Skynet is Upon Us

The purpose of this blog assignment is to discuss what I am excited excited for and what I fear, pertaining to the future of technology, but honestly the fear greatly outweighs the hope or excitement about the future.

Lets start with the good. I'm looking forward to advancements in technology that increase efficiency and reduce the impact humans have made on our planet. I'm not a hippy and I don't hug trees, but the human population is out of control. Third world populations are growing at an exponential rate, the average ratio of children per woman being 4.8 which is almost double the global average of 2.5, thats a lot of mouths to feed. The fertility rate in the first world is much more manageable, 1.8 in America, but first world countries consume way more resources per capita. Both of these issues could be solved with greater efficiency through technology because then people in undeveloped countries can get the resources they need while the developed countries can switch to more sustainable sources of energy.

Here comes the bad news. If man keeps pursuing technology at the same rate we are now we're going to end up doing more harm than good. Increased efficiency and convergence will continue to cause further and further disintermediation. Once the machines get to a point where they're self sufficient there will be less and less of a purpose for people. Surveillance is at an all time high while privacy is at an all time low and its only getting worse. If you live in an urban area you're already on camera numerous times a day, if someone wanted too they could track your every move. Facial recognition software is already so ubiquitous that about half of Americans are already in government databases. Meanwhile, people have just invented little kamikaze drones rigged with explosives that use facial recognition to identify targets then dive-bomb their heads. These drones aren't operated by people, so its an AI who is pulling the proverbial trigger. Its time to put on our tin foil hats and build a bunker.

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