W hile our distant ancestors probably didn’t get into philosophical debates over the societal and cultural impacts of stone tools around 2 million years ago, we have in the last few hundred years had some fairly serious debates over revolutionary technologies such as the printing press, knitting machines, the internet and now Artificial Intelligence.
It may well be that the degree, volume and speed of the debates around AI are at a level that we’ve never before debated a revolutionary technology. While it can seem shrouded in shimmering sheets of hyperbole, confusing at times and contradictory at others, it is actually quite wonderful. Stone Chippings
AI may in fact be, one of the best things to happen to humanity, but not for the reason you might think. Why?
Our ability to create written and visual records of our societies and cultures goes back many thousands of years. Some new evidence suggests that our distant cousins, Neanderthals, may have even created visual communications on cave walls. Some anthropologists and archeologists posit that we Homo Sapiens may have even taken the technology of fire from Neanderthals or other human ancestors. I digress.
It was the printing press that enabled Martin Luther to mass produce his pamphlets and distribute them at what was lightening speed at that time. This lead to the Christian Reformation. The Catholic church was not amused. Governments debated the implications of the press.
Some entrepreneurs and societal groups saw the value of spreading ideas, academics too, saw the value of printed books; mostly because they could get into really good arguments with academics outside their own universities. There were public debates about the dangers of the printing press, just as there were about the internet in the late 1990’s.
Until the mid 20th century or so, as I’ve written before, cultures had a fair bit of time and space to decide how they wanted to adopt, adapt and leverage technologies. With the rise of the global internet, this state of being collapsed in on itself.
Now anyone can hop in on any topic they like, rant and rave like lunatics, create whatever alternate facts they like and have at it. Reasoned, smart, knowledgeable people can wade in as well. While we may be…
Fish Tank Bottom Sand Stones Digital Anthropologist | Chief Innovation Officer | I'm in WIRED, Forbes & National Geographic etc.