Future technology that could destroy us!

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FUTURE TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD DESTROY US! SOCIAL IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY – WINTER SEMESTER 2014 GEORGIAN COLLEGE

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Final assignment for SIT class

Transcript of Future technology that could destroy us!

Page 1: Future technology that could destroy us!

FUTURE TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD DESTROY US!SOCIAL IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY – WINTER SEMESTER 2014

GEORGIAN COLLEGE

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OVERVIEW

• In this section we will go over a few scenarios that could lead us to impending doom as a society. We will also discuss the pros and cons about each. Below are four main scenarios that I would say have the largest impact on us that could possibly lead to apocalyptic ends.

• 1- Nanotechnology

• 2- Genetic Engineering/Modifications

• 3- Nuclear Technology

• 4- and finally….. You guessed it….. Artificial Intelligence.

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NANOTECHNOLOGY• Nanotechnology or nanotech, is the

engineering, technology and science conducted at the Nano scale, which in measurement is from 1 to 100 nanometers

• This involves the ability to see and control individual atoms and molecules. This is impossible to see to the naked eye.

• Tiny robots, small engineered bacteria are all developments in this industry that could cause the end of the world scenario if not properly utilized.

• Imagine a world that could be controlled at a level we are completely unaware of, and also imagine if we LOST control of this technology. This is a possible end of the world scenario.

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PROS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

• Nanotechnology can allow us to access small sectors not available for us to “explore” with smaller directed mediums. Imagine creating a tiny robot or bacteria that could literally find and destroy cancer cells!

• Delivery of drugs and medications – Nanotech could allow us to deliver new and old medications in a more efficient way. Finding and targeting the virus or bacteria more efficiently can save lives!

• When it comes to gene therapy an old gene can even be targeted and replaced with a new one. This has the potential to deter hereditary conditions. For example imagine if you could be implanted with some nanotech that would block the gene that causes hair loss.

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CONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

• A “rogue” robot or bacterium that we create could act against us without being fully tested. What would happen if someone began human trials on a bacteria that’s original purpose was to target and destroy certain cells, and ended up evolving and spreading like a virus among the masses killing everyone?

• “Grey Goo” is a concept whereas we create a robot nanotech and it has its own artificial intelligence that would replicate on its own and take over.. Scary stuff!

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GENETIC ENGINEERING/MODIFICATION

• For some time now, we as humans have been modifying vegetables, creating human lives in a laboratory and even genetically modifying the meats and milk produced from animals that we consume.

• We have been creating foods with genetic properties of them changed known as GMOs. GMO stands for genetically modified organisms.

• If we as a race decide to modify too much of what has already been created for us, will we take it too far and create an end of the world situation from mutants, incurable disease, end of vegetables??

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PROS OF GENETIC ENGINEERING/MODIFICATION

• Genetic engineering can create us vegetables with more edible content, cows with more milk and in general longer lasting food!

• With more and more research into the subject, researchers are finally coming close to understanding what determines the form and function of organisms and can use this to design new organisms when they desire to.

• Genetic engineering is a very precise way of introducing desirable traits into economically useful organisms. The techniques are improving all the time and it is increasingly possible to insert genes at a precise locus in the host organism's genome. This is called 'gene targeting'.

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CONS OF GENETIC ENGINEERING/MODIFICATION

• Genetic Engineering is considered “unnatural” and there are many people who agree that further research into such areas is “playing god” and could lead to potentially harmful discoveries.

• When GE is used, cross species are created, most of which would have never happened naturally, what if we created a race of human eating animals that we could not control!

• Traditional biotechnology uses natural organisms in contexts to which they are adapted whereas GE creates completely new genetic make-ups that could never have come about by natural processes. This could cause many problems in the future!!

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NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY

• Nuclear technology has been used by us since 1945. We use it to create energy for us to power homes and use it on a day to day basis to power things such as submarines underwater for many years.

• Nuclear technology can help us progress far ahead and learn more about the workings of the atom and radioactive components to better our lives.

• However, nuclear power can be used to destroy and kill. A common scenario often described is one that world leaders all push “the button” and fire their nuclear devices all at once causing a nuclear holocaust.

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PROS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY

• There is no energy creation that is 100% clean, but nuclear power comes close to that! It creates much energy for us and in 2007 it created 10% of the worlds energy. Because this type of energy creation does minimal harm to the environment, it is carbon free and provides more power than solar or wind power.

• Nuclear power plants provide more power, more efficiently and cheaper than coal wind or solar. This in turn reduced the cost per kilowatt.

• Nuclear power could help us in the fight against global warming.

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CONS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY

• Nuclear power is still relatively “new” to us. We have much to learn about its health impacts, and how we discard of leftover material.

• The overall safety of nuclear power is a huge concern nowadays, especially since the meltdowns of Chernobyl and the most recent, Fukushima. These two disasters are still ongoing and affecting the environment and us everyday. There are still unsafe areas for humans to access in both locations for many years to come due to nuclear fallout.

• With great power comes great responsibility: the devastating effects of nuclear technology have been proven many times most memorably in japan when the Americans used nuclear weapons against them to win the war. If many countries decided to launch nuclear weapons against everyone, it could lead to the end of days!

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Artificial Intelligence is the intelligence exhibited by machines or software, and the branch of computer science that develops machines and software with human-like intelligence.

• AI is used in many applications such as many video games and math based software that learns from the commands we feed it using the instructions we tell it to follow.

• AI could provide us with many benefits but also cause very many headaches if not properly controlled. Imagine an army of robots that could reproduce, building more and more eventually outsmarting us and overtaking human existence!

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PROS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Doing tasks without getting tired is the significant benefits offered by artificial intelligence. With the help of false intelligence, it really likely to get a specific task finished without coffee break or lunch break. Not like human who require a break, a machine can complete a particular job completed instantly.

• Copying becomes easier: With AI copying turns into an easy job. Copying with artificial intelligence doesn’t refer to a learner copying from her seatmate in a test. As a matter fact it refers to the teaching of false mind so as to do a specific job, copying of job performance when you want. Unlike educating a huge workforce to do a particular set of jobs, teaching artificial mind to perform similar jobs is a more feasible choice.

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CONS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• The possibility of breakdown is one of the most popular disadvantages of artificial intelligence. It is like spending so much of your money on an item in order to get from one point to another and needing to agree with the concern of an item breaking down after procure. The same way as artificial intelligence, it is about the easy performance of a task, however in the case of a malfunction, it can turn the whole thing to nothing.

• Aside from the possibility of breakdown, there is also the possibility of losing your essential information. In particular cases, because of the malfunction of specific parts, artificial mind can fall short to keep its memory all the files which it must have. This thing can also occur with humans. Once a person is liable of the keeping of information and collection of data and fall short to do the job, it is somewhat that is accepted and frequently branded as your mistake. On the other hand, with artificial mind it is not assumed and this really makes the entire difference, in the end making it an issue.

• Imagine a world filled with robots constantly learning and upgrading faster than us, reproducing faster than us, this could also lead to an end of humanity scenario such as the ones depicted in the terminator films.

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CONCLUSION

• In conclusion, I have seemed to note many things that could end humanity and they all tend to be smaller things, bacteria, Nano tech, nuclear and AI (AI can be considered on the atomic level because it would have to be electrically based) and even genetic engineering. Maybe this small still largely unknown place we are diving into has us heading in the possible path of the end of days.

• I hope you enjoyed the presentation and don’t forget to wash your hands, wear radiation protection, wear a respirator and carry equipment to take down machines

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REFERENCES

• Burgess, J. (n.d.). 10 pros and cons of nuclear energy. Retrieved from http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-pros-cons-nuclear-power.htm

• Heaf, D. (2001, April 27). Pros & cons of genetic engineering. Retrieved from http://www.sciencegroup.org.uk/ifgene/proscons.htm

• History of nuclear energy. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Current-and-Future-Generation/Outline-History-of-NUclear-Energy/

• Nano vs. god. (2008, December 10). Retrieved from http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/12/nanotech-vs-god.html

• Turner, B. (2014). 10 ways artificial intelligence will affect our lives. Retrieved from http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/ways-artificial-intelligence-will-affect-our-lives.htm

• What is nanotechnology?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition