Blog – Page 101 – Technology vs Humanity: the coming clash of man and machine

Human Contact Is Now a Luxury Good (must-read via the NYT)

“Anticipated spending on experiences such as leisure travel and dining is outpacing spending on goods, according to his company’s research, and he sees it as a direct response to the proliferation of screens. The positive behaviors and emotions human engagement elicits — think the joy of a massage. Now education, health care stores, everyone, is starting … Continue reading "Human Contact Is Now a Luxury Good (must-read via the NYT)"

Ethics as a strategic business asset?

My good friend Bill Wilkie has a new post on ethics. Bill has several academic degrees in Ethics (applied, comparative, philosophical), and recently founded a company to focus exclusively on Technology and Ethics. There is some nice, fresh thinking here, putting ethics and technology into a broad historical perspective. Some examples: “It’s clear that the primary … Continue reading "Ethics as a strategic business asset?"

Coders’ Primal Urge to Kill Inefficiency—Everywhere (Must-read via Wired.com)

In this must-read WIRED story by the fabulous Clive Thompson who is also introducing his new book here we are encountering the coders’ tyranny of efficiency. “It’s one thing to optimize your personal life. But for many programmers, the true narcotic is transforming the world. Scale itself is a joy; it’s mesmerizing to watch your new piece … Continue reading "Coders’ Primal Urge to Kill Inefficiency—Everywhere (Must-read via Wired.com)"

When Artificial Intelligence Is Everywhere: A dystopian view for 2060 (via The Smithsonian)

As part of the April 2019 preview, The Smithsonian Magazine has an interesting series of future AI scenarios – albeit quite dystopian. The story projects us forward into 2060, which is 40 years out, our view this is way too far out to make any sensible predictions. Most of the scenarios are extrapolations of current trends. They … Continue reading "When Artificial Intelligence Is Everywhere: A dystopian view for 2060 (via The Smithsonian)"

Is AI Ethics now a mainstream topic? Five hints from Forbes

Forbes Insights just published five posts summarizing some of the latest developments in AI Ethics. “The growing marketplace for AI ethics” post gives a good overview of the main organizations developing frameworks for AI Ethics. Under “Can AI Help Companies Do The Right Thing?”, the authors list a number of use cases applying AI to … Continue reading "Is AI Ethics now a mainstream topic? Five hints from Forbes"