Ai infused technology
The small-pox blanket for a new world
It has been a few days since I’ve written. As the ice chunks melting in the sun flew from the hood this morning in the cold, crisp, sun drenched air I struggled for an obvious topic. Having a few days away from a routine and being on the road I haven’t read much of any news, political or technological. My attention and thoughts have been focused on scenery, weather, and people instead.
Suddenly it occurred to me that my exposure to technology, my years of experience and history with the product teams, engineering groups, and management in technology had provided me with the anti-bodies to understand what was occurring with technology. This is an exposure that the vast majority of society lacks. Who would resist the warm gesture of a blanket when they’re cold? What harm could follow from wrapping oneself in something familiar? A blanket, a broach, or a phone?
The fact of the matter is, most people do not know how much Ai is already used. That the fundamental building blocks of deep learning, neural networks, and machine learning are embedded into decision support systems, credit scores, admissions tests, poll interpretation, news reports, and surveillance systems. Because of this, the ‘immune system’ of people to their personal, professional, and social risks are unprepared. Perhaps they suspect that law will protect them. Unfortunately, however, most laws today regarding technology, privacy, and lawful uses were crafted in the 1970’s and 1980’s. 1
The science, psychological, political, and sociological is becoming increasingly clear. The technology blankets we’ve been provided are not benign. They are infected with consequences that appear lethal to our general way of life. As these effects roll-out successively with upgrade after upgrade the swaddle of technology tightens. Ai the new feature, all the rage - marketed as capability enhancement for a new age. New capability for sure, but to what end and for whom? Ai is not an objectively neutral technology nor are the systems, corporations and institutions propagating its development. Ai technologies are not mere tools, but are agents of a colonization already deeply advanced. Technology metastasized, forever altering our relationships with ourselves and each other.
When settlers from Europe gave smallpox infected blankets to indigenous inhabitants they likely knew what the outcome would be. Today, society generally regards this as a heinous act. What will future generations say of us, sprinkling Ai into the cozy technology of today? That cell phone or laptop that you are now reading this upon. Ai inside, like a virus waiting for you to bring it inside your habits. Perhaps you’ll be strong enough to fight off the infection - the damage to your attention, your concentration, your discipline. Or maybe you won’t.
If this is all new to you, some further reading
Explaining the Mating and Dating Crisis
https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep25514