Technology versus Humanity

“These SDKs mean we should all expect assistants to become a kind of omnipresent feature in people’s lives. That’s probably why Gartner predicted that by 2020 people will spend more time talking to virtual assistants than their spouse.”

What Google, Microsoft, and Amazon did this week in the race to be everyone’s favorite virtual assistant | VentureBeat | Bots | by Khari Johnson
http://venturebeat.com/2016/12/17/what-google-microsoft-and-amazon-did-this-week-in-the-race-to-be-everyones-favorite-virtual-assistant/
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“So here is my story. We are seeing the beginnings of genuine rupture. Cities and states are likely to separate from nations who restrain their possibility. Nations are fracturing into tribes, and these tribes may go their separate ways.

The broken age. Broken institutions lead to broken polities lead to broken societies. And in the middle of all this? You and I. Out broken dreams, our broken lives, our broken hearts.

There is one thing left, then. Our spirits. They are not broken yet. And that is where the future always burns bright.”

The Broken Age
https://umairhaque.com/the-broken-age-b6912f07afab
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“Imagine this: an AV stopped at a red light might suddenly roar into an intersection to avoid being struck by a human-driven car approaching too quickly from behind. This same car in Emergency Evasive Mode might even be able to stop the cross traffic and flip the lights to red as it enters the intersection. This isn’t about smart cars – it’s about smart swarms acting in concert to achieve the global goal of preserving life.”

Tech Trends 2017
http://www.frogdesign.com/techtrends2017
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“Using this data to enable more finely-grained diagnostics and treatments for both individual patients and patient populations has proved difficult, the panelists wrote. “Research and deployment have been slowed by outdated regulations and incentive structures. Poor human-computer interaction methods and the inherent difficulties and risks of implementing technologies in such a large and complex system have slowed realization of AI’s special purpose robots will deliver packages, clean offices, and enhance security, but technical constraints and high costs will continue to limit commercial opportunities for the foreseeable future”

Artificial Intelligence Vs Humans: AI More Likely To Enhance Life Rather Than Harm It
http://www.ibtimes.com/artificial-intelligence-vs-humans-ai-more-likely-enhance-life-rather-harm-it-2452476
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“As Erik Brynjolfsson, a professor at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management told MIT Technology Review, “Productivity is at record levels, innovation has never been faster, and yet at the same time, we have a falling median income and we have fewer jobs. People are falling behind because technology is advancing so fast and our skills and organizations aren’t keeping up.” It is, he said, “the great paradox of our era.””

Silicon Valley Has an Empathy Vacuum
http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/silicon-valley-has-an-empathy-vacuum
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