Technology vs Humanity: The Coming Clash Between Man and Machine - Part Four
Mar 10, 2021
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Futurist Gerd Leonhard discusses the clash between technology and humanity in the podcast. Topics include automation's impact on society, balancing human touch with automation, risks of technology shortcuts, and the need for boundaries in automating human activities.
The imminent clash between technology and humanity will redefine moral values and disrupt traditional employment patterns.
Exponential automation raises ethical dilemmas regarding the dehumanizing effects on social services and the loss of human judgment in decision-making processes.
Deep dives
Automation's Historical Impact and Challenges
Automation throughout history has driven significant change, such as the transition from hand-operated looms to weaving machines leading to Luddite uprisings. While automation historically created new opportunities, the shift to the information economy saw rising inequality and job displacement. The move towards the machine intelligence economy predicts further job decline and productivity-wage disparity.
Automation's Economic and Social Consequences
Recent trends show increasing automation leading to rising corporate profits, global inequality, and stagnant wages. Forecasts suggest up to 50% of jobs could be automated in the next two decades, potentially boosting enterprise profits by reducing the need for human workers across industries.
Automation and Job Displacement Forecast
Anticipated job losses from automation pose challenges, with routine roles being automated while new jobs like human-machine interface designers emerge. A shift towards jobless growth and disruptions in employment patterns are expected due to exponential technological progress, raising concerns about widespread economic impacts.
Technological Progress and Ethical Concerns
Exponential automation poses ethical dilemmas, considering the dehumanizing effects on social services like Social Security. Concerns include the potential loss of human judgment in decision-making processes and the societal impact of relying on intelligent systems to handle crucial services, raising questions about the balance between technological advancement and preserving human values.
Futurist Gerd Leonhard breaks new ground again by bringing together mankind’s urge to upgrade and automate everything—down to human biology itself—with our timeless quest for freedom and happiness.
Before it’s too late, we must stop and ask the big questions: How do we embrace technology without becoming it? When it happens—gradually, then suddenly—the machine era will create the greatest watershed in human life on Earth. Technology vs. Humanity is one of the last moral maps we’ll get as humanity enters the Jurassic Park of Big Tech. Artificial intelligence. Cognitive computing. The Singularity. Digital obesity. Printed food. The Internet of Things. The death of privacy. The end of work-as-we-know-it, and radical longevity: The imminent clash between technology and humanity is already rushing towards us. What moral values are you prepared to stand up for—before being human alters its meaning forever?
Gerd Leonhard is a new kind of futurist schooled in the humanities as much as in technology. In his most provocative book to date, he explores the exponential changes swamping our societies, providing rich insights and deep wisdom for business leaders, professionals and anyone with decisions to make in this new era. If you take being human for granted, press Reset now with this passionately argued call to create a genuinely braver new world.