Technology has advanced rapidly in the last 10 to 20 years. A phone is now more capable of computing complex tasks than a computer was 15 years ago. Technology is becoming smaller, more efficient and more innovative.
Yet we continue to struggle to define the human experience in relation to the constant adaptation to technological development.
Ray Kurzweil, a futurist, author and inventor believes technology will change so swiftly in the next 25 years that average humans won’t be able to follow it unless they enhance their own intelligence by merging with technology.
Artificial intelligence, or synthetic consciousness, has been restricted to the realm of science fiction in the past. However, according to the books Kurzweil has written and the documentary “Transcendental Man,” in which Kurzweil’s life and ideas are highlighted, the science of artificial intelligence will be non-fiction in the near future.
Kurzweil believes that technology is evolving so quickly that humans may even one day conquer death by transcending our biological limitations. He calls this phenomenon The Singularity.
Human intelligence will surpass our current imagination of what is even possible. There will be a dawning of a new civilization where there will be no clear distinction between human and machine. The line between actual reality and virtual reality will become obscure.
Admittedly, Kurzweil’s ideas are pretty far out. They almost don’t even seem worth considering, but his vision of the future is rather optimistic. He believes the merging of human and artificial intelligence will lead to solving global problems like pollution, hunger, poverty and illness.
Artificial intelligence has already proven to be superior in the realm of trivia and general knowledge as the world watched IBM’s artificial intelligence computer system “Watson” defeat Jeopardy! champions Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings. But will artificial intelligence ever be able to reason or be creative without human interference?
This is all very exciting and groundbreaking fodder for thought. But a big part of me worries that hoping technology will provide solutions to global problems is like hoping to regain vision by wearing glasses when you’re already blind.
Granted, technology could solve global problems. But currently, this idea is only a hopeful approximation. Global problems need solutions now. By looking so far into the future, we forget about the present.
Climate change is the most urgent problem this world faces. Science demonstrates that technology has done little to nothing to relieve the risks of global warming. Instead, technology has intensified the problem.
Carbon emissions have spiked dramatically since the industrial revolution. And now that other heavily populated countries like China and India are becoming increasingly more industrialized, driving more autos and utilizing higher rates of electricity, global carbon emissions will continue to climb.
To exaggerate the positive possibilities of technology is delusional when it is clear that technology as it exists today is detrimental to the Earth and convoluting the human experience.
Cell phones allow immediate communication with others all over the world, yet they are conversation blockers to those who are physically present.
Video games allow an escape into a fantasy world where virtually anything is possible, yet they simulate real life activities and render physical presence inconsequential.
Film and television are reality substitutes, numbing the public mind and manipulating public discourse.
The Internet has become a second brain, relieving the burden of remembering facts and events, making it all too feasible to rewrite history.
Of course, if we look at the other side of the coin, technology has provided numerous gifts and has greatly advanced the development of civilization. Without electricity, penicillin or wireless technology, the world would be a very different place. There are always positive sides to any negative side. It is important to always consider both.
One thing is clear – as a species we have lost our connection to the Earth. I am sure there are not many people that could walk outside and identify five edible plants. In the room you are sitting there may not even be one object that is completely natural.
We live in an increasingly synthetic world and Kurzweil believes, we will see rapid changes in the near future regarding our relationship with technology. But we must not let ourselves become completely detached from the Earth.
Perhaps humans will evolve and merge with technology to form a new consciousness, as Kurzweil contends. But it seems unimaginable to live forever as a synthetic being. I cannot even begin to perceive what that would be like. I think I would rather die on Earth than live forever as a ghost in the machine.
At This Moment 