Age of AI Blog Post

Blog Post #9

After watching the video In The Age of AI, I am quite scared of the future especially with how dependent we have all become on technology. Seeing the different ways people use technology and how they plan to use it in the future is helpful in some ways but also becomes a negative thing for our world. The amount of information that is tracked by our government and what they have access to is shocking. No one thinks about what happens after you send an email and where it goes to because it can seem so harmless but there is so much information that the government can get out of that simply from your email address is scary. The more we move forward with technology it just gives even more access for people in higher places to find out whatever they want to from us. 

Privacy just flies right out of the window when we really think about technology because nothing is kept private after you put something out there. Technology companies have access to your information no matter what, as long as you are using something they own you are pretty much just giving up your rights to privacy. Everything is tracked these days without us even realizing it. Nothing is a coincidence these days with the ads that pop up on your social media feed, websites, etc. This all comes from the fact that every little search is tracked and now they are trying to match what you like with the ads that pop up. After accepting those privacy and rights agreements that you are given when you first start using a device, you are then giving away your rights to privacy. This is interesting to think about because without agreeing to those conditions you don’t have access to anything is basically what it is saying. This can be seen as a negative to using technology which is completely understandable. Although we look past it and still use technology everyday it still makes me stop and think why we are all okay with giving up our privacy especially if we care so much about keeping those rights.

Not only do we give up our rights to privacy but with how the world is moving, we are turning into a more virtual world which then breaks away from reality sometimes. It is crucial for humans to have social interactions away from a screen but as we have seen with the later generations kids are growing up completely different than how earlier generations have. More and more of daily interactions are happening online whether it is through talking to people while playing video games, talking over the phone, through social media, etc. It takes the focus away from the importance of normal in person human interactions because of how much more convenient it can be just interacting online. Even something as simple as going out shopping has changed to more people just shopping online instead of going out and doing it in person because of the convenience it brings for so many. I fear the more technology develops we will see people become lazier and also lose the importance of social interactions and develop social skills in the way we do currently. 

Of course technology has so many benefits to it whether it’s for having a more efficient way to gain information, use it for fun, talking to people virtually, etc. I could not picture my life without having some form of technology in it in some way. Technology does make things easier when it comes to school work like typing this blog post instead of having to hand write this with a pen and paper. Technology can also be a benefit for talking to people who live far away and staying connected to them through online communication apps such as iMessage, Facetime, zoom, social media platforms, etc. As long as we use technology carefully it can bring us so many more benefits but the most important thing with it is being careful and always remembering to be cautious because it stays with you forever through your digital footprint.

Technology is developing more every single day and it is important that we understand why we need to be careful and never rely on it too much or else it will do more harm than good for us and society. We need to be aware of how our privacy is no longer in existence online and that it could negatively impact us with our freedom especially moving forward.