Month: September 2016

Google developing ‘kill switch’ to stop robot uprising against humans

On algorithmic management

Great article published by the Financial Times, titled, “when your boss is an algorithm” on the liberating or exploitative sides for workers working in the gig economy and where companies such as Uber and Deliveroo manage workers via their phones. There are no good estimates on the global scale of the gig economy but in the US there … Continue reading "On algorithmic management"

Some key memes from ‘Technology vs Humanity’ (Gerd Leonhard)

1. There are two kinds of happiness – passing and profound. Technology is good at the first, but not at the second. 2. The second kind – deeper happiness that involves Creativity, Originality, Reciprocity and Empathy (CORE) – is what defines humanity.   3. Algorithms are starting to take the place of androrithms – those … Continue reading "Some key memes from ‘Technology vs Humanity’ (Gerd Leonhard)"

How Technology Disrupted the Truth

Here is a must read article via The Guardian on the challenges for journalism in an era when everyone has their own facts. “Now, we are caught in a series of confusing battles between opposing forces: between truth and falsehood, fact and rumour, kindness and cruelty; between the few and the many, the connected and the … Continue reading "How Technology Disrupted the Truth"

The risk of putting our knowledge in the hands of machines (via The Atlantic)

As we transform ourselves into creatures of the screen, we face an existential question: Does our essence still lie in what we know, or are we now content to be defined by what we want? Here is an excellent article in The Atlantic on the risk of putting our knowledge in the hands of machines. … Continue reading "The risk of putting our knowledge in the hands of machines (via The Atlantic)"

Via Technology Review: most experts say AI isn’t as much of a threat as you might think – what do you think?

Google’s data centers with DeepMind-powered AI

In our category “good tech”, we applaud the news that DeepMind began applying its advanced AI to Google’s data centers, in order to find ways to reduce the company’s sizeable energy bill. Two years ago, Google spent over half a billion dollars for the London-based artificial intelligence startup DeepMind. Since then, the unit became an Atari gaming pro player and … Continue reading "Google’s data centers with DeepMind-powered AI"

My slides from Cognition (HfS) 2016 New York: digital ethics and the future of business

Here is the deck from today’s fabulous event in New York. Thanks to Phil Fersht for inviting me! digital-ethics-and-the-future-of-business-cognition-ny-gerd-futurist-public-web 11MB PDF Update: here is the MP3 audio recording, as well! Enjoy: Gerd is considered a leading voice on a wide range of topics including digital transformation and the discovery of digitally-native business models, the opportunities and … Continue reading "My slides from Cognition (HfS) 2016 New York: digital ethics and the future of business"

Technology Vs Humanity: Forbes intervista Gerd Leonhard. Nice Italian translation of my themes

Robots making pizza

Just imagine Domino’s without the labor component, you can start to see how incredibly profitable that can be.  Says Alex Garden, co-founder and executive chairman of Zume, a new startup in Mountain View, trying to make a more profitable pizza through robotics. Another great example of how Silicon Valley startups are hollowing out value out of the … Continue reading "Robots making pizza"

What are androrithms?

One of the powerful key memes from the Technology vs Humanity book are androrithms. Gerd Leonhard in his own words: This is a key neologism in the book (i.e. a word I made up). I use the term to describe what really matters for most of us: human ‘rhythms’ not machine rhythms i.e. algorithms. A super-computer can win in … Continue reading "What are androrithms?"

The megashifts

One of the powerful key memes from Gerd Leonhard‘s new book  Technology vs Humanity are The Megashifts. Because of exponential technological change and how its forces are combining with each other, these 10+ trends are absolutely essential to understand as they may create huge new opportunities – or challenge existing business models, social contracts or humanity at … Continue reading "The megashifts"

Technology is not what we seek but HOW we seek

Are you ready for the greatest changes in recent human history? Futurism meets humanism in Gerd Leonhard’s ground-breaking new work of critical observation, discussing the multiple Megashifts that will radically alter not just our society and economy but our values and our biology. Wherever you stand on the scale between technomania and nostalgia for a … Continue reading "Technology is not what we seek but HOW we seek"

Slides from my presentation at the London Futurists event Birkbeck College: Technology versus Humanity

Thanks for having me at this event. Here is the slide-deck: technology-versus-humanity-gerd-leonhard-presentation-futurist-london (20MB PDF) Futurist Gerd Leonhard’s new book has the provocative title “Technology vs. Humanity: The coming clash between man and machine”. This book brings together mankind’s urge to upgrade and automate everything – including human biology itself – with our timeless quest for freedom and happiness. Fast Future Publishing writes: Before … Continue reading "Slides from my presentation at the London Futurists event Birkbeck College: Technology versus Humanity"

On Facebook’s ‘universal’ censorship rules

Brilliant important statement, by editor-in-chief Espen Egil Hansen, of the Norwegian daily newspaper Aftenposten, in reply to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s demand to remove a picture of a naked Kim Phuc, fleeing from the napalm bombs – one of the world’s most famous war photographs. Facebook deleted the article as well as the image from Aftenposten’s Facebook page. If you will … Continue reading "On Facebook’s ‘universal’ censorship rules"

Will humanity need its own protection agency? Scenes and slides from the Technology vs Humanity book launch event in London

Thanks everyone for coming to this event – here is what happened :)) The actual slide deck from last night (PDF): technology-versus-humanity-futurist The book is now available in all formats, of course: buy now before it’s too late:) Amazon | FastFuture Publishing) A gallery of my key slides: Some pics from the event: Best of my slides: Technology vs … Continue reading "Will humanity need its own protection agency? Scenes and slides from the Technology vs Humanity book launch event in London"

Audio and Video of my keynote at Mercedes Benz Vans Innovation Campus in Stuttgart Sept 7, 2016: the future is already here!

Event details. Thanks to Mercedes Benz Vans for asking me to speak and for making this video available me! This was a pretty amazing event, indeed! Download the slides: mb-vans-the-future-is-already-here-gerd-leonhard-public-deck Audio-only:

The Global Brain

Are you ready for the greatest changes in recent human history? Futurism meets humanism in Gerd Leonhard’s ground-breaking new work of critical observation, discussing the multiple Megashifts that will radically alter not just our society and economy but our values and our biology. Wherever you stand on the scale between technomania and nostalgia for a … Continue reading "The Global Brain"

Will software (machines, robots, AI…) soon start ’cheating the world’?

Are you ready for the greatest changes in recent human history? Futurism meets humanism in Gerd Leonhard’s ground-breaking new work of critical observation, discussing the multiple Megashifts that will radically alter not just our society and economy but our values and our biology. Wherever you stand on the scale between technomania and nostalgia for a … Continue reading "Will software (machines, robots, AI…) soon start ’cheating the world’?"

Team Human (Weekly Podcast with Douglas Rushkoff)

Author, media theorist, and professor Douglas Rushkoff is coming back on the air with a new audio show. It’s a weekly podcast called Team Human, looking to challenge the operating systems driving our society, reveal its embedded codes, and share strategies for sustainable living, economic justice, and preservation of the quirky nooks and crannies that make people so … Continue reading "Team Human (Weekly Podcast with Douglas Rushkoff)"