Category: Technology and Humanity
Cats and guacamole: a reflection on platform loyalty and information fiduciaries.
Jonathan Zittrain, Founder of the Berkman Klein Centre for Internet & Society, talks about a platform’s core purpose at EnlightED2019. The conference was curated by Telefonica around the topic of reinventing education in a digital world. Gerd also contributed a talk on the future of education, which you can find the link to at the end of this … Continue reading "Cats and guacamole: a reflection on platform loyalty and information fiduciaries."
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This Is How AI Is Redefining Love: a rather scary read via Medium
This Is How AI Is Redefining Love was a great think piece from Medium this week: “By 2020, DNA dating and VR dating will remove the last vestiges of unpredictability from love. In DNA dating, People will use their DNA, big data and artificial intelligence to create their Perfect Dates with max compatibility. Their Personal Dating … Continue reading "This Is How AI Is Redefining Love: a rather scary read via Medium"
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Read Gerd’s latest piece for Forbes
Originally published on February 28, 2019, via Forbes.com In 2016, I published my new best-selling book called Technology Vs. Humanity. The title alone sparked alarmed discussions. Did I think we were in danger? Was technology really going to take over the world? Absolutely not: let me enthusiastically reiterate that the book title is not a prediction. I … Continue reading "Read Gerd’s latest piece for Forbes"
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Kevin Kelly asks, is asking a good question the last job a machine will learn to do?
We really loved this great quote by Kevin Kelly in his book, The Inevitable: “A good question is not concerned with a correct answer. A good question cannot be answered immediately. A good question challenges existing answers. A good question is one you badly want answered once you hear it, but had no inkling … Continue reading "Kevin Kelly asks, is asking a good question the last job a machine will learn to do?"
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Review: Italian edition of ‘Technology vs Humanity’
Ecco perché la tecnologia cambierà radicalmente le nostre vite Il futurologo Gerd Leonhard: “Siamo in uno snodo cruciale nell’evoluzione tecnologica. Il cambiamento diventerà esponenziale, inevitabile e irreversibile. È la nostra ultima possibilità di decidere fino a che punto permetteremo alla tecnologia di plasmare le nostre vite” Gli esseri umani hanno l’abitudine di estrapolare il futuro … Continue reading "Review: Italian edition of ‘Technology vs Humanity’"
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How AI will rewire us (good read via TheAtlantic)
I like AI discussions that focus on humans or human behaviour. This week, I really enjoyed Nicholas A. Christakis’s piece, ‘How AI Will Rewire Us’ for The Atlantic. Take a look at this excerpt, where Christakis considers a very simple example of how the injection of AI into a ‘normal’ social setting can have dramatic … Continue reading "How AI will rewire us (good read via TheAtlantic)"
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“Dear Tech Company”: A nice counter-narrative to IBM’s promotional video
On 12 Feb 2019, IBM published a new video advertisement “Dear Tech, An Open Letter to the Industry” asking what kind of tech company does the world need today? IBM’s answer: a company that applies smart technologies at scale with purpose and expertise—not just for some of us, but for all of us. At the time of … Continue reading "“Dear Tech Company”: A nice counter-narrative to IBM’s promotional video"
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Microsoft Workers for good : towards a corporate spring, fuelled by #digitalethics ?
In a letter addressed to top executives, a group of Microsoft workers who worked on the company’s HoloLens headset sent a letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and president Brad Smith requesting they cancel the company’s $480 million contract to supply the devices. Why? The group said the contract terms had “crossed the line” into combat applications. … Continue reading "Microsoft Workers for good : towards a corporate spring, fuelled by #digitalethics ?"
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Uploading Your Brain To A Computer Does Not Make Sense
Neural engineer Polina Anikeeva, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, offers a great TEDx talk on the differences in natural ‘brain hardware’ and solid-state electronics. It’s a distinction that she says leads to a possible collaboration between human and artificial intelligence. Anikeeva opens her talk by stating that, ‘When can I upload … Continue reading "Uploading Your Brain To A Computer Does Not Make Sense"
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Issue #7 of Digital Ethics just went live: robot tax, Google & the DoD, sensor panic, and more.
⚡️My latest newsletter on #digitalethics just went live. This week we look at robot tax, Google & the DoD, sensor panic and a cool podcast. Enjoy and please spread the word. #newsletters #techvshuman #futurist thanks to @petervan Digital Ethics by Futurist Gerd Leonhard Welcome to the seventh issue of our Digital Ethics Newsletter, a highly … Continue reading "Issue #7 of Digital Ethics just went live: robot tax, Google & the DoD, sensor panic, and more."
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New podcast! Technology vs Humanity Chapter 6: From Magic to Manic to Toxic.
Here is our next podcast based on chapter-6 of my book Technology vs Humanity, entitled ‘From Magic to Manic to Toxic’. It features The Future’s Agency Peter Van and me, Gerd Leonhard. This week Peter and I covered the emotional and intellectual manipulation by algorithmic systems that lead to a new kind of dehumanization. The distinction between the tool and us … Continue reading "New podcast! Technology vs Humanity Chapter 6: From Magic to Manic to Toxic."
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MMC Investor’s advice on Artificial Intelligence
Guest post by The Futures Agency content curator Petervan MMC Ventures, a research-led venture capital firm, together with Barclays UK Ventures just published “The State of AI: Divergence” an extensive 150+ page report on the investment opportunities and risks in the current AI landscape. If you are not yet familiar with this space, this is for … Continue reading "MMC Investor’s advice on Artificial Intelligence"
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Is the Microsoft Hololens 2 creating a blurred vision of who and what we are?
Microsoft launched Hololens2 at the latest Mobile World Congress. Hololens2 are the upgrade to the original set of ‘mixed reality smartglasses’ that utilize VR technology to create a new hybrid augmented reality. I personally found the whole presentation to be very slick, well designed, rehearsed and executed, with a couple of good nuggets of wisdom to … Continue reading "Is the Microsoft Hololens 2 creating a blurred vision of who and what we are?"
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2001: A Space Odyssey gets the Google makeover
2001: A Space Odyssey is a much-loved favorite when it comes to sci-fi fantasy movies. In fact, it’s one of my own personal favorites. And now Google has given one its key scenes a powerful makeover. In the original, HAL (the A.I.) is commanded to open the pod doors by Dave, who (as you may … Continue reading "2001: A Space Odyssey gets the Google makeover"
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(in German): Neues Video: Gerd Leonhard Keynote am Tag der Lehre Uni Bern: Futurist Gerd Leonhard: Die Rolle der Hochschule in einer digitalisierten Zukunft
IN GERMAN / AUF DEUTSCH: meine Keynote an der Uni Bern am 15 Februar 2019: Reflektierter Umgang mit Digitalisierung: Hochschulbildung zwischen digitaler Transformation und akademischen Inhalten Mein Thema: die Rolle der Hochschule für die digitalisierte Gesellschaft der Zukunft Mehr Details über den Event
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MIT Technology Review analyzed 16,625 papers to figure out where AI is headed next (good read)
“The biggest shift we found was a transition away from knowledge-based systems by the early 2000s. These computer programs are based on the idea that you can use rules to encode all human knowledge. In their place, researchers turned to machine learning—the parent category of algorithms that includes deep learning. Among the top 100 words mentioned, … Continue reading "MIT Technology Review analyzed 16,625 papers to figure out where AI is headed next (good read)"
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A very unique podcast with Azeem Azhar and Gerd Leonhard: Artificial Intelligence – heaven or hell?
Azeem Azhar and I had a good chat last week: a wide-ranging conversation on AI and its potential dangers to humanity. On the one hand, humans may get uncomfortable realizing they are not that special as once they thought they were. And on the other hand, the dangers of reductionism are related to the priorities of … Continue reading "A very unique podcast with Azeem Azhar and Gerd Leonhard: Artificial Intelligence – heaven or hell?"
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Seeking Ground Rules for A.I.
In February of this year, the New York Times hosted the ‘New Work Summit’, gathering together some of the greatest minds globally to “…assess the opportunities and risks that are now emerging as artificial intelligence accelerates its transformation across industries.” Exciting stuff! As a follow-up, they published an excellent article, ‘Seeking Ground Rules for A.I.’ with some of … Continue reading "Seeking Ground Rules for A.I."
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Gerd’s new contribution on Forbes.com: All Paths Must Lead To Collective Human Flourishing
This post is co-produced by The Futures Agency content curator Petervan Gerd was recently invited to make ongoing contributions to Forbes’ Cognitive World, a knowledge hub, ecosystem and marketplace for dealmakers involved in AI transformation. His first post just went live – find the highlights and key quotes below. “What we are experiencing is a shift … Continue reading "Gerd’s new contribution on Forbes.com: All Paths Must Lead To Collective Human Flourishing"
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Audio version of Gerd Leonhard’s keynote at the Emirates Litfest 2019 in Dubai: Technology and humanity: the Future
Here is the audio version of my talking Dubai on Saturday March 2, at the Emirates Litfest 2019 in Dubai. I really enjoyed being at this event! How do we embrace technology without becoming it? What moral values are you prepared to stand up for — before being human alters its meaning forever? Gerd Leonhard is … Continue reading "Audio version of Gerd Leonhard’s keynote at the Emirates Litfest 2019 in Dubai: Technology and humanity: the Future"
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