U.S. journalist Nicholas Carr, recognized by the academic world as the most relentless critic of the digital era, spoke at a forum held in Bogota, Colombia, on the transformation of countries in the digital era. There he expounded his ideas on the complex relationship between human beings and machines in this era, the age of automation . Of course, he did not hesitate to warn about the risk of leaving our lives in the hands of machines.
The author of the acclaimed book
The Glass Cage: How Our Computers Are Changing Us
left some reflections that are very important in this era in which many of the tasks are being performed by computers. He invited people not to use them as a replacement but rather as allies, only then can we have an ideal and balanced world between humans and robots.
The age of automation: Technological progress vs. social progress
According to the digital critic, whenever a new technology emerges, it is essential to think about how it will affect people. He states that technological progress cannot be confused with social progress, because they always go together. He further adds:
“As we design systems that automate much of our work, and even our private lives, we need to always remember that we need to give ourselves enough things to do to expand our minds and develop new talents. The only way to achieve that is to make sure, when we think about technology, that it serves us and not that we serve it.”
Moreover, Carr dares to describe as a “vicious circle” what happens when programmers make our lives easier by making simple tasks easier than they used to be. What on the surface appears to be of great help to human beings, means that the age of automation is preventing the formation of new knowledge and this is really something very worrying for the future of society.
“To the extent that there is more reliance on computers, the human being ceases to participate actively in the processes.” Nicholas Carr.
Finally, Carr closed his participation in the forum with an affirmation that will surely stay in your head and will make you take the necessary precautions in the era of automation, in which new technologies are occupying a very important space in our daily tasks:
“If we take the wrong path toward automation, we will threaten valuable human skills, such as real-world experience, ‘fluid’ intelligence, conceptual, creative or critical thinking, and even common sense.”
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