The Importance of Preparing for New Technology

Every day, science advances, and we see new discoveries and inventions. This is an inevitable reality as long as people remain passionate, as long as they constantly feel a need, and as long as they want money. I feel that every five years, a new technology emerges that captures the world’s attention before it becomes commonplace or is gradually rejected. How have we received this new technology? Do we have a strategy to help us choose what suits us best from among the new innovations? Or do we allow the world to choose for us without even realizing it? And do we use it to its full potential, or only in a superficial way?

Something We Didn’t Choose

Artificial intelligence is the talk of the town because it’s a technology that touches everything. In 2022, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT to the world, and since then, companies have been racing to improve AI available to the general public because it has become a lucrative market compared to AI available only to businesses. And it is this rapid pace that has caused numerous social problems, because the tool was introduced without any prior training or study of its impact.

It’s a train that’s already rolling, whether we like it or not, and it puts us in a position where we must catch up with it by any means necessary. We’re learning to use it, we use it at work, in our personal lives, and in our studies… Although we were doing just fine before its emergence, this new need has gradually been instilled in us, and my problem is that we’re chasing after a need we didn’t consciously choose, one that blinds us to the problems and negative aspects we need to guard against.

For example, many companies have started incorporating artificial intelligence just to say they’ve done so, but they haven’t actually solved any new problems. We’re still following the herd and going along without understanding. And that’s what leads me to conclude that most of us aren’t ready to embrace new technologies and make a conscious transition to them.

The Fish or the Fishing Rod?

As for usage, we’re limited to what the majority goes along with and what they tell us is the “right” way to use it. You rarely find the intellectual freedom to discover the best ways to use a tool without having to accept them from society. That’s why you see so many videos and posts repeating the same information and uses, presenting them in a prescriptive way: “Use it this way to improve that.” It’s like being given the fish instead of learning how to fish for yourself, leaving you limited to what’s been presented to you.

You don’t need to wait for something new to appear to figure out for yourself how to embrace it. Practice now with what’s already available and choose what suits you best to achieve your true goals.

When People Rejected the New

To avoid focusing on just one example, I want to present a counterexample: the Metaverse, which was rejected by society and led to Meta’s failure. On the one hand, the concept didn’t solve a major problem that would warrant its widespread adoption, unlike cell phones; but I also believe the timing was too early for people to be willing to buy a virtual reality headset to live in a virtual world, compared to simply downloading an AI app. That’s not to say there weren’t companies that tried to be pioneers with this idea and ultimately backed down.

But now virtual reality technology is improving and gradually becoming as affordable as smartphones, and if the majority begins to adopt this technology at work and in society, it will create a new need we didn’t think we deserved, and we’ll end up following suit.

What Comes After Artificial Intelligence?

So what new technologies are likely to emerge after artificial intelligence in the next ten years? And what problems might they bring? Asking this question is an exercise in the kind of thinking we always engage in as humans, and the proof lies in movies and fantasies about artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, and a future that is already becoming a reality. But when it actually becomes a reality, we fail to understand the phenomenon on a global scale.

Well, back to the question—I see three possibilities:

Brain-Computer Interfaces

They’re already being used for people with special needs, but if they become widely available—in a way that allows brain waves to be easily and effectively translated—we’ll start seeing people using them. And then, will they be used for children? How can we teach in a co-ed classroom? How will companies try to exploit this technology for profit? What is our stance on this?

Home Robots

If current research on all aspects of robotics—including intelligence, movement, performance, energy, and interaction—is completed and integrated into a product for the general public, it will be like seeing the first computer released onto the market. Of course, prices will be high at first, and it will take years for a good version to become available to the general public, but we’ll have more time to accept them in our homes—unlike the rapid pace of artificial intelligence.

If we devote all our thinking to artificial intelligence and then delegate all our tasks to robots, what will be left for us? Can we reap the benefits of this technology without letting its problems undermine our humanity? Or will we continue to go along with the flow and use it exactly as others tell us to, allowing it to reshape our lives?

Quantum Computing

When quantum computing matures and becomes widely available, what will happen to current systems in the face of a massive leap in data processing speed? What can we do with this speed? What do we want to do with this speed? I fear the answer has already been decided, and we’re just waiting for this technology to gradually improve so that people will talk about it the same way they do now with artificial intelligence.

Don’t Let Others Determine Your Future

Don’t let others set limits on your future before it even happens—whether in how you use technology or in other areas. It’s enough to take a moment now to reflect on the questions you’ve asked, assess your own position, and consider when was the last time you did things your own way—rather than rushing to be the best at using it among others. May God keep you safe.