Why the Future Needs Us

Compute capacity refers to the ability of a machine to mimic human thought, such as a
processor in a modern computer. When a processor performs math or renders three
dimensional pictures or simulates complex systems, it is doing what it has been taught
to do by a human. As a result, some humans refer to the processor as the ‘brain’ of a
computer and attribute human characteristics to it, such as labeling a computer as
‘smart’. Observation of nature is often the impetus that inspires technological invention,
which may make this type of association feel natural. However, regardless of how much
compute capacity grows with future technological advances, by it’s nature it lacks
subjectivity. The human who writes the program remains the subjective party.

Risk of decreasing awareness

Many technologies promise improved precision. Whether GPS, or accounting or robotic
assembly in manufacturing facilities, the promise of improved accuracy and precision is
appealing. This can even be as simple as a digital Rolodex to store contact information.
The pursuit of precision all too often results in a loss of intuition. The expected
improvement in desired performance all to often brings the cost of dependence to the
technology instead of improved mental capacity.

Unintended outcomes
When trust in technology combines with decreasing awareness, unintended
consequences can follow. The medical industry can provide a number of examples of
this. Before technology was used to process and dispense medications, doctors and
nurses were required to be intimately familiar with these drugs and their interactions.
What happens when medical technology fails? Who is liable? The doctor or the
technology on which he relied? The increasing complexity of modern technological
systems inhibits manual correction. Professionals who rely on technological systems
may be unprepared to make decisions independent of technology. Interestingly, reliance
on technology provides liability shielding to professionals who make mistakes based on
faulty technology.

Sustainability and the fragile future of technology

The current state of technology is much more fragile and much less sustainable than
the general population is aware. As long as a constant, growing reservoir of energy
supply is maintained, our technology will serve us. When that reservoir runs dry or
becomes overly expensive, what will happen to our technology? For example, if the
price of Gasoline were to suddenly jump to $20/gallon, how many people would
continue to commute the same way they do today? There would likely be an immediate
increase in the number of perfectly functional cars sitting idle in garages around the
country.

The real drivers are profit and power, the ethics haven’t changed
Power and profit are still the primary decision drivers in society. Capital investment,
which leads to technological advancement, is driven by power and profit. Whether the
objective is military dominance, commercial advantage or social notoriety, the
motivations behind the pursuit of technology remain mostly constant. This means that
the ethics haven’t changed either, and they still apply to humans, not technology. Sorry
Mr. Asimov.