Technology is neutral
It’s people who are the problem
Reader warning: this article is mostly designed to facilitate the author venting frustration. It has a LOT of superfluous detail. Read or ignore at your own risk!
Premise: if technology fails you, don’t blame the machines. Blame the people.
I have long been a proponent of the view that technology is neutral. It can be used for good (e.g. clean nuclear power, instant/long distance communications, labour saving devices) or evil (e.g. thermonuclear weapons, spy satellites, workplace productivity monitoring).
Whether we experience a given technology as helpful or harmful depends entirely on the way one or more humans have chosen to put the technology to use. And recently, the way humans acting in the service of corporations make those choices.
This is a particularly important lens through which to view technology in recent years, as control of modern tools becomes increasingly concentrated in fewer and fewer companies, all of which are particularly keen to harness the potential of artificial intelligence.
Today, I was reminded of this when I dealt with one of the mega powers, all over the princely sum of $6.05 per month.
