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Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

nytimes.com

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Re: Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

#31

Post by ryanmercer »

sudhirj wrote: post #21
Glennross wrote: post #13

(Please try to respect the netiquette when voting.) Empty words by Sundar Pichai employed to achieve a desired effect in Google's benefit. The airplane is an example of a technology that has brought us closer together and helped advance the ideal of an interconnected global "village" and which I'm contrasting with the promise made for Google's products -- but don't get hung up on my example, because my argument is di…

The airplane is what enabled delivery of both nuclear bombs, as well as atrocities against the population in Vietnam and Syria. All technology has no inherent moral compass, and allows for both desirable and undesirable effects, often in tandem. Google has done more to make information accessible than any other company, and by extension has also done more to make misinformation accessible. It takes a moral compass to…

>The airplane is what enabled delivery of both nuclear bombs, as well as atrocities against the population in Vietnam and Syria.

And if used long enough, will allow for rapid regional/global transmission of an epidemic/pandemic. The World of Warcraft 'Corrupted Blood incident' is actually a virtual example of this that shows just how quickly something highly contagious could spread in the real world https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrupted_Blood_incident .

But at the same time it allows things like getting medical diagnostic agents that have a usable life of a day or less to get where they need to be, donor organs to be moved quickly to recipients, etc.

Re: Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

#32

Post by make3 »

discoball wrote: post #12
Kurtz79 wrote: post #7

To put the title into context: "Do you still feel like Silicon Valley has retained that idealism that struck you when you arrived here?" "There’s still that optimism. But the optimism is tempered by a sense of deliberation. Things have changed quite a bit. You know, we deliberate about things a lot more, and we are more thoughtful about what we do. But there’s a deeper thing here, which is: Technology doesn’t solve h…

> Google was enabling the DoD to be more efficient at killing people and China to be more oppressive until its workers protested. So he's right about humanity having to solve its problems but he's forgetting that Google, the corporation, is opting to make it harder for humanity to solve its problems by enabling those who do not have humanity's best interest in their heart.

I'm a progressive, but there is no peace without being ready for war. I just hope we don't find out too late, and China has much better smart weaponry

Re: Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

#33

Post by samontar »

discoball wrote: post #12
Kurtz79 wrote: post #7

To put the title into context: "Do you still feel like Silicon Valley has retained that idealism that struck you when you arrived here?" "There’s still that optimism. But the optimism is tempered by a sense of deliberation. Things have changed quite a bit. You know, we deliberate about things a lot more, and we are more thoughtful about what we do. But there’s a deeper thing here, which is: Technology doesn’t solve h…

> Google was enabling the DoD to be more efficient at killing people and China to be more oppressive until its workers protested. So he's right about humanity having to solve its problems but he's forgetting that Google, the corporation, is opting to make it harder for humanity to solve its problems by enabling those who do not have humanity's best interest in their heart.

Those are government agencies you voted for. American citizens want leaders who bomb countries. Go vote a non-interventionist or isolationist if you want someone else.

Face the truth. If you want no killing, Your enemy isn’t Google, it’s your neighbour.

Re: Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

#37

Post by browsercoin »

he's right tho. It facilitates humanity's problems by giving those in the power to abuse with impunity, steroids.

An entire generation of Chinese kids grew up thinking the Tianmen Square was a god damn festival singing "Wo Ai Beijing Tianmen"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6IVg_mpzIQ

Re: Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

#38

Post by Emma_Goldman »

puzzle wrote: post #19
ma2rten wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will try to give an objective answer. They have a different underlying value system. Europe believes in individualism and privacy. China believes in collectivism and harmony. Right to be forgotten protects the individual. China's wall protects the government.

No matter the values and principles, no matter whether you agree with them or not, at the end of the day both positions are the law in the respective territories. You don't get to pick and choose which laws should be enforced. But you can choose which countries to do business in, of course.

'You don't get to pick and choose which laws should be enforced. But you can choose which countries to do business in, of course.'

That's - if you'll excuse me - a very amoral and commercial way of looking at things: you don't belong to any society, and don't wish to exercise any control in any society, and the only way in which you can or should exercise your rights is in where you do business.

It is precisely the rationale of democracy that you DO 'get to pick and choose which laws should be enforced' (to some extent).

Re: Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

#39

Post by cortesoft »

samontar wrote: post #33
discoball wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google was enabling the DoD to be more efficient at killing people and China to be more oppressive until its workers protested. So he's right about humanity having to solve its problems but he's forgetting that Google, the corporation, is opting to make it harder for humanity to solve its problems by enabling those who do not have humanity's best interest in their heart.

Those are government agencies you voted for. American citizens want leaders who bomb countries. Go vote a non-interventionist or isolationist if you want someone else. Face the truth. If you want no killing, Your enemy isn’t Google, it’s your neighbour.

I mean, I did vote for someone who doesn't want to do those things.

That person lost.

Re: Sundar Pichai: ‘Technology Doesn’t Solve Humanity’s Problems’

#40

Post by dumbfoundded »

Technology absolutely solves humanity's problems. There's pretty much no problem that given a large thoughtful effort, technology has not solved. The problem is that humanity is bad at choosing where to invest in technology. Our society has been set up so that orders of magnitude of more money is spent on advertising technology than clean energy, sanitation, sustainability, and ethical food production. Technology is not the problem.

People act like somehow the technology has a mind and it wants us to be free or some bs. Silicon Valley isn't special. It's part of the same system to maximize short-term profit and the whimsical wants of billionaires. Technology would absolutely solve humanity's problems. That is if we put our money where our mouth's are.

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