How do we know that technology won’t control the world a couple years from now?

I feel pretty confident that technology already controls the world. 😂

But I guess it all depends on how you define "control".

If the idea concerns you, I suggest the old: "if you can't beat em, join em" adage. There is a lot of opportunity to instill humanity in the digital realm. As long as there are people who care about preserving that, technology can't really control everything about our world.

As a woman in tech, this question concerns me greatly. If technology is sure to control our world, which seems likely at this point, I want to be sure that as many diverse voices are behind technology as possible. Woman and underrepresented groups have to have a say in the things that affect our world.

Great question! Not everything can be achieved through technology, and it's so important to think about the HUMAN impact and the need for the human experience in the world. For example, a robot might be able to diagnose a disease, but how would they deliver an unpleasant or even life-threatening message to their patient? Bedside manner! You need the human touch. Humans still need the humanity of humans... otherwise, what makes us human? Confusing, I know

This is a great article to read to reassure you of the need for human experience (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/05/14/how-frightened-should-we-be-of-ai). A very candid sentence in this essay says if something can be explained easily, it can probably be automated easily. So incorporating the importance of personality, human connection, relationship-building, mentorship into your career plan, is SO important - to not only save your sanity and keep your humanness, but to ensure that it's not just all about technology.

Hey Maleah,

That's a very fascinating question and one worth asking! To answer your question though would take more time I think based on what you mean by "control the world"? If you mean whether we will become dependent on technology more then we currently are...I may have to say "yes" to that. We rely more and more on technology and computers for things as such as buying items (think Amazon) and we use more and more advanced medical technologies to save lives. If perhaps you're suggesting something more dystopian, such as technology controlling every aspect of our lives (like when we may eat, sleep or play) then I would say, I'm not sure and I certainly don't hope it gets to that point. I know this answer may seem opaque, but I think clarifying that question would definitely help a lot of us be able to better to help you with it.