The digital age might seem like it is moving faster the any of us can really keep up with. Artificial intelligence is too intelligent, blockchain is fraught with crime, and automated robots are going to become independent – right?
Well, fortunately, the reality isn’t nearly as scary – and also not nearly as exciting.
Is technology something to be scared of?
Automation, AI and machine learning – it all seems like a lot. Are AIs becoming so intelligent they’re going to rule us? Are they even more intelligent than the average human?
Well, no.
Currently, the only version of AI that exists is ‘Narrow Artificial Intelligence.’ This is AI that has intelligent in a specific area and learns from pre-existing information. For example, self-driving cars use Narrow AI.
Another major fear of nascent technology is blockchain’s ability to ‘breed crime’. While blockchain has experienced some criminal activity over the years, this doesn’t define it. Blockchain’s potential goes far further than its potential for criminal activity.
Even past the level of super-intelligent machines and crime, technology has changed the way we do things for the better. It has facilitated our access to data, allowed us to make informed choices, improved medicine, changed mineral exploration and revolutionised how we do business.
So, should we trust it?
As with anything, any technology should be treated with caution. Data is our main asset, and it is easily commodified by companies for their own gain. In the future, we may have more control over our own data, both in its privacy and its commodification.
Yet that doesn’t mean we should avoid technology altogether in fear that our data will be stolen. We should, instead, act cautiously and responsibly.
The potential that the digital age poses to us far outweighs the risks. Technology allows us to streamline the way we live, work and consume. It provides safety and security for workers, in automation and blockchain, and provides us deeper insights into the way we work, with artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The ‘will AI take over the world’ question is best left for several years in the future – when we’ve actually formulated AI that can think for themselves, let alone live their own lives and have their own rights. Right now, our technology is still improving, and, contrary to popular fear, we aren’t quite at the place where we’ll be ruled by it just yet.
Blockhead is streamlining the way we deal with data in supply chains and fuel tracking. Interested in finding out more? Click here.