Are computers driving us into a lake?
"People will never be replaced by machines. In the end, life and business are about human connections. And computers are about trying to murder you in a lake”, Michael Scott, ‘The Office’ S4E2.
Yeah? Let’s see…! What’s your relationship with a computer? By that I don’t mean just the fat or flat box that sits on your desk but anything that’s got computing power. What’s your equation with them? Love? Hate? Love-hate? Obsessed? Are you in control? Is it controlling you??
Well I’ll be honest to say, I simply don’t know whether I love it or obsess over it; I’m sure I don’t hate it though. And even if I’m not chasing the next hit thing and maybe a tad slow to adapt, I eventually do realise how much potential it has and slowly steadily come on board.?
But is my computer murdering me in a lake? Well it can if I don’t use it potentially well and with all it’s potential. If I trust blindly without applying myself in the situation. It’s like any good advise. Should be taken after careful evaluation. Did the computer drive Michael into the lake? Nope HE did. Against the judgement of his bright colleague Dwight. Without choosing to see the lake staring straight into his eyes!!?
Whenever the latest big tech invention is doing the rounds, there’s this huge hungama over whether it’s going to take over humans. A few who are bought into the idea argue for it and most others who fear the unknown argue like it’s doomsday already! We now talk of AI like this. We haven’t still fathomed it’s potential, the fact that it’s ever evolving makes it hard for our weak knees to keep pace, the use cases that show how it can keep learning with us makes it chillingly real although not yet human, seeing how much of our tasks it could take away puts it in the hate-list of some of us, whereas some others find that most fascinating! It can do a bit of thinking on our behalf? Woah..! It can help skim through heaps of paperwork and point to the exact stuff I’m looking for? Wow! It can surely take away mundane tasks? Oh no….but some of us love the routine and it’s all our daily life is made of! It can bring in power, thinking, intelligence accessible to only a few in the past to many many many of us opening up a wide range of possibilities? Unbelievable!?
But such has been the trend of computing all along. It’s a black box of unknowns till it’s not. And then we know, we conquer and open our minds and hearts to it. Further, we move on to the next thing. This is how we will march onward. Sometimes grudgingly, sometimes willingly, sometimes ecstatically. This is how we reached this far. And this is how we’ll keep going. But we will not drive ourselves into a lake and allow the computer to murder us. We will discuss stuff with it, analyse each other, use its power to solve problems, and we will think of the use cases that will ensure how to use them. People WITH machines will run businesses together.
Is this a simplistic view? Of course! But peeling layers slowly one by one is how I go about it. It helps me grasp, understand and apply. And it helps me not drive into a lake!?
领英推荐
Cheers, Jaya
(PS: All ‘The Office’ fans……this is not to prove my dislike for Michael or affiliation to him…..I’m simply using a character reference to support my viewpoint, so don’t kill me in a lake just yet!)?
Disclaimer: this is not based on a study or any statistics or research. It’s based on feelings. MY feelings and is thus MY perspective.