Introduction

Technology is the driving force of humanity. It continuously changes how we live, go about our daily tasks, and influences how we interact with others. Technology is shaping our views of the world, ideas, and future. From hunting tools to artificial intelligence and deep learning, we have achieved so much, and yet, we have only just begun. We will delve a little into the history of technology and the systems we unnoticeably use. It is easy to forget how privileged we are to be able to use these technologies around us.

The Past: The seven stages

Ian McNeil divides and categorizes our technological developments into seven stages in his book, “An Encyclopedia of the History of Technology”:

This slide was created by Simone, the owner of this blog. Information on all images used in this slide can be found under “Sources and further reading”

Effects of our technology on our planet

The book “Technology in World Civilization” by Arnold Pacey Francesca Bray, discusses a few reports about the steep incline of climate change, namely:

• The IPCC 2018 Report emphasized the need to take action to reduce emissions as well as the importance of our plants and soil organic matter.
• A separate report released to the British government in 2018 also addressed climate change and suggested methods to reduce greenhouse gasses.
• Another report in 2018, published in the Nature Journal, addressed the emissions released from livestock farming and food production, emphasizing the need to reduce meat consumption.

A new report from IPCC released in March 2023, the AR6 Synthesis Report, states that we have reached temperatures 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, emissions continue to rise, and climate change is already impacting weather extremes. Urgent action is crucial because further warming will make adaptation options fewer and fewer. We have already reached a point of irreversible damage but with urgent action, we could still save ourselves and our planet (IPPC, 2023).

The Present: “Homo techno”?

“Homo techno” refers to the idea that our brains are fundamentally changed by technology, that we are a new human species or even “cyborgs” in essence. As the artist Grimes once stated on a Lex Friedman podcast: “Everyone who grew up with electronics, we are fundamentally different from previous, from Homo sapiens. I call us Homo techno.” Before going forward, let’s rewind a moment to gain a little perspective.

The escalation

The first computer – this marks an important stage in the technological timeline, a point of no return. Some argue about when the first computer was invented and by whom. Many believe that the ENIAC built by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert in 1946 holds that distinction. While others believe John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry invented the first computer during 1937–42, despite it not being programmable nor Turing-complete (Freiberger & Swaine, 2023). It is worth noting that Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine (proposed in the mid-1830s after his Difference Engine in 1823), although never completed due to technical limitations, seems to be the first machine that resembles ours of today (McNeil, 1996) (University of Minnesota, n.d.). Nonetheless, 77-86 years is a very small fraction considering how old humanity is, and since technology evolves exponentially, it is safe to say we can expect even greater things in less time.

Deep learning is a type of machine learning inspired by the human brain, using artificial neural networks to learn from data, and even though the first successful artificial intelligence program was developed in the 1950s. Artificial intelligence only recently progressed due to new deep learning advancements. Around 1957 and 1958, Frank Rosenblatt and his team developed the Perceptron machine, the earliest artificial neural networking machine that could recognize the letters of the alphabet (Fradkov, 2020).

accoplishments and possibilities

From the first computers and neural networks, fast forward 66 years to the current year (2023) and we see things like a growing baby computer: Baby X is a biologically inspired AI model of a human infant developed by the company Soul Machines. Baby X’s digital brain is based on the human brain, meaning it learns and develops similarly to ours. Not only does Baby X have the potential to improve how we care for and interact with infants, but it could also revolutionize the infant education system and significantly impact the future of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

In the stride toward innovation, Colossal, a pioneering company, is on the brink of achieving the seemingly impossible: the de-extinction of the woolly mammoth. This could be achieved by back-breeding, cloning, synthetic genomics and genome editing.

The projects of Baby X and Colossal, illustrate the multifaceted nature of technological progress, it not only propels us into the future but also dares to rewrite the chapters of our history.

A technology immersed world

Today, we are using technology more than ever. The technologies and devices we use are designed with the user in mind, meaning it is tailored to suit our needs, easy to use, and becomes increasingly ubiquitous, which in turn promotes efficiency and productivity in a day and age where information is in abundance and time is of the essence.

Using the Internet of Things (IoT), we can use smart home devices to control our home appliances, order our personal AI assistants to make our favorite cup of coffee any time of the day, or even ask them to read our daily schedules while getting ready in the morning. Technology is also transforming our work environments – more jobs are becoming automated, and access to information has become much faster and effortless. Furthermore, it is changing how we communicate and interact with one another. Now, it’s not hard to agree with the statement that we are Homo-techno.

Concerns and important considerations

The use of chatbots in society is increasing steeply. When using a chatbot it is crucial to remember that artificial intelligence systems are biased: AI systems are trained on data, and if the data is biased, the AI system will also be biased. This leads to problems like discrimination and the spread of inaccurate information. These systems are prone to plagiarize others’ work. Another important thing to note is that chatbots may gather large amounts of data from users, raising user privacy concerns. A significant area of concern is the use of artificial intelligence in the military. The results of using artificial intelligence in a war-like situation may be catastrophic. We must ensure that artificial intelligence is used safely, and not used with the intent to physically harm others, their privacy, or their possessions.

The Future: An automated world?

Two important questions we need to ask ourselves when looking into the future of our technologies, are:

Firstly, what impact will artificial intelligence have on critical thinking in the long run? As mentioned, we can easily acquire information, and the more we rely on AI to answer our questions or make our decisions, the less we will analyze and question things on our own.

And secondly, what will happen when we have achieved it all, no more work and no more satisfaction? As technologies become increasingly sophisticated, fewer and fewer jobs are available for humans, ultimately leading to a world where automation reigns, there are no more jobs, and humanity does not need to work anymore. If something like this happens, how will we navigate our lives and live without being needed in a job setting? What would happen to that sense of accomplishment when you have worked tirelessly for something? What if it can be achieved with just the push of a button? Would that press of the button give the same sense of accomplishment? For some of us, our jobs give us meaning, especially when it is something we are passionate about. Another problem that arises in a situation like this is that we would need a universal income to support everyone.

Conclusion

Technology evolves at an exponential rate, from the first computer to deep learning, Baby X and quantum computing. Technology has seen incredible progress over the last century and may soon be on the frontlines of space travel and planetary exploration. Just as exciting as all this may be, it’s important to consider our responsibilities, actions, and the impacts of our decisions on our planet(s) and the future of humanity.

Our grandkids will lead the lives of the gods of mythology. Zeus could think and move objects around. We’ll have that power. Venus had a perfect, timeless body. We’ll have that, too. Pegasus was a flying horse. We’ll be able to modify life in the future.

Michio Kaku

Sources and further reading

Fradkov, A. L., 2020. Early History of Machine Learning. ScienceDirect, 53(2), pp. 1385-1390.

Freiberger, P. A. & Swaine, M. R., 2023. Britannica. [Online]
Available at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/ENIAC
[Accessed 22 10 2023].

IPPC, 2023. Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report, Geneva, Switzerland: s.n.

LeCun, Y., Bengio, Y. & Hinton , G., 2015. Deep learning. Nature, May.p. 436–444.

McNeil, I., 1996. An Encyclopedia of the History of Technology. 1 ed. New York: Routledge.

Pacey, A. & Bray, F., 2021. Technology in World Civilization, revised and expanded edition: A Thousand-Year History. Revised, Expanded ed. Cambridge: The MIT Press.

University of Minnesota, n.d. University of Minnesota. [Online]
Available at: https://cse.umn.edu/cbi/who-was-charles-babbage
[Accessed 27 10 2023].

Featured image by Leonardo AI

Slide Images

Bison Cave art: Image by Welcome to All ! ツ from Pixabay

Buffalo farmer: Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

Straw: Image by Welcome to All ! ツ from Pixabay

Wright brothers plane: both Images by WikiImages from Pixabay

Steel mill/Factory: Both images by 652234 from Pixabay

train on railroad track: Photo by Pixabay

Faraday: Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Lightbulb: Photo by LED  Supermarket