Who needs zombies when we have artificial intelligence? This Halloween, while children dress up as monsters and ghosts, adults have much more real fears. In laboratories around the world, increasingly sophisticated technologies are asking disturbing questions about our future. You don't have to wait for the scariest night of the year to shudder: just look at some of the innovations that already threaten to turn our reality into a horror movie. Let's watch the "sinister five" together, perhaps with one eye closed?
1 – Artificial Intelligence is No Longer Science Fiction
The world ofartificial intelligence is evolving at a dizzying speed. Systems like Chat GPT e Claude have demonstrated surprising abilities in understanding and generating human language. But all that glitters is not gold: these systems can also manipulate information, create deepfake convincing and virtually make autonomous decisions that are beyond human control. Not to mention the social risks.
Yet AI is also helping doctors diagnose diseases, scientists discover new drugs, and researchers fight climate change. The key is finding the right balance between innovation and control.
Technology is like fire: it can warm us or burn us, it all depends on how we use it.
2 – Drones that monitor our skies
I autonomous drones represent one of the most controversial technologies of the moment. For someone like Edward Snowden, for example, they are the most lethal danger that threatens our future. Their potential militarization and use for mass surveillance raise serious concerns: here too, the possibility of them making autonomous decisions is truly terrifying.
The good news is that more and more countries are developing stringent regulations to govern their use. And many companies are investing in advanced security systems to prevent malicious use. And then, they offer extraordinary possibilities for fast deliveries, remote rescue and environmental monitoring.
3 – The Power to Rewrite the Code of Life
The technology CRISPR for gene editing represents one of the most revolutionary discoveries in modern medicine, won the Nobel Prize to its discoverers. It allows DNA to be modified with a precision never seen before, paving the way for treatments for genetic diseases so far incurable.
However, the power to edit the human genome comes with enormous responsibilities. Scientists are working to develop rigorous ethical protocols that ensure responsible use of this potentially life-saving technology.
4 – Virtual Reality: Escape or Prison?
La virtual reality and augmented reality are transforming the way we interact with the digital world. These technologies offer incredible possibilities for education, entertainment and remote communication.
But like any powerful tool, they carry with them risks of addiction and social isolation. The challenge is to integrate these technologies into our lives while maintaining a healthy balance between the virtual and real world.
5 – Microchips and implants: control or freedom?
The idea of having a microchip implanted in the body is a classic of “Halloween technology”. These devices promise to make our lives more convenient: instant payments, secure access, real-time health monitoring. In its most advanced version, they are real brain-computer interfaces that aim to cure patients from enormous discomforts, such as those caused by spinal injuries. But are they at our service, or is it the other way around?
The real challenge will be to ensure that these tools remain at the service of people, protecting privacy and individual freedom. Many companies are already developing advanced security protocols for this very purpose.
Halloween ends tomorrow: the future to build together
As in every respectable Halloween story, even in the story of technology there are shadows and lights. The difference is that we can be active protagonists of this story, not simple spectators. The scariest technological innovations can also be the most promising, if guided by solid ethical principles and used for the common good. The key is to maintain a balanced approach: neither technophobia nor blind techno-enthusiasm, but a critical awareness of the potential and risks. In a word, which we like so much: Protopia.
This Halloween, while we have fun with masks and treats, we can also reflect on what we want our technological future to be like. Because the real horror stories are those in which we lose control of our creations, but the most beautiful stories are those in which human ingenuity triumphs over challenges, even the most frightening ones.