DocAndersen
Is technology bad for us? It is an interesting question that came up on one of my innovation posts. A Pixie stopped by to talk a little about the impact of innovation. I don’t always think about the broader impact of innovation like that, and it got me thinking this morning. First of all, the always wise Pixie pointed out that the innovation that was plastic containers is now is the reality of impact both in landfills and sadly the ocean. Plastic doesn’t decay as quickly as paper. It is possible to say that innovation, plastic containers, now has a more negative impact than positive. The way you have to consider the impact of something is good versus the bad.
Let’s start by thinking about what an impact is. First, there are negative impacts. Secondly, there are positive impacts. So let’s wander away from the original example and begin to talk instead about another example and apply the rules to it — the reality of medical innovation. There was a time when a doctor would literally work on a cadaver and then deliver a baby. There was no stop between that process, and many mothers died right after giving birth. It was discovered in Vienna that if you wash your hands before working with a patient, just that small innovation saved lives. Mecial science has improved vastly over the last 150 years. To the point where we have seen the life expectancy of humans creep upward.
What hasn’t kept pace is food production. But that isn’t a lack of innovation problem, that is an economic reality. The reality of a world driven by money is that often money is a problem. It isn’t the only problem, and sadly money and monetary systems are not an innovation. People have been using systems of barter (that s ultimately what money is) for thousands of years. Still, in thinking about the concept of innovations, it does make me sad to realize many innovations have a more negative impact on the world than positive. We could argue the impact of Television hasn’t educated the world, that the reality of plastic bottles is that they are pollution not drink holders. We can argue the negative side and honestly should always stop and consider that. The other side of innovation isn’t winning or losing on the market, its what is the overall impact of the idea, later!
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Question of
Have you ever heard the term half life?
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Did you know China stopped excepting plastic recycling from other countries?
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Question of
Do you try to live a green life?
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Technology and innovation are neither good nor bad, they simply are. How we use them will be the determining factor…
That is very true, the impact is always separate of the technology or innovation.
blame lies with the wielder, not the tool…
A good carpenter does not blame their tools!
Although my hammer is crooked, it is why I miss nails. But other than that it is my fault!
that’s a great quote. I also like the one about the guy who only has a hammer, and eventually all his problems looked like nails…
Actually Mr. A, I feel that the problem in any technology and innovation lies with humans and their greed. So maybe we should take out humans from the equation. But then there will be no genius who will author technology and there will be no innovators too. Which or who is the lesser evil? There is your conundrum, dear sir ?
I believe there are humans who intend only good so I am willing to move on and say conundrum solved.
Where there are humans, there will always be conundrum though ?✌️
I disagree. There are those who seek to do the right thing.
until we have technology which can use itself, this isn’t an option. but that day is fast approaching…
That self-teaching technology is here now. 🙂 IBM Blue won jeopardy, while a pattern game, and a trivia game it is also a game of learning.
but only in very specific circumstances. I’m thinking of AI that can decide how to apply itself and we aren’t quite there yet…
I do not know for certain. But, in my mind, humans unconsciously have the need to play god and the need to immortalize themselves by being obsessed with leaving a legacy
I was going to type “Stephen H is that you?” but I remember that even Hawking had reservation towards AI. An AI that can think by itself, Mr. A? Wouldn’t that be the height of human arrogance thinking they can surpass God’s genius? Anyway, I think it is highly impossible because an AI will be subject to the limitation of it creator ?
Depends on the creator, and effectively based on that depends wholly on the end state of the creation.
I was going to type “Stephen H is that you?” but I remember that even Hawking had reservation towards AI. An AI that can think by itself, Mr. A? Wouldn’t that be the height of human arrogance thinking they can surpass God’s genius? Anyway, I think it is highly impossible because an AI will be subject to the limitation of it creator ?
Your second question is the one that interests me. If, we consider the view of AI often presented by Hollywood (see Terminator) then, in fact, the flaws of the creator would, in fact, impact the AI.
But what if that is more the limit of our understanding? What if our blindness is the flaw given us by a creator?
the arrogance would be in assuming we could control something more intelligent and powerful than we are…
if you created an AI with self-healing code, wouldn’t it, effectively remove the flaws left by humans over time?
certainly a possibility. I expect that AI would just write stronger AI to replace itself with. they’d dobutless have their own flaws, but not due to human error…
In our country, we have bigger problems with plastic every day. Many plastic products the country has already banned.
There are so many issues in the world, I agree plastic is just one of them.
With us, the new year was banned by most of the plastic … plastic bags, glasses, picnic accessories, and I could still list …. I do not know when they will also ban plastic bottles
we are very similar in Maryland. If you want plastic you pay extra to recoup the cost of recycling!
They simply dropped it from our shelves and banned us … now everything is out of paper
we don’t have all paper yet, but they charge you for a plastic bag if you don’t carry your reuseable bag with you.
I do not know where they will start to drink … again into bottles … I really do not know
Based on the amount of plastic we have to recycle, i hope soon. In the US we are 2, maybe 3 years away.
Good to hear about China refusing plastics.
i hope other countries escalate their recycling programs or we will have more than one massive plastic island in the ocean.
The term , I have spend my half of life in research of technology.
I echo that as well, I have been in the technology world most of my career now.
Than we both are equally traveler of a boat
sounds like it. tech has been my life for years now.