Introduction
In 1968, American novelist Jim Berry predicted the following in his article “40 years in the Future": Most schooling – from first grade through college – consists of programmed TV courses or lectures via closed circuit. Students visit a campus once or twice a week for personal consultations or for lab work that has to be done on site. Progress of each student is followed by a computer, which assigns end term marks on the basis of tests given throughout the term.
Now, nearly 60 years later, with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic still in effect, this prediction rings a familiar tone for many students across the globe as online learning took over the past pandemic years. Alongside this, Berry also correctly predicted online shopping, credit cards, Apple Pay, vacuum robots, and more. However, reading through excerpts of his article, the tone it exhibits is reminiscent of that of dystopian novels; human interaction is replaced by internet presences and human workers are replaced by robots. Compared to Berry’s time, todays’ world is more advanced as tasks are made easier and more efficient by technology, but what are the implications of this?
Autonomous & automated
As autonomous technology continues to invade jobs formerly occupied by humans, we begin to ask ourselves: are human jobs becoming obsolete?
As many businesses and corporations realize the capabilities and efficiency of robotic applications, we begin to see the fear of robots taking over the world begin to come true.
Amazon’s breakthrough unmanned grocery stores opened in 2018, prompting a new system of buying produce. A highly programmed system was implemented into the grocery store's technology that tracks shoppers’ movement, weights items in their shopping cart, and automatically pays for everything on a phone app, eliminating checkout lines.
But there is concern of allowing technology to have access to your credit card numbers, address, and other personal information.
Many people fear the rampage automated machinery is taking on many occupations. There seems to be an unspoken consensus about the relationship between job loss and robot takeover.
In a recent 2022 study by Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, only 14% of workers say they’ve seen their job replaced by automatic machinery. Workers who have already been replaced with robots estimated that 47% of all jobs have been taken over by robots.
Many services have already been automated: customer service, data entry, market research analytics, and manufacturing are nearly fully autonomous.
But what people don’t understand is that automation creates jobs. For example, the implementation of ATM machines lowered the costs of opening new offices, leading to an increase in new offices, allowing more employees to be hired.
While autonomous programming and automated machinery is being implemented into the routine tasks of jobs, it is allowing further development in numerous fields of work.
Artificial Intelligence
As technology continues to develop in our ever-growing modern world, the time comes where we say goodbye to outdated technology, and welcome this year's newest online trends.
The biggest theme being brought into the future is bridging the physical and digital world. With implementation of artificial intelligence in healthcare and social media, it is becoming less robotic and more human.
Several types of AI are already being employed by payers and providers of care, and life sciences companies. The key categories of applications involve diagnosis and treatment recommendations, patient engagement and adherence, and administrative activities. Although there are many instances in which AI can perform healthcare tasks as well or better than humans, implementation factors will prevent large-scale automation of healthcare professional jobs for a considerable period.
AI has already been implemented during minimally invasive surgeries, assisting a human surgeon which has resulted in decreased surgical errors, and increased patient recovery, but the full transition to surgical robotics has yet to be fully explored due to ethical implications, such as sudden malfunctions during surgery performance, or AI’s lack of knowledge of human functions.
AI is also taking over the internet: due to modernized technology, AI is now being used all over social media in the form of “deep fakes.” These deepfakes can be seen impersonating many influencers and celebrities, creating videos of them saying false information.
Bhavin Patel, director of technology, said, “I have been working with technology professionally for over 25 years, and the evolution of technology has been night and day since I started working. I used to teach workshops in college just to show students how to use email and the internet. Back then, it wasn’t a social, interconnected tool, it wasn’t about data harvesting. I think if users of the internet continue to use it this way, then it will continue to grow. However, if the people collectively say I don’t want to put as much of myself out there, then it has to scale down or adjust. So I think that it all comes down to responsible use."
Many students own their own social media accounts, including snapchat, instagram, and tiktok, all of which include some form of video communication, prompting opportunities for stolen identity through AI.
“I don’t think it’s going to take 30-50 years for AI to take off. AI is already here. Even if it’s just asking your phone ‘hey siri, what is my favorite color’, it will probably look through your photos to see what color you wear the most and tell you ‘Your favorite color is green” said Patel.
Whether it be medicinal, educational, or personal use, artificial intelligence has already infiltrated many aspects of our everyday lives. The consequences of its use have yet to be determined as positive or detrimental, only time will tell.
Cybersecurity: Keeping your online presence safe
From spam risk calls to texts congratulating you on a thousand-dollar lottery win to a new friend on Snapchat who appeared out of the blue, the practices of illegal activities increase with the advances of the technological world. Especially in recent years, cybersecurity has become an increasingly hot topic as well as a high-demand profession.
Walmart, the grocery store chain which has claimed the top place in Fortune’s Global 500 list for the 9th year in a row, has placed emphasis on its ongoing cybersecurity investments. With over 200 million weekly online shoppers, it turns to automated technologies for the protection of their customers.
At Masters, the technology team has also been faced with cybersecurity tasks as the internet developed. In particular, Head of Technology Department Bhavin Patel, said he wants to focus on technology awareness and education in the future. Patel said, “I believe that cybersecurity education is key. It is imperative for both students and parents to understand the implications behind having a smartphone. Technology is a part of our world; from the moment you wake up to the last news feed your check before you go to bed.”
As nations, corporations, schools, and many other organizations place a heavier emphasis on cybersecurity, the importance of protecting one's personal online presence has also come to the forefront of many recent discussions. From online shopping to creating a new email account, users are inputting their personal information into the internet on a regular basis. These information are then exposed to those might be strolling through your page with a faulty intent. Patel said, “You have your real self, and you have an online self. People need to be aware of the kind of information they are sharing online. One thing that gets missed is asking yourself ‘why are these social media apps and services free of charge?’ You really are giving them yourself for free. You are giving them your joy, pain, fears, goals, and vulnerability – everything about yourself. So, I encourage people to have an inventory of what they have shared about themselves out there on the internet because once it’s out there, you have no control over where it goes and you cannot take it back.”
Dayan Battulga, senior and member of the Masters cybersecurity team, also warned against cybersecurity breaches that may result from a single click. “Accept only necessary cookies, build up your fire wall, don’t go to suspicious websites, and things like that,” he said.
Perhaps even beyond the physical tasks one can complete to protect their online presence, Patel believes the most important factor in protection against technology is being a responsible user. Oftentimes, the scale and consequences of being online could be lost in the convenience of picking up your phone and posting within a handful of clicks. He said, “If you wouldn't be willing to be judged in a room full of 20 strangers, how are you willing to be judged by the entire world on the internet? This scale of where your information goes and to whom it reaches is lost with the internet.”
Although cybersecurity may be a concern in the current world of ever-advancing technology, corporations, schools, and individuals have begun to recognize and place emphasis on the topic in recent years. Battulga also recognized the disparity between cybersecurity measures in the United States and other nations with less advanced technologies. However, he is optimistic when speaking about the future of cybersecurity. He said, “I think it is definitely going to become much better. Technology is improving, cybersecurity will not only stop hackers but also prevent plagiarism and probably much more.”
"Green" screen
Another thing we are seeing is an increase in is the destruction of our environment. Increased carbon emissions from motor vehicles, light pollution from overpopulated cities, destruction of nature to provide new factories and buildings, and much more. To combat this, a rise in “green” technology is being seen taking over many corporations and businesses.
Sustainable technology describes innovation that considers natural resources and fosters economic and social development. The goal of these technologies is to reduce environmental and ecological risks and to create a sustainable product.
But in 2021–2023, a global energy crisis began in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, with much of the globe facing shortages and increased prices in oil, gas and electricity markets.
Yet, many corporations and businesses are working towards creating more sustainable products.
Companies such as Dell and HP are revamping their approach to computer manufacturing by recycling ink and toner cartridges, and have reused more than 4.7 billion plastic bottles to create said cartridges.
Other approaches, such as LED light efficiency, and accessible solar power, are smaller steps that make a big difference in decreasing use of electricity and energy consumption. These changes have the possibility to be implemented into the Masters community as the popularity of sustainability continues to grow.
Green technology has the potential to revolutionize our public transportation and systems. Through steps such as reducing carbon emissions, increasing use of biodegradable and renewable materials, companies are able to use their resources more efficiently and effectively.
Illustration courtesy of Sydney Starkey. Written by Maia Barantsevitch and Ellie Yang.
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Created with images by Smart Future - "Digital technology and science background." • sarayut_sy - "concept of thinking.background with brain CPU Mind series technology symbols subject of computer science, artificial" • by-studio - "Klimawandel"