Reading and writing about the various technologies of our time is something I am very passionate about. If you follow my blog, you must already know that I write regularly about the latest happenings in the world of technology.
I often discuss about AI, genetic modification, drone technology, quantum computers, and many other revolutionary technologies that are being worked upon right now and how they will change our lives.
Aside from all the enthusiastic comments I receive about them, I also receive some very concerned ones. Many people have pointed out that most of what is being worked on right now can be used for really nefarious purposes and in some cases might even spell the end of humanity.
I completely agree with that sentiment, though it has always been true and not only of the recent times. Technology is a double edged sword and if it has the power to liberate people, it also has the power to enslave or even destroy them.
Technology is just another tool at our disposal and just as we can use various tools for various purposes, the same can be done with it too. The good and the bad of it, is totally dependent on us.
A chisel can be used to carve the most beautiful statue and it can be used to hurt people as well. Similarly, one could use the internet to be very successful or for other wicked purposes.
This has been true throughout history. I mean, take an example of one the biggest scientific breakthroughs of all time. Albert Einstein’s famous equation, (E = m.c^2), was a major step in understanding the universe, but ultimately it also formed the basic of the atomic bombs that were dropped in Japan.
I think no other example in history can better illustrate how technology will always be a slave to mankind’s whims. The AI or the genetic modification that I keep talking about, will definitely have a lot of very good, life changing implications, but in the wrong hands, well, there is no limit to the evil that can be done with them or with any other cutting edge tech.
There is a third angle to this whole scenario as well and one that is often overlooked. Sometimes there are unintended consequences of a technology, which simply couldn’t have been foreseen.
You see, we always regard technology as a solution. I mean that’s how it is marketed in today’s world, right? But several times, instead of being a solution, it ends up being a problem.
Take a look at social media today and what it is doing to the newer generations. It has brought up so many different problems like, craving for attention, immediate gratification, loss of valuable time, addiction, among others.
Different social media platforms were designed to bring people together, and while that has been achieved on some level, I can’t help but think that it’s having quite the opposite effect. People somehow seem to be more divided and in conflict, all the time, where real life relationships don’t even mean anything!
Whatever the case may be, one thing is for sure. Technology is like a river. You can divert it and even slow down its current a little but you can never stop it completely.
Mankind never stops and therefore innovations never stop. The future world will be one where technology will be an even more integral part of our lives.
Whether we let it come in the way, or become the way, will depend on us, like it always have. There will always be bad players in the world but that is just a reality we live in.
It’s a constant battle between the forces of good and evil, one that shapes the very world we live in by forcing it to evolve time and again. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, technology is a double-edge sword but so are we.
