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Anthology Report

    I.         Techno-panics throughout history

Whenever a culture is faced with a new emergence of technology it is always greeted with opposition from critics.  A trend was noticed that many of these critics use rhetoric to drive fear and hesitancy into the public in order to achieve gains, whether person, political or legislatively.  In order to achieve the panic response critics will look for new technology that will affect “… our relationship with time, space, and each other,” these three categories are indicators on whether a techno-panic can be created from the technology (Rinehart, 2017).  This rhetoric is seen on many different platforms, from sources such as The Atlantic to other private publications.  One article mentioned from the Atlanticstates that “But the twin rise of the smartphone and social media has caused an earthquake of a magnitude we’ve not seen in a very long time, if ever (Rinehart, 2017).”  This quote displays how rhetoric is used to create the negative connotation in the viewers mind and instill fear in the use of new technology.  This fear inducing rhetoric is not limited to the development of new technology, it is seen in debates about cybersecurity as well as media policy and online safety.  Phrases like “…Digital Pearl Harbor… cyber 9/11… privacy Chernobyl… and toxic data waste spills,” have ben coined for the same purpose (Thierer, 2012).  All the catchphrases are using historical traumatic experiences as links to their arguments about the future of the Internet and technology, inciting techno-panics.  Even though the seriousness of privacy leaks and other data security should not be undermined, critics are placing these fears with catastrophes that were a threat to people’s lives when the instances they are applying them to are only a threat to livelihood.  No one has directly died from a data leak over the internet, the same cannot be said about Chernobyl however.  The authors of these articles are relying on human survival instinct to be combined with poor risk analysis skills so their viewers will buy into their techno panics (Thierer, 2012).  The fears that are present in today’s society are built off previous techno panic rhetoric and will continue to be present as new techno panics arise.  

  II.         The future of the body

The future holds numerous possibilities for the human body.  Looking back in history we can see the effects of the technology that we use today, from vaccinations to MRI’s, people are living longer, healthier lives than ever before.  This trend does not seem to be changing either, with new technology comes greater advancements for the medical field.  A major trend for articles being published is the excitement and overall positivity of the progress doctors and researchers are making.  For starters, articles are touching on the topic that the future will see an increase in the use of scanners, cameras and other imaging technologies to propose more choices for medical treatment, decreasing the time of doctor-patient interactions (Khasriya, 2018).  This could eventually even lead to an extension of medical care to outside of clinics and into individual’s homes.  Having individuals being able to self-diagnose their illnesses could see a reduction of patients entering clinics for minor injuries, allowing more of the doctor’s effort to be focused on imminent situations that arise.  More cutting-edge revelations that have been made include the field of prosthetics, an area where there is still much to discover.  Researchers have been working towards having prosthetics become incorporated parts of the human body, not just external artifacts.  They have achieved this by interfacing the prosthetic with the patients nerves through the bionic arm which allow the prosthetic to be controlled just like a normal arm.  An exciting case of this is highlighted in the case of Melissa Loomis, “…one of the world’s first patient to regain a sense of touch through a mind-controlled prosthetic robotic arm (Moncrieffe, 2017).”  Loomis underwent sensory reinnervation which grafts the nerve that would previously receive stimuli from her hand to different parts of her arm which can then be stimulated by the prosthetic (Moncrieffe, 2017).  In the video included along with the article, it shows Loomis moving the robotic arm with her mind and receive pressure sensory input from the robotic arm through the use of sensors attached to the nerve innervation points on her arm, during this process the prosthetic arm is not attached to her body.  The results from the test with Melissa Loomis reflected the positivity that was found throughout other articles as these researchers and doctors were giving Melissa back her sense of touch which she had not had in a few years.  It is easy to see why each of these discoveries are being presented with such a positive light, the doctors and researchers on these projects are able to drastically change the patient’s life.  Their work not only changes how the patients will live but also the lives of others, as the positivity and excitement that they show to the world will only motivate others to create such an impact.  

 III.         Intelligent systems

As a species we are always trying to make better, stronger connections and improve the quality of our lives.  When looking at intelligent systems such as AI and mechanisms like driverless cars, there is an objective approach to each of the many articles written.  These articles are not saying how we absolutely need the AI technology that we are developing but rather that once we do implement this technology, our life on Earth will change as we know it.  In a highly thought-provoking article by the Smithsonian Institute, the author of the article, Stephan Talty, gives possible scenarios for what the future could look like with artificial intelligence.  What makes this article even more interesting is how calming Talty makes the audience feel after giving these scenarios.  Talty affirms that “…many researchers will tell you that the heaven-or-hell scenarios are like winning the Powerball jackpot,” putting to rest the notion that once we have AI on Earth it would result in either an utopian fantasy or utter hell (Talty, 2018).  We are rather more likely to get a future where AI will aid our daily lives, changing the nature of our civilization.  Throughout the article Talty does not project the future of AI as some impending doom but rather as an even similar to the creation of the cell phone, it is something that is inevitable and will forever change our world.  AI will not only change the way we live but also the quality of life we live with by “…improving patient outcomes at reduced costs (Deep, 2019).”  Deep positive tone about the aid that AI can provide to the medical field is prevalent throughout the entirety of the article.  From minimizing hospital and medical errors, which account for 440,00 deaths in America, to providing individualistic medicine based off a patient’s genome, the possibilities of incorporating AI into the medical world will provide a plethora of positive benefits (Deep, 2019).   This same hopefully tone of the inevitable is carried into Ron Schmelzer’s article in the Forbes journal.  Schmelzer begins by stating that already narrower versions of AI are already being implemented in our society, as seen in blue-collar industries such as automotive companies, and have improved these industries with its enforcement.  He continues this positive tone by touting that AI will be the program that will take care of the repetitive, mundane work allowing individuals to focus on more precedent issues (Talty, 2018).  Similar to the positivity shown in the articles dealing with the future of the body category, the use of intelligent systems used that same positivity to convey how it will be benefit in our future life on Earth.  

 IV.         Making and things

Humans are always looking to make things better, easier, and stronger for our own gain.  A world that has the possibility to do these exact tasks is the world of 3D printing. There are few limits when it comes to creating objects from 3D printers.  One of the very exciting possibilities is the prospect of revolutionizing “…our societies and transform the development sector (Rosenthal, 2018).”  One of the many options for 3D printing is a cure for the fight against homelessness and world pollution, which is gaining understandable positive press.  The reason that this idea is so exciting is because the world would be able to combat two major issues at the same time.  In China they are using “…3D printing to produce more than 22 million m2 of prefabricated building materials from industry solid waste (Sustainia, 2018).”  With using only 100% recycled materials the Chinese company WinSun, had saved approximately 18,000 tones of cement in 2016 alone (Sustainia, 2018).  By being able to create these structures they are helping the environment and the citizens of their country in an eco-friendly and cost-friendly way that may be leading the way for construction of the future.  With increased concerns for global warming and the harm of industries on the environment it is understandable to see why this approach is predisposed to the same type of positivity that is found in the other categories of this paper.  Another way that 3D printers are generating positivity is through the empowerment of people to impact the industry of 3D printing.  The increasing accessibility of individuals to 3D printers allows them to explore their creativity and push the capabilities of these printers to the edge.  There are already examples of people generating 3D printed food, which could be a god send for populations that struggle with food accessibility.  We have also seen the use of these printers in areas hit by natural disasters and even in space to generate necessary tools needed.  For those in space the capability to print off a tool that has the same strength as those made on Earth could allow for quick fixes made on the fly (The Future of 3D Printing, 2016).  Looking into the future then generation of building parts and tools in space could be instrumental in the push to explore deeper part of the cosmos than ever before.  No wonder why this topic has so much excitement and eagerness around it.  

  V.         Cyborgs and Bioart

With the increased integration of technology into our lives it begs the question of when we as humans become something more.  The use of technology has already put us far ahead of any other species on the plant and the addition of “…mechanic body parts to improve a certain bodily dysfunction or enhance capabilities” could push the nature of our species into becoming cyborgs (The Medical Futurist, 2019).  However, by combining our natural bodies with machines this could cause many ethical and philosophical questions as the boundaries of what qualifies an individual as human will be stretched to its limits.  Out of all the previous topics discussed this is the one that is met with slightly more hesitation that the others.  This is refuted by that fact that in a way we are already cyborgs, just not the Terminator way that everyone thinks about.  Our technological devices such as our phones are “…an abstract form of brain-machine interfaces (Bidshahri, 2018).”  At first this is a complex idea to ponder but if one thinks about everyday tasks are performed on our phones, from calculating a math problem to retrieving and storing information.  Our phone and other technological devices therefore serve as an “…extension of our minds (Bidshahri, 2018).”  With the fusion of man and machine come more realistic ideas of what the future cyborgs could look like.  The possibility that we could “…one day be able to fill the blood with nano-bots - tiny machines - that repair our cells,” is just marvelous since in our world today the repair of cell and tissues needs to be done through surgery (O'Reilly, 2017).  Not only could these nano-bots aid in the repair of cells but they could also possible monitor glucose levels for diabetics, detect the early onset of cancer and other diseases and even fight pathogens.  With the possibility to treat and fight illness like never before becoming a cyborg might not be a bad feat.  

 VI.         Conclusion

In conclusion each of these articles had the similar themes when talking about the future of their technology.  These sources all used rhetoric in order to persuade their audience into the viewpoint of the author.  All of these sources, except the ones talking about techno-panics, focused on the positive aspects of the technology that is being developed.  I believe this is important because it forced the readers to shift their mindset from what can go wrong to what can go right.  This initial mindset can be seen even in our questions and answers assignments from class.  Whenever one of these new topics was brought up, the majority of responses always fell into the rejection of the idea because we were afraid of what could go wrong.  However, by keeping this predetermined mindset we are holding our civilization back as the possibilities of this technology are limitless and can aid so many in amazingly different ways.  Each of these authors sent out to use positive rhetoric to influence readers into seeing that the technologies of the future can and will be highly beneficial to our species.  In my opinion they accomplished that successfully in their deliverance of their ideas.  

VII.         References

Rinehart, W. (2017, September 10). The Rhetoric of Techno panics And Why It Matters. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@willrinehart/the-rhetoric-of-technopanics-and-why-it-matters-a78870048ee0.

Thierer, A. (2012, March 18). The Six Things that Drive “Technopanics”. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamthierer/2012/03/04/the-six-things-that-drive-technopanics/#407b2e5d70b0.

Thierer, A. (2019, September 15). Technopanics, Threat Inflation, and the Danger of an Information Technology Precautionary Principle. Retrieved from https://www.mercatus.org/publications/technology-and-innovation/technopanics-threat-inflation-and-danger-information.

Thierer, A. (2017, June 21). What a 1911 Silent Movie Tells Us about the Technopanic Mentality. Retrieved from https://techliberation.com/2017/06/21/what-a-1911-silent-movie-tells-us-about-the-technopanic-mentality/.

Moncrieffe, M. V. (2017, March 24). New prosthetic invention lets users reclaim their sense of touch. Retrieved from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-03-prosthetic-users-reclaim.html.

ServiceMay, R. F., MervisDec, J., MalakoffDec, D., StoneDec, R., ServickDec, K., & FrederickDec, E. (2018, December 26). New artificial nerves could transform prosthetics. Retrieved from https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/05/new-artificial-nerves-could-transform-prosthetics.

Planke, M. (2015, May 12). These 8 Incredible Advances in Tech Are Changing What It Means to Be Human. Retrieved from https://www.mic.com/articles/118002/these-8-incredible-advances-in-tech-are-changing-what-it-means-to-be-human.

Khasriya, J., Beastall, C., Jones, & Jones, G. (2018, August 29). The Impact of Technology on The Human Body - Ape Investigates. Retrieved from https://www.apetogentleman.com/technology-human-body/.

Talty, S. (2018, April). What Will Our Society Look Like When Artificial Intelligence Is Everywhere? Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/artificial-intelligence-future-scenarios-180968403/.

Rohde, K., Vukovic, R., Zeldich, M., Ramesh, S., Hershkowitz, J., & Farkas, G. (2017). Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from https://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-of-artificial-intelligence/.

Schmelzer, R. (2019, October 18). The AI-Enabled Future. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/10/17/the-ai-enabled-future/#53f7008d3339.

Deep, A. (2019, April 4). How AI Is Transforming The Future Of Healthcare Industry. Retrieved from https://hackernoon.com/how-ai-is-transforming-the-future-of-healthcare-industry-f6020cc18323.

Yeap, M. (2019, March 1). The Future of 3D Printing: A Glimpse at the Next Generation. Retrieved from https://all3dp.com/2/future-of-3d-printing-a-glimpse-at-next-generation-making/.

Rosenthal, A., & SocialGood. (2018, May 1). How 3D Printing Could Revolutionize the Future of Development. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@plus_socialgood/how-3d-printing-could-revolutionize-the-future-of-development-54a270d6186d.

The Future of 3D Printing. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Bx–Ubf3o

Sustainia. (2018, June 15). 3D Printed Structures Save Time. Retrieved from https://goexplorer.org/3d-printed-structures-save-time/.

Tuttle, J. (2018, July 30). We the Cyborgs (of the Future). Retrieved from https://becominghuman.ai/we-the-cyborgs-of-the-future-cb301ed0d29e.

O'Reilly, T. (2017, October 27). What Will Our Lives Be Like as Cyborgs? Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/10/cyborg-future-artificial-intelligence/543882/.

The Medical Futurist. (2019, October 14). From Human To Cyborg: Are You Willing To Augment Your Body? Retrieved from https://medicalfuturist.com/from-human-to-cyborg/.

Bidshahri, R. (2018, December 20). Educating the Wise Cyborgs of the Future. Retrieved from https://singularityhub.com/2018/12/21/educating-the-wise-cyborgs-of-the-future/.