Welcome to the Information Age and hi-tech explosion. All the concerns expressed here are totally legit and reasonable. I think this century is going
to be a turning point, or crossroads, for humanity. And depending on the road we take, the decisions we make (as a species), will determine our
fate.
I think the “tech” you’re referring to,
Hefficide, is basic IP networking technology. The internet is a massive, globally distributed
network comprised of many interconnected autonomous networks. In my mind, the many countries (autonomous networks) around the world each represent
local network administrators. They pretty much control access/share levels and administrative functions for their local group. If North Korea, for
example, chooses to maintain tight security over it’s node and strictly limit access to global resources it may do so. A difference between the
internet and a typical corporate network, though, is there is no Master Domain controller with centralized governance over the entire network.
Instead, there are many
international entities excersizing control over specific functions/aspects of it. These entities include individuals,
corporations, organizations, governments, universities, etc. The list is long, and I don’t want to list it. Now, governments do carry a big stick
and can greatly influence various administrative functions of the internet, but even governments have to jump through a lot of hoops to implement
significant changes. Anything significant would likely have to pass the scrutiny of the United Nations sponsored Internet Governance Forum (IGF),
which is represented by various countries and presides over policy issues. Since the internet pervades almost every aspect of our society and it’s
institutions, and we’ve become so dependent upon it, I would think it would behoove TPTB to ensure it’s openness and not prohibitively restrict
it’s access.
I recently read something by
Ray Kurzweil (futurist and currently Google’s
chief engineer) about augmented intelligence. He believes that in the near future we will be able to significantly increase our intelligence. It will
be possible via a small device/chip that will continuously and naturally interact with our brain and provide instant access to any kind of information
we wish from the internet. Our brains would be connected to the "cloud". He claims that it will feel totally natural and be effortless. Apparently
thought alone will initiate a lookup on any subject - somehow our thoughts will initiate a keyword search (kinda like a Google search). He was very
serious about this, and apparently Google is actually working on it. Now, that could be a little scary on a number of fronts.
IMO, the kind of stuff being debated here today is just the tip of the iceberg. The internet is just one of a number of technologies currently
advancing at a rate so fast that we are now on the verge of a major reckoning on just what it means to be human. In this century humanity will be
faced with a paradigm shift that will redefine the human condition. Current technologies that are exploding include computer science, information
management, artificial intelligence, genetics, robotics, neuroscience, materials science, brainwave research, various branches of biology, etc. It’s
now considered a conservative projection that by the year 2045 machine intelligence will match human intelligence. Beyond that it goes quickly off the
scale as machines grow smarter than us at an exponential rate. By the turn of the century the human condition is anyone’s guess.
This will likely not happen without a certain amount of resistance. This thread today is just the beginning. Most folks are just beginning to become
aware of this now, and for the most part haven’t yet thought through the ramifications. But this should begin to change soon as the picture becomes
clearer. Many (probably most) people will not be too keen on the idea of giving up any part of their humanity and being subjugated to a machine with
10,000 times their intelligence. There will be heated debate and violent protest as political, religious, social and philosophical issues are fought
over. There are so many scenarios it’s hard to predict how it will all end.
It’s hard to put a time-frame on all this, but from much of what I’ve read the next 100 years should be quite eventful. In any case, humanity is
quickly approaching a crossroads, and there will be critical decisions to be made. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and depending on the choices we
make, it could very well determine the fate of mankind. The next branch off the evolutionary tree will begin with human/machine hybrids possessing
augmented intelligence. It could be that one day these hybrids will view us much like we view the great apes. And at this stage, I’m not sure we can
do a damned thing about it...
PS: This is not doom porn. Personally, I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing. I guess it all depends on what we make it. Who knows, a world of
magic may lie not far ahead.
edit on 1/15/2015 by netbound because: (no reason given)