and who will be amongst the elected? that is, surely the implementation will have to occur progressively, both from an application point of view than the geographical extension. The "long" journey that will take us into the future presents an uneven deployment. Scenes from the movie "Stargate" come to mind. I always knew that watching too many movies would have caused side effects sooner or later.
by lalitwist
Note 1 - about SUB ref. Monday, December the 5th 2011 "About a Druid and his mushrooms"
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