Technology versus Humanity

“But data is never “just” data, and to assert otherwise is to lend inherently political and interested decisions an unmerited gloss of scientific objectivity. The truth is that data is easily skewed, depending on how it is collected. Different values for air pollution in a given location can be produced by varying the height at which a sensor is mounted by a few metres. Perceptions of risk in a neighbourhood can be transformed by slightly altering the taxonomy used to classify reported crimes. And anyone who has ever worked in opinion polling knows how sensitive the results are to the precise wording of a survey.”

Rise of the machines: who is the ‘internet of things’ good for?
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/06/internet-of-things-smart-home-smart-city
via Instapaper

“It worries me that so many of the builders of technology today are people who haven’t spent time thinking about these larger questions.” Ruefully—and with some embarrassment at my younger self’s condescending attitude toward the humanities—I now wish that I had strived for a proper liberal arts education. That I’d learned how to think critically about the world we live in and how to engage with it. That I’d absorbed lessons about how to identify and interrogate privilege, power structures, structural inequality, and injustice. That I’d had opportunities to debate my peers and develop informed opinions on philosophy and morality. And even more than all of that, I wish I’d even realized that these were worthwhile thoughts to fill my mind with—that all of my engineering work would be contextualized by such subjects.”

A leading Silicon Valley engineer explains why every tech worker needs a humanities education
https://qz.com/1016900/tracy-chou-leading-silicon-valley-engineer-explains-why-every-tech-worker-needs-a-humanities-education/
via Instapaper

“In other words, society’s push toward humanizing AI could have the unintended consequence of the dehumanization of actual humans.”

Is it unethical to design robots to resemble humans?
https://qz.com/1010828/is-it-unethical-to-design-robots-to-resemble-humans/
via Instapaper

“Increasingly, the people and companies with the technological or scientific ability to create new products or innovations are de facto making policy decisions that affect human safety and society. But these decisions are often based on the creator’s intent for the product, and they don't always take into account its potential risks and unforeseen uses. What if gene-editing is diverted for terrorist ends? What if human-pig chimeras mate? What if citizens prefer to see birds rather than flying cars when they look out a window? (Apparently, this is a real risk. Uber plans to offer flight-hailing apps by 2020.) What if Echo Look leads to mental health issues for teenagers? Who bears responsibility for the consequences?”

Ethical Innovation Means Giving Consumers a Say | WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/innovation-ethically/
via Instapaper

“What it means to be human is effectively changing," says "Humans" writer Sam Vincent. "It's been changing for hundreds and thousands of years, but this is the first time that we can have a hand in our own evolution. There seems to be little doubt that we are going to join the machines; in some ways we already are cyborgs — we have outsourced so many things to a piece of technology that's always in our hands or pocket or bag."”

'Westworld,' 'Black Mirror' and other tech-driven shows delve into what it means to be human
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-st-technology-on-tv-20170525-story.html
via Instapaper