Building meaningful futures - Issue #7
As we’re spearheading into 2017, expect more pervasive technology ‘improving our lives’, most obviously in the area’s of the Internet of Things, Automation and Artificial Intelligence, Digital Assistants and Chatbots, creating further blurry lines between the physical and the virtual worlds through Virtual and Mixed Reality, evermore accessible in an everything on-demand economy and through voice interfaces. The coming of more neuro-, nano- and quantum computing advances in hardware, precision medicine and further read/write progress of editing the human gnome towards endless longevity.
Digital addiction is one of the fastest growing trends amongst members of society everywhere, the age of emotional machines coming to market and the race towards total computational entanglement becomes more visible every day.
“Twenty-first-century technology may enable external algorithms to know me far better than I know myself, and once this happens, the belief in individualism will collapse and authority will shift from individual humans to networked algorithms. People will no longer see themselves as autonomous beings running their lives according to their wishes, and instead become accustomed to seeing themselves as a collection of biochemical mechanisms that is constantly monitored and guided by a network of electronic algorithms. For this to happen, there is no need of an external algorithm that knows me perfectly, and that never makes any mistakes; it is enough that an external algorithm will know me better than I know myself, and will make fewer mistakes than me.” - Yuval Noah Harari in Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.
Welcome to our new reality.
10 years ago was a time where the young tech companies, including Facebook and Linkedin for example, where challenging incumbents about how wrong it was to create walled gardens and now these companies are doing exactly the same, except nobody finds it important enough any longer to mention that. Everyone accepts this as ‘normal’ now and stopped questioning, now the challengers became incumbents themselves. Isn’t it amazing how things are accepted and normalised so quickly? It’s just an example of how addictive we all became to these technologies.
Despite all technological progress, in most Western economies countries, we’re worse off than our parents or the generations before us and it seems harder for many people to find happiness in their day-to-day lives.
It is important for all of us to understand how we can contribute in creating a better society and take more responsibility, in contributing better to the common good, and by holding the ones responsible, abusing our rights or trying to rip-off what previous generations have stoically build over decades.
We need to collaborate across all sectors of society to create an inclusive vision for the future.
THIS is the essential stuff for me I’ll work on in the near future. I will announce a number of new initiatives here soon related to this. What about you? What are your essential parts and building blocks to manage your life and work in 2017?
This week, I do recommend you read the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2017 to understand the challenges ahead. The report looks at the most significant long-term risks worldwide, drawing on the perspectives of experts and global decision-makers.
Here’s a quick summary of what’s at stake.
Economic growth and reform
From the beginning of the 20th century to the 1980s inequality has been declining in the industrialised world, however between 2009 and 2012, incomes of the top 1% grew by more than 31%. Inequality is now seen as the most important trend for the coming 10 years.
Rebuilding Communities
Decades of rapid social and economic change have widened generational gaps and amplified issues of national identity and cultural values. The challenge will be to find inclusive ways to bridge sharp cultural divides while preserving individual rights.
Managing Technological Disruption
Technology is radically transforming our world and shaping the nature of the risks we face. An estimated 86% of manufacturing job losses in the US between 1997 and 2007 were due to automation, compared to less than 14% due to trade. With almost half of all jobs at risk due to rapid technological change, the nature of work itself is being transformed. We need new collaborative systems to minimise the risks of dramatic social disruption and increasing income disparity.
Furthermore we need to strengthen global cooperation and accelerate action on climate change.
My activities in the future and whom I’ll cover in this newsletter will cover the use of technology for good, ethical business and report on projects and stories that reflect upon what it means to stay human in this age of exponential humanity. Feel free to send me your stories and projects, I’ll be happy to share them here with my readers.
Have a great week!
Socratic Design
We are getting more and more interest to setup Socratic Design workshops everywhere. We’re setting up next week in Istanbul and have planned another one alongside Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like to setup a workshop in your locality.
Socratic Design Workshop @ Joint Idea, Istanbul on Jan 19, 2017.
To all business leaders, changemakers & entrepreneur connections; join the first Socratic Design workshop in Istanbul on Jan 19th at Joint Idea. For details: info@jointidea.com
Socratic Design Workshop @ Mobile World Congress, Barcelona on March 3, 2017.
Join us for another Socratic Design Workshop @ Mobile World Congress on Friday, 3 March 2017 at Makers of Barcelona. Learn to use the Socratic Design Method for your personal life, your startup, company or organisation.
Mobile World Congress events
The biggest mobile show in the world is coming closer again, make sure to get your Early Bird tickets for both Mobile Sunday and IoT Stars I co-organise as the sales of these tickets end on January 20th.
Mobile Sunday 2017 with Tech.eu on 26 Feb 2017
After the successful event I organised together with Tech.eu last year, we’re bringing back Mobile Sunday to Barcelona! A premier networking event on the eve of the massive Mobile World Congress and 4YFN conference. Some high-level speakers from Andreessen Horowitz, BMW Startup Garage, HP Tech Venture, Fairphone and Roche confirmed their presence yet, we will add new names soon to the program. Stay tuned.
IoT Stars - THE Internet of Things Networking Event during #MWC17
IoT Stars is a unique event for IoT startups to pitch in front of a top-notch international jury and for companies to connect to a C-level audience of entrepreneurs, developers, designers, investors, industry players, press and media working in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. Startups can apply to pitch on the website. Don’t hesitate to grab this unique chance!
Must reads
Can You Tell Fake News From Real? Stanford Study Finds Students Have 'Dismaying' Inability
If the children are the future, the future might be very ill-informed. More than 80 percent of middle schoolers cannot tell the difference between sponsored content and real news stories.
We Must Fix This Fucking Mess - John Battelle
We were lucky, we were visionary, we were idiots, we were savants. But we got Internet publishing right the first time — and then we (sometimes actively, sometimes by inaction) fucked it up.
Why The Biggest Problem in the World is Also the Easiest to Fix
Quick – what’s the biggest problem in the world today? Demagoguery, bigotry, climate change, inequality? No, no, and no. All of these are the bitter fruit of the same toxic root. The global economy…
Did Media Literacy Backfire? – danah boyd
Anxious about the widespread consumption and spread of propaganda and fake news during this year’s election cycle, many progressives are calling for an increased commitment to media literacy programs…
Signal Boost - The Verge
Demand for secret messaging apps is rising as Trump takes office. Have you moved to Signal yet?
David Brooks on Character in the Selfie Age
David Brooks on Character in the Selfie Age. Are you driven by how high you can climb, or how deep your inner character is? Do you obsess over your best selfie angle or your positive impact on the world?
Lifelong learning is becoming an economic imperative
Technological change demands stronger and more continuous connections between education and employment, says Andrew Palmer at The Economist.
The man who studies the spread of ignorance
How do people or companies with vested interests spread ignorance and obfuscate knowledge? Georgina Kenyon finds there is a term which defines this phenomenon.
A Curated List of 2016’s Biggest Ethical Conundrums
After yet another year of breakthroughs in science and technology, here are a few of the unanswered ethical conundrums kicked up in 2016 and a collection of articles exploring their answers.
The Future of (no) Work
Our Automated Future - The New Yorker
How long will it be before you lose your job to a robot?
Japanese white collar workers are already being replaced by artificial intelligence
One Japanese insurance company, Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance, is reportedly replacing 34 human insurance claim workers with “IBM Watson Explorer,” starting by January 2017. The company saves roughly $1.1 million per year on employee salaries by using the IBM software, meaning it hopes to see a return on the investment in less than two years.
iPhone manufacturer Foxconn plans to replace almost every human worker with robots
Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant behind Apple’s iPhone and numerous other major electronics devices, aims to automate 30 percent of all factory work by 2020.
Caught On Tape: How The Robots Are Taking Over Amazon
For now, Amazon’s the 300K+ workers are mostly safe as much of the stowing and picking of items, which require fine motor skills and discernment, is done by human brains and hands. That is changing, however, as robots become increasingly more sophisticated.
Quantum computing
Quantum Computers Ready to Leap Out of the Lab in 2017 - Scientific American
Google, Microsoft and a host of labs and start-ups are racing to turn scientific curiosities into working machines
Quantum Computing Is Real, and D-Wave Just Open-Sourced It
The company behind Google’s quantum computer is releasing open source tools so coders can create software without needing an advanced physics degree.
Blockchain
The Truth About Blockchain
It will take years to transform business, but the journey begins now. No matter what the context, there’s a strong possibility that blockchain will affect your business. The very big question is when.
Wall Street Clearinghouse to Adopt Bitcoin Technology
After months of talk and hype, the world’s biggest banks have taken the first steps toward moving a significant piece of financial infrastructure onto a so-called blockchain — the technology introduced to the world by the virtual currency Bitcoin.
The Viability of Enterprise Blockchain beyond Financial Services
In a flurry of blockchain investment, activity, and hype, and hyperbole, enterprises are left wondering: Is a “protocol-based” trust system actually viable for business?
Artificial Intelligence
MIT Media Lab to participate in $27 million initiative on AI ethics and governance
The MIT Media Lab and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University will serve as the founding anchor institutions for an initiative aimed at addressing the global challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) from a multidisciplinary perspective. The Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund aims to catalyze global research that advances AI for the public interest, with an emphasis on applied research and education, and will also seek to advance public understanding of AI.
Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and the Economy
The White House released a report on Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and the Economy. This report follows up on the Administration’s previous report, Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence, which was released in October 2016, and which recommended that the White House publish a report on the economic impacts of artificial intelligence by the end of 2016.
5 Big Predictions for Artificial Intelligence in 2017
Expect to see better language understanding and an AI boom in China, among other things.
IEEE puts out a first draft guide for how tech can achieve ethical AI design
One of the barriers standing in the way of ethically designed AI systems that benefit humanity as a whole, and avoid the pitfalls of embedded algorithmic biases, is the tech industry’s lack of ownership and responsibility for ethics, according to technical professional association, the IEEE.
We don't understand how AI make most decisions, so now algorithms are explaining themselves
Self-awareness, or the ability to understand and explain oneself, is one of the largest divides between artificial and human intelligence. While we may not fully understand ourselves, we can offer up a rationale for our decisions in most cases. On the other hand, AI algorithms are usually only programmed to provide an answer based on the data they’ve learned.
Voice
How voice technology is transforming computing
Like casting a magic spell, it lets people control the world through words alone…
Love Your Bot, But Know It's Always Listening
Of even greater concern is the dependency we are building on these technologies: We are beginning to depend on them for knowledge and advice and even emotional support.
Neuroscience
Harvard Researchers Have Found the Source of Human Consciousness
Classical neurology defines consciousness as the ongoing process of arousal and awareness.
Personal growth
Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time
The science of stamina has advanced to the point where individuals, teams, and whole organizations can, with some straightforward interventions, significantly increase their capacity to get things done.
We need a contract for co-parenting, not just for marriage
One’s rights as a parent, and the relationship with one’s children, shouldn’t be contingent on the ups and downs of one’s love life. Co-parenting as friends, or at least as collaborators, is good for children, adults, and society.
Every successful relationship is successful for the same exact reasons
Long but interesting read on what it is that makes relationships successful.
Genomics
Illumina wants to sequence your whole genome for $100
The first sequencing of the whole human genome in 2003 cost roughly $2.7 billion, but DNA sequencing giant Illumina has now unveiled a new machine that the company says is “expected one day” to order up your whole genome for less than $100.
The weird and wonderful
Music's Weird Cassette Tape Revival Is Paying Off
It turns out there’s a place for archaic physical media of questionable audio fidelity even in the Spotify era.
Floating Paris gym uses human energy to sail down the Seine River
Imagine your gym workout didn’t just fuel your day, but also helped fuel a boat down a river. Well, this is the idea behind the floating gym, designed by Italian architects Carlo Ratti Associati. The Paris Navigating Gym will be powered down the Seine River by human energy, as people exercise.
The Beautiful Relationship Between Physics and Jazz
Stephon Alexander is a theoretical physicist, but he’s also a jazz fanatic whose musical obsession has helped him better understand the world of cosmology, quantum gravity and particle physics.