Are we at the mercy of our own technology?

1. 59

   lumen2lightposted 12 years ago

   Are we at the mercy of our own technology?
   
   What do you think about the campaign to stop killer robots?
   Will sci-fi scenes of waring machines become a reality?

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2. 76

   AlexK2009posted 12 years ago

   I think this is possible but no country will accept defeat if only machines are defeated, so human nature makes this improbable.
   
   There are however contests of robots ( more precisely radio controlled machines as far as I can tell) where machines attempt to destroy each other. Eventually they will become self directed.  Making sure they cannot harm humans or animals will be an interesting challenge.
   
   
   We are however at the mercy of technology in that using technology changes us. You are a different person from the one who did not have a smartphone for example.  We use tools and they change us.

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3. 82

   Brett Winnposted 12 years ago

   What a great question ... I think we are to an extent, in more ways than one. Before I read the second part of your question, I was thinking of how tied we are to our cell phones and computers ... it definitely was a simpler life when farmers plowed the fields with mules!

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4. 66

   Woodmckinneyposted 12 years ago

   I think we are at the mercy of our own technology, but on a much smaller scale.
   With hackers, cyber security, identity theft, there are so many privacy issues associated with technology.
   Those who are not tech savvy may not know what a scam email looks like, and enter their information.
   I don't think robots are going to take over the world, but it is possible for identity thieves to do so- which is why cyber security and IT fields = job security

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5. 49

   whonunuwhoposted 12 years ago

   Yes, and we are so dependent upon electricity and the internet. If we had a major loss of power, we would be cooked. We are way too dependent upon oil and other man created products and a shortage always creates severs economic down slides. On the other hand, without new technology we would not make progress into the needs of our futures.It is a two-edged sword, but a necessary one in the final analysis. whonu

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   1. 76

      AlexK2009posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Every generation is at the mercy of new technology: Before electricity Gas,  Before cars, railways and horses. without Iron  a lot of empires that swept over Bronze users could not be built and so on.

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6. 72

   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Only if you do not know how to live without technology.

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