The "mainstream" advent of emerging technologies that exploded in 2022 will also bring a great impact on the human race in 2023. It is important to celebrate and explore real scientific progress (also because they are decreasing over time) but also understand the possible dangers that some of these technological "advances" can bring.
Here is a small "handbook" of the 5 main technological trends that are scary, on the eve of their possible explosion.
Singularity AI
Artificial intelligence is becoming more and more human-like. The hypothesis of a future in which AI becomes more intelligent than humans could occur in the near future.
This circumstance could dramatically expand the list (already extensive today) of professions in which men can be supplanted. And, whether it occurs or not, like all technological trends, singularity is a stage: we need to prepare regardless, changing our approach to work.
Genetically modified humanity
The technology CRISPR-Cas9 it allows us to edit genes in plants, animals and even humans. Gene editing has numerous benefits, the main ones being the fight against diseases and food allergies.
However, the possibility of modifying a genetic heritage forever, and of transmitting these modifications to future generations, is among the technological trends that must raise more than one alarm bell for the unwanted consequences it could entail.
Man-machine fusion
In many ways we are already seeing a fusion of humans and machines. For example, when someone struggles with manual labor, an exoskeleton can help them maintain a good level of movement. In the event of a limb loss accident, prosthesis increasingly advanced systems will be able to support the autonomy of an injured person.
But what happens if we go further? The US Army has already created exoskeletons which give soldiers almost technological superpowers. And the numerous brain implants under study constitute embryos of interfacing able to connect (and read) our mind with a computer.
All worrying prospects: the potential abuse of this technology can create enormous ethical problems, and real dystopian visions of a future in which, in some way, identity and free will are impaired.
Printed arms race
The technology of 3d printing it gives us the ability to create just about any item, but this amazing ability can also be used in dangerous ways.
With the refinement and diffusion of technological devices for 3D printing it becomes increasingly difficult to control the production of weapons, including handguns. Weapons, moreover, virtually impossible to trace.
In late October, the British police made a major seizure of 3D printed firearm components, in a suspected makeshift firearms factory in London. The fear is that extremists and criminals could get their hands on real "printed arsenals".
Killer drones
Among technological trends, this is the closest to mass diffusion. Drones working in groups, using artificial intelligence, are already largely capable of identifying, tracking and destroying targets with precision.
At China's Zhejiang University a team of scientists has developed a technology that allows one swarm of drones to follow people in environments such as bamboo forests, without the need for human guidance. The same experiments are recorded USA and in France. Not to mention the rumours from Ukraine.
The next frontier, already clearly visible, shows drones capable of self-killing, without human input, distinguishing on its own between “good” and “bad”.
