Márton Varga

How Can IT Serve Society?

Before we look into the question, how IT can serve society, I should probably say a few words about how it is
and has been serving it. The world population as of today is nearly 8 billion, and handling this large number of
people is a task that no political system would be able to perform without IT. The human brain has wonderful
abilities, of which a computer can only do a number of, but it can do these far more precisely and quickly.
Humans are only capable of remembering little information when compared to computers, that can handle
incredible amount of raw data. This data includes money, statistics, and detailed information about companies
and even individual people. Since no human could possibly deal with even a tiny part of such amount of
information, we need computers to keep everything organised from a single company, keeping track of its
income and expenses, allowing predictions for efficiency, to the entire system of economy, law, and even
science. And let us not forget to mention the software-controlled machines used in factories, producing enough
food and other supplies for us. On the other hand, we can say IT is partially a factor in overpopulation, and as
we are using up all the resources Mother Earth has given to us, it is time we have to realise that if we keep up
wasting them carelessly, even IT cannot save us.

We can mention entertainment or the advanced level of communication we have today, from telephone and
radio to smartphones, and even the software we use for the classes, Teams, that can handle groups of hundreds
of people. Regarding our education, and also home office, we all know how IT lets the world keep running
during the pandemic. Certainly, these things are impressive, however the possibilities IT has given to us extend
much further than communication and handling data. Smart devices can combine various types of data to
perform complicated tasks, but what is even more interesting that when IT is combined with mechanics, we
can get to robotics. Currently the top topics in IT are AI (Artificial Intelligence) and robotics. Everybody has
heard of self driving cars. In this moment it cannot really be considered safe, but it is a really promising industry,
and one day, maybe not even too far away from today, these cars could get rid of certain dangers of
transportation, as the reaction time of a machine is much faster than of a human, and it is unlikely to fall asleep.
Even in Budapest, some of the underground trains are self driving, although they can be considered rather safe,
as they do not have to handle as many traffic situations as cars do.

But when we get back to more simple robots, the houskeeping robot for example can make our lives much
more comfortable. Today there are devices, that can be referred to as robots, that clean the floor and carpet,
but the more advanced this technology gets means the more tasks they will be able to complete, and one day
maybe a robot of this kind will become part of almost every family according to some. Robotics combined with
AI allow us to build machines for basically every purpose, even taking the dog out for a walk. But this one-page-
long essay would not be enough to sufficiently examine AI, it would probably require an entire book by itself.
And as I am getting near to the end of this essay, leaving out many of its uses, last I could mention IT in
healthcare, since I have applied for this university and so later I could apply for Computational and Cognitive
Neurology. From the study of biology to a surgery we see many devices that save lives thanks to IT, but this
field even allows the creation of robotic arms and legs, and helps us understand the entire nervous system
better.

The downsides and risks of IT must also be mentioned. We are of course all aware of the dangers of the
Internet, and all the debates about whether knowing much about its user (even with possible violations of
privacy) could prevent crimes. It also allows intrusive advertising, hacking, illegal activites (for example on the
dark web), and the methods it might allow improving military technology in the near future. The improvement
of IT required us to change and adjust our natural environment. But just as nature itself became a challenge
for humans, IT today can also pose such challenge if we do not want it to get too controlling for us.