Humans have been enhancing themselves since the days of the cave men. For thousands of years, we have sought ways to be smarter, stronger, more fearsome, more deadly, more respected, more efficient, and so on. In the innovations along the way, we have created tools to do work for us, to help us do better work, and even tools to help us think better. Everything from cave paintings and spears, to computers and algorithms is a tool. Everything we equip ourselves with is a tool, even if we do not always think about it like that. Human enhancement, is no new prospect. Some might argue that enhancement can make us inhuman. However, in the frame of mind I have put forward, it is what makes us human. Using this mindset as a devil's advocate, we can critically view some proposed human enhancements.
First, let us look at smartphones as a human enhancement. The benefits of having this technology are astounding, when you break down what is really there in your pocket. All the information in the world is now accessible within a few taps, or even by verbal command. That kind of power is astounding to think about, yet it is a convenience we take for granted. On top of information, smartphones also facilitate instantaneous communication between any number of people anywhere in the world. At your fingertips is a direct line to any person you could desire to talk to. However, that capability comes at a cost; yet another thing we often overlook. As much control as we are awarded through the devices we use every day, we also relinquish some control we previously had. The platform is inherently connection based and the ability to connect to anything at will also comes with others being able to connect to you at any time. To some extent, this is a benefit, but it relinquishes control of your data. Every single thing you do on your phone is recorded and documented. There are ways to see some of the things they collect. For example, if you have an Android phone you can use a Google service to access your location data for the entirety of your time with your phone. Years and years of exactly where you were are logged and stored. Some people are bothered by this notion, but most of those people also still use their smartphone because they know the benefits outweigh the costs. However, their worries are not to be ignored. It is plain to see that this system lends itself to an authoritarian system of government and in the wrong situation, that data could be used very maliciously. Yet, we are prepared to hand over every conversation, every word we type, every phone call, every website and app, our location, and everything else collected on by our phones. We are prepared to hand all of that over to gain access to the connectivity it offers under the impression that the data collected will never be sold. Personally, I'm for this technology and do not mind having my data tracked, but in a different world with a different style of government, these innovations could make our lives very problematic.
Using the smartphone tradeoff to examine a new frontier for human enhancement, we can take a look at human augmentation. That is, the notion that we can put technology in or on ourselves to enhance our capabilities. An example of this would be bionic eyes, or HUD contacts. Another might be body-boosting nanobots that heal injuries and cure cancer. Right there, you can see just how beneficial these augmentations can be. However, we also know about these kinds of tradeoffs from the storytelling of Deus Ex. Many people believe in drawing the line before augmentation, and if you have ever played a Deus Ex game, you could see why they would think that. However, how different is giving control over our bodies from giving control of our data? How different is using this tool from using a shovel or a smartphone? We already make intense tradeoffs, and although yet again this innovation lends itself to a centralized system of government and power, it still could provide immense benefits; think Terminator or Billion Dollar Man. We might be able to step back and say now that we have drawn the line, but in the 1990's if someone had said that by 2015 all your data would be available to the government and to private corporations, maybe the line would have been drawn then. Personally, I might be for this technology for my own use, but I worry what it might entail for our children.
When these kinds of innovations happen gradually over time, people tend to allow things they would not have if they had seen the bigger picture. What is one small sacrifice for some more functionality? Not much until the Illuminati has all your data and Obama is looking at your dick pics. Hopefully we can learn from our past mistakes, and make the correct decisions regarding these new technologies.
No comments:
Post a Comment