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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’

#161

Post by da_chicken »

marricks wrote: post #127
ucaetano wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google was enabling the DoD to be more efficient at killing people The world is complicated, and things are never as simple as that. Would you consider drones and smart bombs bad when the alternative is carpet bombing? It is always too easy to ignore the world as it is and focus on a utopian case. War will happen, with whatever tools are available.

That is such a false dichotomy. Consider arming police officers with tasers. We were promised it would be an alternative to guns and help protect civilians but instead police officers use tasers a ton and still shoot people a ton as well.[1] There’s always the excuse new smarter technologies will save lives but it ends up the “safer” they are the lower the threshold to use. 1. Da_chicken’s reply below has a good sour…

Research as shown that when police are armed with tasers, they will use them in situations where previously no violence would have been used at all. Additionally, tasers will be used not just to subdue an individual who is a threat, but also simply to punish those who fail to comply. Further, the police will ignore the safety limitations which would prohibit repeated use of a taser.

You cannot escape the law of unintended consequences.

https://www.alternet.org/story/149115/the_6_most_shocking_ca...

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

#162

Post by darawk »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #123
darawk wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it's your belief that not taking action would be better?

I mean, yeah? I know there have been cases where drone strikes were justified, but it really only takes one instance of "We think there's some terrorists at this wedding, so let's fire a fragmentation missile into the middle of it, and then another one a few minutes later to make sure we kill the paramedics and firemen too" to decide that the US military is not responsible enough to be allowed to make these decisions…

> I mean, yeah? I know there have been cases where drone strikes were justified, but it really only takes one instance of "We think there's some terrorists at this wedding, so let's fire a fragmentation missile into the middle of it, and then another one a few minutes later to make sure we kill the paramedics and firemen too" to decide that the US military is not responsible enough to be allowed to make these decisions.

You think their policy is designed to kill civilian medics? Or do you think the policy was designed to kill other terrorists who come by to try to save their brothers?

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

#163

Post by kazen44 »

ucaetano wrote: post #131
andrepd wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Would you consider drones and smart bombs bad when the alternative is carpet bombing? Because there are more courses of action other than "drone strike" and "carpet bombing".

> Because there are more courses of action other than "drone strike" and "carpet bombing". Indeed, but those courses aren't always available, and war will happen in the way war happens. If not, your argument isn't about drones, it is about pacifism. That's like saying "I'll magically lift everyone out of the way" in the trolley problem. Sure, it is a nice thought, but it is not an answer to the question. I'll ask aga…

smart bombs is the obvious answer, but your question is has a false pretense.

Carpet bombing and a drone strike are not in the same "solution space", its like trying to tighten your shoelaces with your hands or with a 10 ton excevator.

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

#164

Post by darawk »

Forbo wrote: post #151
darawk wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. But we've elected and appointed people who's job it is to: a) be aware of all the information relevant to each operation b) make a judgment as to whether each individual operation is worthwhile Now, i'm not saying that makes them infallible. It certainly doesn't. There's a long history of people in such positions making poor choices. But if you're implying that they are, i'd like to see some evidence. Because wha…

> ...thus far i've never seen anyone give good reason in the case of these drone strikes. Because the very action they are using to eliminate enemy combatants may in fact be creating more of them?

> Because the very action they are using to eliminate enemy combatants may in fact be creating more of them?

That's an interesting statement. Do you have evidence for it?

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

#165

Post by dumbfoundded »

craftyguy wrote: post #134
tomatotomato37 wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technology != Computers Mass producable pens and paper, decent locks, and nationwide logistic networks have made elections accountable, verifiable, and secure decades ago.

> Technology != Computers In this context (an article written by Google's CEO, about technology on computers), it arguably does. By being pedantic, you might as well extend technology to everything up to, and including creating fire and making very basic hand tools. The article clearly isn't about that.

You should google technology then. It obviously includes every tool and yes, even fire. Do you think rocket ships are technology?

If you're saying computer technology has failed to solve election validity, that's a fair observation. It probably could if it was done correctly but the government has their best CS people working on spying on us while our elections are outsourced to idiots.

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

#166

Post by Nasrudith »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #8
loceng wrote: post #2

Can someone explain if "right to be forgotten" laws and processes are equivalent to China's "wall" of censorship and processes?

They aren't. But Google really didn't want to obey a perfectly reasonable law in Europe, and absolutely wants to do business in China regardless of the social cost, and so is making a false equivalency to try and justify a morally bankrupt position. Europe is censoring personal and private information that harms ordinary citizens and is not of the public interest in order to protect European citizens. China is censor…

You are assuming the pretense is accurate about right to be forgotten. Never listen to claimed intentions but actions. Nigh every dictator claims to be "for the people". Actual right to be forgotten sees frequent use from conmen who don't want pesky things like their past crimes giving away the game. I would rather not have memory holes for one.

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

#167

Post by kazen44 »

samontar wrote: post #102
cortesoft wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

And yet you fund the killing with your taxes. You know they kill, you know they need money to build the killing machines, you give them money.

yes, but you cannot deny paying these taxes because you live at the wims of the tyranny of the majority.

You could ofcourse proclaim not wanting to take part in said nation anymore and not pay the taxes, but then you would also loose out of well, the rest of society basically.

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

#168

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

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

#169

Post by TangoTrotFox »

What is the difference between today and 20,000 years ago? What's the difference between today and 20,000 years from now? There are of course social and political changes but the key thing that invariably is behind all progress and improvement in society is technology. For instance throughout our entire history as a species we not only had slavery but it often played a key role in day to day life. Then, as we hit the industrial revolution it suddenly began to be rapidly phased out of existence, world wide. By the time it was ended slavery had long since gone from a necessity to a luxury and was well on its way from a luxury to a burden. Technology obsoleted it and society followed. In areas where technology has not completely obsoleted slavery, it still exists to this day.

Amusingly even Socrates predicted as much thousands of years ago, "For if every instrument could accomplish its own work, obeying or anticipating the will of others, like the statues of Daedalus, or the tripods of Hephaestus.. If, in like manner, the shuttle would weave and the plectrum touch the lyre without a hand to guide them, chief workmen would not want servants, nor masters slaves." Technology is, practically by definition, exactly what solves humanity's problems.

Though to be fair, this headline is somewhat clickbaity. The article is not really suggesting that technology doesn't solve humanity's problems. But rather than Google, and to some degree the entirety of Silicon Valley, has entered its twilight phase. And as Google has surprisingly rapidly metamorphosized into the next e.g. Microsoft, it's not an unreasonable suggestion.

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

#170

Post by WalterBright »

> Technology doesn’t solve humanity’s problems.

But it does. Vaccinations, for example, have solved humanity's smallpox problems. Technology has solved all kinds of medical problems, it has solved the famine problem, and on and on.

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