It would be worth studying how science fiction scenarios and ideas have impacted how we think about real-world technologies. People like to think that they are predictions of the future, but as William Gibson once put it, sci-fi is mostly just about the present, not the future.
When it comes to AI, a few sci-fi memes seem to be widespread: Skynet, the ultrapowerful AI god that manipulates humans into destroying themselves; the AI assistant that is so charming it replaces real human interaction, à la Her; even the term AI itself largely seems like a sci-fi inheritance, not an accurate label for the tech involved.
None of it is very connected to real-world developments, where things like Siri or Alexa are mostly just treated as voice-activated command systems, not real people.
And yet the technologists creating this stuff seem very influenced by what are ultimately implausible fictional stories. It's an unfortunate situation and I really wish the philosophy of technology / other more insightful analyses of technology were more prevalent.
When it comes to AI, a few sci-fi memes seem to be widespread: Skynet, the ultrapowerful AI god that manipulates humans into destroying themselves; the AI assistant that is so charming it replaces real human interaction, à la Her; even the term AI itself largely seems like a sci-fi inheritance, not an accurate label for the tech involved.
None of it is very connected to real-world developments, where things like Siri or Alexa are mostly just treated as voice-activated command systems, not real people.
And yet the technologists creating this stuff seem very influenced by what are ultimately implausible fictional stories. It's an unfortunate situation and I really wish the philosophy of technology / other more insightful analyses of technology were more prevalent.