Mark Zuckerberg showcased Facebook’s all-new Jarvis technology in a video that circulated across social media last night. The cutting-edge digital home assistant is, of course, named after the digital assistant in the “Iron Man” franchise. It will be voiced by none other than Morgan Freeman. According to CNET, the system could help humans with tasks such as controlling a home’s lighting, playing songs, and recognising people at the front door and letting them in if need be. Oh, and guess what, Facebook aren’t the only technology giants pursuing such technology. Both Amazon and Google are well on their way with similar, AI-based programs.
Technology is set to engulf our lives in the near future. Here at eniGma, we haven’t yet figured out how we feel about all of this. A part of us feels that this might be an inch too far, but another part is already envisioning how necessary these inventions might be for humanity. We’ve decided to flesh out both sides of the coin here. Let us know how you feel about this revolutionary technology in our comments section below.
Rage Against the Machine were right!
Man seems to be helping the machine beat man. Where and when are we going to stop? Do we have to go all the way? What if all the way means that we’ll interact more with things that we’ve created than we will with our own kind? Jarvis isn’t evil; we know that. But what it represents surely is.
We’ll start off by admitting that technology like Jarvis will largely be very useful for old or sick people. Because of that alone, the technology is worth something. Overall, though, we’re giving up a lot more than what we’re receiving.
We’re objecting to its inevitable use by healthy young adults because hey, why do something when something could do it for you? As humans, we seem to fully intend on becoming lazy. We don’t realise, however, the ridiculous irony at stake. We’re now working around the clock to help ourselves be lazier in the short amount of free time that we do have. Do we even stop to ask ourselves about why we’re doing all of that or what all of that could mean in the long run? No, we don’t; or at least, we don’t do it enough. It’s no wonder that many have proclaimed that the Generation X and Millennial generations are some of the most depressed ones of all time. There’s an arbitrary technological line somewhere, and we’ve crossed it.
Our usage of technology is now causing parts of our lives to be constantly monitored by virtually anyone who feels like it. With technology like Jarvis, all parts of our lives will be at a closer proximity to technology than ever before. And if you think that this won’t affect your privacy, we have some ugly Christmas sweaters to sell you!
Also, what of the jobs that we’re losing because of a system such as Jarvis? We know that the tasks that such systems will be able to provide won’t necessarily be very demanding, and thus won’t rob people of any significant jobs in the process, but that’s beside the point. These are jobs! Shouldn’t that at least count for something? Instead of helping make our lives easier, why don’t we focus instead on helping others live?
It’s our responsibility to push the boundaries of our imagination!
What would our world look like if we hadn’t pushed the creative envelope a teeny bit each year? The world wouldn’t be half as awesome as it is now; that’s for sure. Our only source of light would be the sun; we’d only be able to speak to our loved ones through face-to-face meets; and well, you wouldn’t even be reading this article right now. How sad and inconvenient would that world be?
Innovation is a burden, but it’s also our greatest source of pleasure. It’s how we define our lives and link them to those of future generations. Our lives would likely feel at least a tad hollower without inventions.
Jarvis and its ilk aren’t even that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. They are merely easing our lives through moving a couple of hassles out of our way so we could focus on more meaty stuff. Even the most active and engaged personalities among us would admit that some activities are simply worthless. What Jarvis does is that it guides us further down that more efficient direction.
And when it comes to the more individual side of things, the pros far outweigh the cons. Could these newfound technologies make people lazier? Sure they can, but they could also make them spend their time efficiently. Could these technologies turn more private information into public ones? Yup, but this could also influence us to protect our sensitive information a lot more thoroughly, which let’s face it, is something that we really ought to be doing, Jarvis notwithstanding. Finally, could Jarvis put some people out of work? Certainly, but it could also create new work opportunities for people down the road.
That’s the thing, really. We won’t know if we don’t try. If innovations like Jarvis didn’t exist, we’d be stuck staring at a half-empty glass for the rest of time, not even wondering about what could’ve been…