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Coping in the 4th Revolution
Coping in the 4th industrial Revolution
The debate of the merger of man and machine being compatible, mutually exclusive or machines being a malevolent and menacing threat rages on. Is technology that merges with human interface advisable, a natural evolution of mankind? If so, who places the moral / ethical boundaries and guards the privacy, dignity and vulnerability of the public interest?
Klaus Schwab further states that“ When compared with previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace. Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire
systems of production, management, and governance.”
We cover 4 hot topics that demand attention as the fourth industrial revolution rolls out across the globe. These areas if not sensitively and sensibly handled could cause irreversible problems for humanity: Artificial Intelligence, Eugenics, Drones and Neural Lace.
Artificial & internet of things
Artificial Intelligence & internet of things
“ The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, are
unlimited. And these possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of
Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and quantum computing.” [ 1 ]
Is it ethical or harmful to humans? Is it a threat to human existence as we know it? Elon Musk The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has started yet another company, Neuralink, which aims to make implants for the human brain that can wirelessly interface with a computer, the Wall Street Journal reported today. 9 / 26 / 17
The technology, according to Musk, who brought up the idea at Recode’ s Code Conference last year, is a“ digital layer” located above the cortex, built into the brain. Musk calls the technology, which would intertwine computers and the
Neural Lace
human brain,“ neural lace.”
“ Neural lace could help humans keep apace with rapidly accelerating advancements in artificial intelligence, which Musk said will cause humanity to“ be left behind by a lot.” With the help of brain implants that are directly linked to computers, humans may be able to improve their brain function, or even one day download their thoughts or upload the thinking of others. In the more near term, neural lace technology could be used to treat brain diseases like epilepsy or Parkinson’ s.” [ 2 ]
A group of chemists and engineers who work with nanotechnology published a paper this month in Nature Nanotechnology about an ultra-fine mesh that can merge into the brain to create what appears to be a seamless interface between machine and biological circuitry. Called“ mesh electronics,” the device is so thin and supple that it can be injected with a needle they’ ve already tested it on mice, who survived the implantation and are thriving. If executed, neural laces could impact neurodegenerative disease detection and cellular biology. [ 3 ]
[ 1 ] weforum. org / agenda / 2016 / 01 / the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond / [ 2 ] recode. net / 2017 / 3 / 27 / 15079226 / elon-musk-computers-technology-brain-ai-artificial-intelligence-neural-lace [ 3 ] recode. net / 2016 / 6 / 2 / 11837544 / elon-musk-neural-lace
14 | SHARE | MAGAZINE October- December 2017