Technology and Humanity

Technology and Humanity

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in our lives. Without it, almost nothing works anymore. For the younger generation, technology has already become a second language—or sometimes even a first language. And these new advances will not slow down in the coming years; if anything, the opposite is true. The idea that we have already reached the end of the road for technology is absurd, just as it is absurd to think that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat represent the peak of technological development. We are only just getting started.

Technology is a vector. We will keep helping it move forward, without stopping. We live in a fascinating age. This is an age of “sub-human intelligence.” That means technology is still just a little less intelligent than we are. But that will not last much longer. Recently, I counted the smart devices in my home: three in total. The alarm system is genuinely smart, the drone is pretty good, and there is also the robotic lawn mower. The lawn mower has made my life much easier—I no longer have to spend every Saturday afternoon mowing the lawn. It even knows when it is going to rain, or when the grass is too wet. It knows which part of the lawn needs mowing, and when it needs to recharge. It really is very smart, except that it always gets stuck in the same spot under the table on the lawn. Stupid robot. Even the dog in my yard is smarter than it is.

But that will soon change. Machine intelligence is improving at a breathtaking pace. In general, their intelligence doubles every 18 months. That means that in the not-too-distant future, they will be smarter than moles. Within a few years, they will be smarter than we humans are. That is terrifying. I still remember our family’s first computer—it was a model that could not connect to the internet. But now every home has at least three internet-connected devices.

Technology is a vector—and we humans are evolving more slowly than the technology around us. The age of sub-human intelligence is coming to an end. Before long, the packaging on your new computer, robot, or drone may tell you just how intelligent it has become. You will no longer see specifications like processing speed or memory size. Those metrics will belong to the past. Instead, you may read something like “10% human intelligence.” That is roughly where intelligent machines stand now. But before long, that number may rise to 50%.

Perhaps without even realizing it, we will soon be living and working alongside machines with “one-times artificial intelligence” or “two-times artificial intelligence.” Can you imagine a lawn mower that is twice as smart as you are? Clearly, in such a new digital era, human-to-human interaction will be at a disadvantage. But for that very reason, it will also become even more precious. Readers need only look at the changes in banking. Now, I do not need to visit a physical bank. I can handle banking transactions anywhere, anytime, in any way I want. Everything can be done online. I used to do it on a computer, and now I can do it on a smartphone as well. It gives me one hundred percent convenience.

But if there is a problem and I need to call the bank, I have absolutely no desire to talk to a computer. “Press 2 for this, press 3 for that”—good heavens. Yes, digital perfection is beyond doubt, but when I have a problem, I would still rather speak to a real person—someone who can offer genuine human contact.

The moment when the digital world fully dominates our lives is drawing ever closer, and human interaction will become less and less common. When that happens, human warmth will become even more important, because it creates added value for both users and businesses in a digital world. As digitalization advances, people will need that human touch more than ever before.