Big science and Big technology – the String theory or the Large Hadron Collider are interesting trivia really, for most of us, as we dash and whirl around, busy in the business of running our lives. It is heartening to know about such soaring heights gained by human intellect, but so what? How does that affect our lives in the here and now in any intimate, personal sort of way?
A beautiful promise of Technology was equality and prosperity. Democratization of opportunities, where everyone has a chance to pursue a better life, where economic or physical limitations can be transcended. A lofty ideal which is apparently quite achievable. Right?
Apace with the relentless progress of technology is a growing hubris, an overbearing cockiness that comes from power. Power from conquering nature, from grabbing the controls away from it. Self- determinism can be heady and intoxicating, without a doubt. It is well reflected in the direction and face of our modern philosophy.
The old religions of the world may be dying, but newer religions are rushing in to fill the vacuum. The religion of technology is now demanding a blind, unquestioning faith in its messiah of Artificial Intelligence. When it comes of age, this messiah will lead us to salvation, they say. It will ease our suffering, deliver us into trans-human heaven and make us eternal.
IBM’s WATSON defeated world Jeopardy champions in 2011, and Deep Blue’s AlphaGO defeated the world GO champion last year. If algorithms have defeated the best of humans at games as intuitive and complex as GO and Jeopardy, nothing can stop them from developing other cognitive abilities and superhuman ones too. You may think so.