I suppose this is an odd picture to include in my blog this week, but when I stopped to take in the beauty of it, it struck me as symbolic of our topic. The seahorse is an ancient and beautifully engineered natural creature. It is inquisitive, mobile, it grows, and it has a sense of survival. It also possesses an internal “clock” that regulates every activity it must engage in to survive. The watch represents the technology we use to govern almost every aspect of our lives. From eating to procreating to daily activities, we rely on technology to keep us on a proper bearing.
This week we are discussing the creation of new “life” in the form of robots, androids and other types of technology. Into these “lifeforms” we will put programming that allows inquisition and learning. Robots and androids will be mobile and have a sense of of survival (antivirus, etc.). The only human activity a robot cannot duplicate at this time is procreation, although there are some models that seem to be able to engage in simulated sexual activity.
Also, see in the watch face part of the reflection of the seahorse, but not entirely. Is this symbolic of what happens when we create AI that can duplicate us? Robots and other types of androids can resemble humans, but the image of ourselves we see in them is not quite complete. Philosophers can go nuts with this.
A question that comes to mind here, for me, is when do the natural processes that have allowed man to survive for thousands of years end, and new technologies begin? Or, in what way does technology have more governance of our lives than our innate abilities?
#mscedc