The Tech of Tomorrow is followed by a warning: We Need to Rethink Our Own Human Rights and How Governments are Abusing Power and Citizens Without Anyone Even Noticing.
How You Became a Weapon?
Neurotechnology ethics expert Nita Farahany spoke about the future of wearables and technologies capable of decoding or ‘reading’ (scientists don’t really like to call it reading) the brain.
“Often, Technology is Created and Then The Question of Ethics is addressed at a Later Stage.” Which means societies are widely used as “lab” for experiments if governments do not create sanctions stopping the misuse of advanced technologies.
The majority of the population are not aware of the latest technologies used on them and the most vulnerable are paying for it. Which also means our future as species will pay for it too. Today we are aware of the amount of data shedding light on the close relationship between cardiovascular diseases and brain diseases such as stroke, dementia and cognitive impairment. If the internet, ai and technologies are ‘twitching’ our brains, it is interfering on absolutely everything we do (or don’t do). This is dangerous
The impact of the Internet across multiple aspects of modern society is clear. However, the influence that it may have on our brain structure and functioning remains a central topic of investigation. “For example, a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) found that six weeks of engaging in an online role playing certain games caused significant reductions in grey matter (Grey matter serves to process information in the brain. The structures within the grey matter process signals from the sensory organs or from other areas of the grey matter. This tissue directs sensory stimuli to the neurons in the central nervous system where synapses induce a response to the stimuli), within the orbitofrontal cortex – a brain region implicated in impulse control and decision making.“ - (Zhou F, Montag C, Sariyska R et al. Orbitofrontal gray matter deficits as marker of Internet gaming disorder: converging evidence from a cross‐sectional and prospective longitudinal design studies. Addict Biol 2019;24:100)
Important aspects of the Internet most likely fails to gain any attention because are taken over by the incoming of flooded useless information, while the successful aspects of paid adverts, articles, apps or anything that does manage to capture our attention (even superficially) are logged (through clicks and scrolls), noticed (through online shares), and subsequently proliferated and expanded upon, it leads to technology companies to exploit more and more this pathway, intentionally capitalizing on the addictive and destructive potential of Internet (especially on children and older people, those who are considered more vulnerable. And if internet is also causing more vulnerability affecting grey matter. The world can become a dangerous place to live), by studying, testing, and refining the attention‐grabbing aspects of their websites and applications (“apps”) to promote extremely high levels of engagement, without due concern for the user well‐being (and it is surprisingly scare that statistics also show great amount of adults are too victims of the side effects of it). Anxiety, irritability, nausea, insecurity, racism and all signs correlated with what we are most worried about the misuse of technologies are correlated, which includes suicidal thoughts. The world is not far to collapse.
The problem we are facing is that, when a scientist, a doctor or a specialist, create or develop a new breakthrough technology. Governments take seriously if it will affect national security, some other governments instead, weaponise them first for their own benefit, instead of using it to better mankind or to help those who really need it. And if governments are at war they will most likely use high and advanced technologies against one another, which means against their own citizens.
The future of mankind then become uncertain and you most likely are already turned into a weapon.