Anyone who is working at a job in any scientific field is aware of how new technological tools have increased their ability to explore almost any question, and to do so a thousand times faster than anyone could thirty years ago. Genetic studies that would have needed thirty years to observe twins to grow-up can now be done in a matter of hours by looking at their DNA. The availability of techniques such as CRISP-R are dramatically changing the way people are attacking genetic diseases.
The Super-Collider is another widely-publicized research tool that is allowing cosmologists to answers questions about the formation of our universe. We are beginning to get answers to questions that had previously been based only on faith.
Watson computers are not only playing chess and Jeopardy, they are being used as a “clinical decision support system.” This machine can process four terabytes of information in the a tiny fraction of the time that it takes your doctor to stare at the ceiling and try to recall what he knows.
Advances in brain science have are being done using improved FMRI machines as well as PET scans and variations of electronic brain stimulators.
The list of fields that have been totally changed since the start of the new millennium is endless. It goes from the examination of ancient scrolls to the exploration of asteroids. No one who does any kind of research or scientific inquiry today does it in the same manner that their predecessors did as little as twenty years ago. If they are they are wasting time.
Of course, it isn’t just science, technology has now disrupted almost every job in every field: farming, journalism, law, music, art, even waiting on tables and doing dishes. Delivery services such as UPS now not only monitor their trucks and packages, they can monitor how fast each driver is driving, and how many packages they deliver in an hour. Almost every job, from analytics to zeppelin construction, has their own specifically designed software packages to guide the workers. The trend is that the software and hardware is quickly replacing most of the workers, and doing a better job.
Increasingly, unpleasant jobs are being done by bots and robots. Assembly lines, which are full of repetitive tasks, such as those that build cars, sort medicines, and fill soda bottles were one of the first adaptations of using machines to replace workers. Machines don’t get tired, don’t take breaks and remain accurate. Robots go into burning buildings, Robots disarm bombs. Robots clean-up hazardous waste. Robots go into battle, Drones observe, track and can kill enemy combatants, (and sometimes their families).
Robots are being designed to take over more tasks. It has become clear that any job that pays under twenty dollars an hour can probably be performed better by a robot. That includes the cooks at McDonalds and home health aids. There are studies the show that many elderly and somewhat demented people respond very well to being guided, reminded, and talked to by robots. There are also robots that can take a person’s blood pressure and monitor other important bodily functions. They can do this while the persons sits at home. Many people do this for themselves with small devices such as Fitbits or other health apps, of which there are now thousands. Once any doctor, insurance company or therapists gains access to the information on your cell-phone they will know much more about you than you know about yourself.
A self-driving car, which is right on the horizon, is a specialized robot. In fact, they are here, just waiting for the laws to catch-up. Eventually, these will be easier, safer, more fuel efficient, more time efficient, and cost less. Self-driving cars will probably eliminate traffic jams, as they will be in touch with each other, know alternate routes, and not be subjected to the random actions of individual drivers. They will put hundreds of thousands of people out of work.
All of these things are just the most obvious kinds of technologies that will all almost certainly become part of our lives in the not very distant future, probably within twenty years. They will alter the kinds of skills that will be necessary for people to successfully run their lives. There will be a need for physical exercise, but that will be in the service of keeping your body healthy or for athletic pursuits. The need to use human muscle power to do manual labor will be greatly diminished.
This will change the nature of human bodies and, since we know there is a strong mind/body connection, that will change people’s thoughts and emotions.. For me, as a psychologist, I have no way of predicting if people will feel more relaxed, capable and able to enjoy themselves, or if these changes will result in more obesity and sickness. Will we develop an awareness that our lives are so much more dependent upon different kinds of machines, or will this just happen, drop by drop, until many of us think differently, solve problems differently, and slowly change into a different form of our species?
There will be a continued deterioration in many skills that were very basic to human adaptation. I suspect that people will lose the sense of where they are in the world, how to get from place to place, how to traverse difficult terrain, and how to find your way home on your own. All of these will probably become competitive sports, but most people won’t bother to learn those skills.
I am just one or two generations away from the time when people had to grow their own food. Many also hunted, fished and trapped for protein, or else they raised and slaughtered animals themselves. My generation saw the rise of supermarkets, shopping malls, and strip malls, all with huge parking lots. I learned how to drive when i was sixteen and that gave me the freedom to live on my own, go anywhere I wanted, see friends easily and get myself to work.
The next generation who comes into the developed world will probably not have to shop, cook, or drive. They will probably not even have to keep track of what they need, as all they will have to do is ask the descendant of Amazon’s Echo to make sure that they have all their supplies of food, milk, bread, wine and wafers. Most of the usual supplies will be on a regular delivery schedule and be put on the shelves, or into the refrigerator. Many of our meals will be specifically designed for us and come completely prepared and placed directly on the table by a friendly robot. All of these things are very possible, but only for those who can afford them.
The effects of all of these work saving tools are two-fold. They make life physically easier for people, both at work and at home. There will be no need to carry heavy parts and tools, to use a hammer or saw, or drive or fly hundreds of miles. No need to vacuum the floor, walk up and down the isles of supermarkets, or clean-up after grandpa. It will all be done by robots and the Internet of Things.
Another positive effect will be to eliminate human error. Self-driving cars will be safer and more efficient than human drivers. They will not be affected by bad moods, loud music, texting, traffic, or road rage. That will be true for trucks and planes also. Already, computers tally bills more accurately, make change, keep track of who is buying what, give out rewards, and keep records, with no mistakes. They are unaffected by fatigue, repetitive actions, ADHD, the urge to steal, or flirting with customers. They are vulnerable to hacking.
The unintended effects of these technological advances will take place in our brains. It will be more pronounced in the brains of the children who will be raised surrounded by all of theses robots, interconnectedness and embedded artificial intelligence. What skills will they need besides coding, wanting, and fending off social media attacks?
Other questions revolve around the unresolved issues regarding if machines are doing all the work, what will people do? If people aren’t working, how can they afford these devices? Will we just play games or will we learn to get along with each other?
Or, will our primitive urges still be the most powerful and we still divide into tribes and use all of these new tools to destroy each other?
What is clear, especially clear at this moment, is that our so called leaders are pretty clueless and unprepared for what is coming. Most politician don’t understand the technology and have trouble using email. They all, from your town council member to the President of the U.S. are talking about creating better jobs when they should be thinking about how people will live if one third of them work, or if everyone works fifteen hours a week. What about security? What about privacy? What about generating enough power for all of these machines without ruining the planet?
These are just the most obvious of the questions that need to be confronted starting now. I haven’t heard a word about any of them.
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