The possibilities for the future of technology increase by the day, but recently the focus hasn’t been in the right place.
In the past decade alone, machines have made leaps and bounds of improvement. The internet and the plethora of inventions aimed at advancement have made day-to-day life incredibly easy, but lately, it feels like recent tech has gone off the rails a bit.
The further it advances, the more questions are raised about what all this progress is for and where it will leave us. The main example of this is shown in the current smartphone industry. Just recently, they unveiled the newest in the lineup, the iPhone 14, which has virtually no difference from the previous iteration except in the camera.
Why are companies so determined to sell us the same thing over and over again?
Obviously, so they can make money. Because it’s always the announcements of shiny new phones that grab headlines and wallets since it’s something we all need in this new technologically-driven world. Civilization has dug its own grave with its relationship and dependence on technology, and now with just this example, we are seeing how much of a grip it has on us.
The internet, specifically social media, is ingrained into our everyday life due to its efficiency and ease of access. Any information needed can be found within seconds, you can contact anyone with a few keystrokes and apps can be scrolled on for hours before you realize how much time you’ve lost.
This way of interacting with online spaces has become a necessary evil, but it’s worrying to realize how much of the average person’s day is spent online either for entertainment or for work compared to even 10 years ago, especially when you consider the rise of artificial intelligence-generated content.
AI has become a common aspect of technology today, especially in the realms of automation and productivity. From the predictive text when you’re writing an email or the very basic forms of it in the chat rooms on some websites when you require assistance, AI can help by giving information quickly during potential crisis situations at times when humans wouldn’t be available.
What is scary about AI is the endless possibilities and potential dangers. Predictive text is helpful and all but when considering how the algorithm could tell what you were thinking even before you start typing is grating and feels invasive the more it happens. Also, it hasn’t been fully explained how far these programs can evolve and how they would affect humanity since it’s still relatively new technology.
Do we have to prepare for the takeover of the sentient machines? Of course not, at least not yet. AI has barely even scratched the surface of what humans are capable of, but it’s started to break into the world of creativity. One of the main trends with machine-made content is the rise of images and designs being generated from code-based applications following a prompt. A major example of this was when an AI-generated piece of work won the Colorado State Fair art competition.
This popularization of this sort of work has become an insult to many working in the art field. Seeing these generated pieces being sold for so much money and completely computer generated is an incredible insult to the hard work and hours that they’ve put into their pieces. The lines between what humans can do and originality have been blurred for the easy route of instant gratification.
Instead of trying to take away the outlets that humans already have covered, the next innovations should focus more on the way society can be improved in the long term. Instead of making a new phone every year with no difference, buckle down on bio-medical engineering and its advancement. Instead of trying to find ways to distract kids with social media, focus on strengthening our sustainability and infrastructure for future generations to come.
Technology has made so much progress and yet it’s reached a point where it’s more important to stick to the status quo for more money than it is to improve our future.
