Future Technology

 

Some of us humans are still fighting for our autonomy yet now we face the irony of artificial intelligence gaining its autonomy as well. I am sure that Alan Turing would be shocked to find that computers have not gained the consciousness that he had envisioned would have happened by now. Though to be fair AI has made significant advancements since the time of the Turing Machine. It does sometimes seem that I am in the midst of a science fiction universe, but only because sometimes writers can make an astute prediction! I still do not see flying autonomous cars like The Jetsons, but that is something that could certainly be possible in the decades to come. 

I wonder what the future of technology will do to our reading habits, will people still enjoy the art of writing? I hope that people do not get too impatient for reading in favor of videos or film. I wonder what the world of cinema will have to offer as trends move us towards more interactive platforms. I know that some predict that videogames will become more popular because it is a platform designed for community and stimulation thus possibly incorporating film to work in the same fashion. I remember an experimental Netflix movie that came out a couple of years ago that had the audience choose the path the characters were going to take, so that each time it was a different outcome. This was an interesting idea, but one that was only testing the waters of audience engagement and had not quite worked out all the kinks. The idea of augmented reality comes to mind and the avatars that one can choose to represent themselves in that world. There would be no need to keep up your appearances in real life because you could always present yourself exactly how you want in the alternate reality. This reminds me of WALL-E, which if I am being honest, freaks me out a little bit. I feel that the more "connected" we become on the internet, the further away we become from each other. It is called "social media," but we only show a window into our life, catered to promote an image we hope we are projecting. I fear that our social interactions are becoming more mechanical, and we are losing touch with social etiquette. 

I am sure that I have read far too many science fictions books and watched too many movies that has led me to be a little pessimistic about the future. I realize that humanity always has a way of persevering and somehow, someway it all works itself out. We will rise to the new obstacles with the creative problem solving skills we all have within ourselves. I look forward to seeing what predictions come true and pray that some of the more scary ones will not.