DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

Mechanical Engineering Department

Topic Outline: “TECHNOLOGY & HUMANITY”

CAPUNO, Jerald
CRUZ, Julius Andrew
GALANG, Gabrielle Anne
VALENCIA, Paul
YANGU, Beverly
SURNAME, Name

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) – 1D

Engr. Richard Macalino

August 2019
Introduction

How can humanness prevail in the face of exponential and all-encompassing technological
change?
Our world is entering a period of truly transformative change where many of us will be
surprised by the scale and pace of developments simply we hadn’t anticipated. These exponential
technological advances offer tremendous potential, and with these opportunities come
tremendous new responsibilities.
Radical Shifts in Human History:
● Wood ● Electricity
● Stone ● Factory Automation
● Bronze ● The Internet
● Iron ● ???
● Steam
Tech VS Us
The Megashifts
● Defined: represents a huge evolutionary step
for society, one that may seem
gradual, but then has a very sudden impact
● Clash between man and machine
● 10 major megashifts:
➢ Digitization: everything that can be digitized,
will be
○ Example: collecting CD’s downloading
Spotify
○ Pros: cheaper goods, improved availability
○ Cons: fewer jobs, lower wages
➢ Mobilization: connectivity is the new oxygen,
computing is the new water
○ Example: kindle for books, Google maps,
mobile banking
○ Pros: Unlimited connectivity and accessibility
○ Cons: lack of privacy, trackable, manipulated
➢ Screenification: anything that used to be
consumed as print on paper is now
What defines being human?
Power comes with consequences.
-Oil companies
Could we end up preferring
technology over humanity?
-Digital assistants
-3D printed food
-Traveling to virtual worlds
-Serviced by robots
migrating to a screen
○ Example: Phone calls made over a telephone
Facetime, Skype
○ Pros: Low cost, long lasting, more
interconnected
○ Cons: More addictive, might be difficult to
sense reality
➢ Disintermediation: cuts out the middle-man
by going direct
○ Example: Airbnb enables us to book directly
with private residences without a need for hotel
○ Pros: Inspires innovation
○ Cons: tests human values, loss of jobs
➢ Transformation: digital transformation
○ Example: Social media
○ Pros: Efficiency
○ Cons: being physically separate to being
directly connected to computers and devices
➢ Intelligization: things are becoming
intelligent
○ Example: advancement of artificial
intelligence
○ Pros: machines are now able to understand
their surroundings and think for itself
○ Cons: giving them massive amounts of
processing power
➢ Automation: digitize, make it intelligent, then
automate and virtualize it
○ Example: substitute humans with machines
○ Pros: hyper-efficiency
○ Cons: at whose cost?
➢ Virtualization: creating a nonphysical, digital
version
○ Example: routers and switchers the cloud
○ Pros: cost saving and faster services
Automating Society
To automate: act of oneself, act
unadvisedly
○ Cons: “software will soon eat biology”
➢ Anticipation: computers can anticipate our
needs before we may realize it
○ Example: GoogleHome can notify delayed
flights
○ Pros: anticipates any changes in a daily
schedule, crime prevention
○ Cons: Dependency, confusion, loss of control
➢ Robotization: embodiment of all megashifts
○ Example: natural language understanding,
image recognition, new materials
○ Pros: price will decrease as their usefulness
will skyrocket
○ Cons: ethical issues
Progression in these areas:
1. Automation
2. Assentation
3. Abdication
○ Abdicating responsibilities that
used to be ours, and offloading or
outsourcing them to technology
○ Example: reading signs GPS
4. Aggravation
5. Abomination
Finding Balance
❖ Debate between the need for human values

➢ Human understanding and empathy

➢ Example: Would you trust a fully automated,

pilotless cockpit?

❖ We will eventually need to automate ourselves

➢ Removing tedious human tasks like pondering,

discussion, emotions

➢ If we allow us to abdicate all authority to technology, humans will be dispensable

The Internet of Inhuman Things

● The Internet of Things (IoT)
○ The inter-networking of physical devices, buildings, vehicles, or other items via the Internet
■ Embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity that enable these objects to
collect and exchange data
● Could the IoT turn us into things?
○ Efficiency would likely trump humanity at every turn
● Who is in control?
○ Today we have standards, guidelines, agreements, & treaties
■ Biotechnology & bioengineering
● Guidelines on recombinant DNA
■ Nuclear nonproliferation treaties
■ Data & Intelligence?
● What should we do?
○ Take precautions to ensure a balance that will not stifle human development or innovation
Magic to Manic to Toxic
● “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur Clarke
○ Online shopping, mobile apps, self-driving cars, intelligent digital assistants (ex: Siri), & etc.
● “A-bomb challenges”
○ Albert Einstein contributed to the development of the atomic bomb, despite being against it
○ “If we don’t do this, someone else (and probably someone evil) surely will & we will be left behind.”
● “Technology is neither good, nor bad; it simply is. We must–now and here–decide and
agree which exact use is evil or not.”
○ Ethical guidelines? Who will be in charge? How will everyone agree?
● Magical explosion
○ As technology rapidly advances, so will our problems regarding abuse/evil use of a given technology
● Growth of intelligent digital assistants
○ Creates a sense of separation from the world/human experiences
○ Security/privacy risks & developing relationships with screens vs. people
● Second nature
○ We should not let technology become more than second nature for the sake of our human happiness

Digital Obesity: Our Latest Pandemic

What is digital obesity?
- Digital obesity is a mental and technological condition in which data, information, media, and general
digital
connectedness are being accumulated to such an extent that they are certain to have a negative effect on
health?
Should we be concerned with digital nutrition as much as we are about bodily
nutrition?
- Cisco believes that by 2020, 52% of the global population will be connected to the internet.
The question is no longer if we can, but if we should?
Precaution vs Proaction
Precaution
- Those who create things with potential
catastrophic consequences must not proceed until
they have proven that
unintended consequences can be controlled.
Should we restrain science, inventors, and
entrepreneurs if the resulting inventions
are likely to have a materially adverse impact on
humanity?
- Creating AI to help with world issues such as famine
Proaction
- Since the idea of transhumanism is based on the
concept of transcending our biology, uninhibited
proactivity is
naturally part of the story.
But imagine the consequences of being too
proactive.

- We don’t want AI that only meets short term goals, while creating long term problems, or resulting in
solutions that we
would object to.
There is too much at stake to proceed with unrestrained technological enthusiasm.
- We cannot dismiss the risks of innovation.
- -How will our decisions impact the generations to follow
Taking the Happenstance out of Happiness

● Primary purpose of tech. Progress

○ The pursuit of maximum human happiness and human flourishing (Unity)
● What is Happiness? (TWO different types of happiness:)
○ Hedonic happiness: positive mental high point (temporary, pleasure)
■ Ex. (addictions to) food, alcohol, smoking, fb (pleasure trap—self presentation)
○ Eudaimonic happiness: a kind of deeper happiness and contentment
■ “Human flourishing”

● To achieve a more human centric measurement of progress, we need

something that puts happiness squarely in the center of measuring progress
and value.
○ ---> combination of GPI + GNH > GDP, GNP (<-outdated)
○ If we continue measure the wrong things, we most likely also continue to
DO the wrong things.
● Human happiness should be the primary purpose of technology.
○ Soon tech will be used to improve humans themselves
○ used to be: create tech for improving our life conditions
○ Now: tech is becoming a purpose in itself.
(Ex. FB--we find ourselves trying to get more “LIKES”)
● Significance of considering the side effects on human flourishing by
technology
○ Ex) whether we should extend human longevity by technology
○ Good: gene-editing technologies may help to end cancer, Alzheimer’s
○ Side effects: programmable babies, dramatically increased longevity
○ “Everything is a business opportunity—even human happiness!”
○ Hedonic pleasure are a side-product of a larger flourishing (eudaimonia)
○ (social networks—hedonistic happiness generators)
● Why and To what purpose?
○ Well-being: the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy

Digital Ethics
● What are ethics?= “How one should live” (morals,
values, assumptions)
● Important to consider what the ethical frameworks
should be for all
exponential technologies (including AI, geo-engineering,
cognitive computing,
and human genome editing)
● Need to define a set of bottom-line digital ethics…
● The idea of Ultra-efficiency (Human worthy purpose =waste of time?)
○ Company who hire people rather than machines: tax credits to people
○ Company who employ machines: automation taxes for companies that
dramatically reduce the # of employees in favor of machines and
software)

○ What should the robot do if the patient refuses to take her medication?
○ Retail banking and transportation become 32x as efficient, cheaper,
○ What if you will pay a penalty if you want to see your doctor in person
rather than using the remote diagnosis device
○ Not having your car tracked at all time will mean you will lose your
insurance coverage
○ Exogenesis: pregnancy outside the womb, babies born in labs.
→ Even deeper inequality driven by exponential technological gains
● Efficiency is not the most important and worthy and human goal! (≠happy)
● Primary questions in tech ---> why, when, where and by whom it should be
done > something can be done

Earth 2030: Heaven or Hell

Do we welcome change at the cost of
our lifestyle?
2020: Hyperconnectivity & hyper-
manipulation -> A connected and
smarter world
2022: The cloud connects everything ->
Our personalities are in the cloud
2024: The loss of privacy/anonymity ->
Machines read our minds via data
mining
2026: Automation and guaranteed basic income -> Job loss and change in social norms

2028: Free will is only for the rich -> Our lives become tracked and guided
2030: 90 is the new 60 -> Society lives longer and is liberated from work
“HellVen” - Mankind controls its own future

Decision Time
The 9 suggested principles
1. Understand exponentiality
2. Turn challenges to opportunities
3. Become better stewards of Humanity
4. Keep society ethical
5. Balance technological growth
6. Teach STEM and CORE (Compassion,
Originality, Reciprocity, and Empathy)
7. Distinguish what is real and what is a simulation
8. Ask why and who are affected by technology, not just if or how
9. Not allow technology to control humanity

7 essential questions
1. Will this inadvertently or intentionally diminish humanity?
2. Will this further true human happiness?
3. Will there be unintended disastrous side effects?
4. Will this technology give too much authority to machines?
5. Will this technology allow us to transcend it or make us dependent on it?
6. Will humans need to be changed to use this technology?
7. Will this be public or proprietary
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