Should humans merge with technology? I argue that we already have, and have done so for a long time. In fact, it is almost a state of nature. It doesn't come without risks.

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Science Fiction Meets Science Fact:
Should humanity converge with technology?

2. Humanity:
A Story About Technology
Azeem Azhar, Exponential View

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How many of you…

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Is he a great dancer?

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To generalize, across millennia, that higher
socioeconomic complexity requires higher
and more efficiently used inputs of energy
is [...] indisputable reality.
Vaclav Smil, Energy and Civilization: A History, 2017

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Inside outexpanding & augmenting human capabilities

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Outside in
redefining our relationships with entities outside us

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Augmenting the human

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Body to bits
Source: The New Yorker

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The Sims IRL
Hangzhou, China

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And inner workings accesible

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In an iterative process, man and machine
together design new forms that humans
have never seen and might not otherwise
conceive.
Tim O'Reilly, The Atlantic, 2017

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Fire shaped our brain
http://bordalierinstitute.com/images/brainevolution.jpg

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Flint shaped our guts
56%
17-25%
14-29%
45%
Source: Energy and Civilization: A History, 2017

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Cognitive flexibility
from to

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Augmented intelligence

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The gains of technology
More choice
Less disease
More creative
More social
Greater
participation

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Immortals vs the useless
Tech isn’t value neutral
Can humans cope
with the pace of change?
Controlled by megaliths run for money & power

20. www.exponentialview.coSource: Horace Dediu
Immortals vs the useless class

21. www.exponentialview.coSource: Horace Dediu
How did horses fare during mechanisation?

22. www.exponentialview.coSource: Horace Dediu
Humans during cognitive mechanisation?

23. www.exponentialview.coSource: Horace Dediu
Change is happening fast

24. www.exponentialview.coSource: Horace Dediu
Change is happening fast & out of control

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0
2.75
5.5
8.25
11
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
• Docusign
• Shopify
• Palantir
• Facebook
• Whatsapp
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Evernote
• Dropbox
• Box
• Tumblr
• Mongo DB
• Cloudera
• AppNexus
• Pinterest
• Airbnb
• Uber
• Stripe
• Instagram
• Square • Snapchat
• OculusRift
• Slack
Number of years to reach $1bn valuation from the date founded
Source: GartnerSYM, 2016
Change is happening fast & out of control

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Tech is not value neutral

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Futurism is
hard

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Who could've predicted...
match.com
OkCupid
Tinder
Source: Ortega and Hergovich, 2017

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Can we control the
horses?

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humans and technology only work
in a symbiosis
the past is not a sufficient guide
tech is not value neutral
Silicon Valley optimism is not enough
Yes, but... We need to recognize that

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What we'll gain

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In the face of this relentless
onslaught, we must actively shape
our future to avoid dystopia. We
need to enhance our cognitive
capabilities by directly intervening
in our nervous systems.
Christoph Koch, Allen Institute of Brain Science, 2017
And we may need to change too

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Tech + Humanity

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Thank you.
@azeem
www.exponentialview.co