Remaining human in the Age of Disruptors

“As the digital age becomes more entrenched in society, it is critical to maintain equilibrium, making sure that the power of technology isn’t used to breach security and the privacy of people.

In a world now witnessing a fast-evolving digital landscape, it is imperative that a delicate balance be maintained between people embracing technology and the need for humans to, well, remain human.

Dependence on technology on a daily basis shapes human lives and society and the paramount question that needs to be asked is: How can the power of technology be effectively integrated into human lives while avoiding the risk of eroding people’s essential humanity?

For instance, the speedy advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ushering in a new era where machines can be taught to learn and do tasks that once were the sole domain of human beings.

The progress of robotics; AI enabling computers to derive information from images, videos and other inputs; large language model AI algorithms using deep learning techniques and massive data sets understanding, summarizing, generating and predicting content; and generative AI capable of generating text, images, videos and other data using generative models that learn patterns and the structure of their input training data to generate newer data have revolutionized how people interact with technology, enabling machines to generate humanlike text and images.

We can deep dive into the transformative power of modern sophisticated technologies which can very well address complex challenges in human lives and societies but doing so should also make us keenly conscious of the fine balance between the use of such technologies and their impact on humanity.

Rapid advancements in cutting-edge technology, generative AI, virtual reality, blockchain, and the like bring the possibility of an evolved elevated humanity close to reality. Yet the more we embrace such technology, the more we risk losing touch with the intrinsic essence of our humanness. Does modern technology make us more human or does it render us akin to our inventions, i.e., machine-like?

Fast-paced digital technology and social media have affected business and the economy in a major way.

Digitalized social media has enabled interconnectedness in a way never before seen. But the downside, particularly through a digitalized social media, is the ease by which this can be used to create and spread fake news and deliberate misinformation to shape the way people think on the basis of falsehood. The impact of such on business, politics and social development can be disastrous. And yet, embracing digital disruptions has become inevitable — a necessity even, if man and his country wish to be globally competitive.

Worries persist as man rushes deeper into the era of AI, particularly in terms of its real potential for causing joblessness — an unwanted disruption — as more and more companies replace humans with AI to undertake various tasks.

The development of AI, whether we like it or not, will bring about the replacement of people in various tasks. AI technologies may indeed yield opportunities for human beings, but new advancements in AI technology will emerge, virtually making certain the loss of jobs on a permanent basis.

One of the country’s strengths is its workforce, and the overseas Filipino workers. There are bases for fears that AI might make obsolete traditional outsourcing models. Perhaps the only way by which the Filipino workman, or any worker in any country in the modern world for that matter, can survive technology disruption is to invest in transforming the BPO industry into one that is focused on knowledge process outsourcing.

Sharing his insights on embracing digital disruptions in McKinsey Philippines’ Philippine Growth Dialogues, former GE Philippines CEO and currently Manila Water president and CEO JV Emmanuel A. de Dios put it so well when he said, “We need to rethink and reimagine how we should position ourselves vis-à-vis technology as the machines we make get smarter.”

On one hand, advancements in AI and other disruptive technologies may result in benefits, but it behooves those in positions of power and influence not to irresponsibly ignore the likelihood of such downsides as the massive displacement of human beings from the workplace.

Further, may we, in pursuing the efficiency provided by technology, not lose sight of the value of human interconnection. Technology brings about ease of communication via such gadgets as a cellular phone, but there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction and the discerning of nuances in human emotion that can only be realized through direct human contact.

As the digital age becomes more entrenched in society, it is critical to maintain equilibrium, making sure that the power of technology isn’t used to breach security and the privacy of people, and that this instead is utilized to improve the human condition and the quality of people’s lives.

Only by assiduously addressing AI and other disruptive technologies’ socioeconomic impact can their power be harnessed to fuel the creation.

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