[Book Sip] AI, ChatGPT... "Just Use Advanced Technology Like a Smartphone"

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with readers, creating a connection with the book. We excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from books.

Recently, new technologies such as AI, Metaverse, NFT, and ChatGPT have rapidly penetrated daily life. Many restaurants now take orders via kiosks, and the use of ChatGPT in work has significantly increased. The speed is so fast that it can be frightening. In fact, many people worry that this might not just cause inconvenience in daily life but lead to being left behind in competition. However, the author emphasizes that technology is not something to fear but merely a tool, and it is important to understand the nature of technology properly. The author discusses various technologies such as artificial intelligence, COVID-19 vaccines, nuclear power, social media, drones, mobility, electric vehicles, PC computers, the Metaverse, and robotics from cultural, economic, and political perspectives. Additionally, the author introduces five laws related to technology (instinct, cost, competition, culture, and time) and strongly urges that we must now become first movers rather than fast followers.

Common scenes of daily life where nothing can be done without adapting to technology came to mind. Marts with only unmanned checkout counters, taxis that cannot be called without an application (app), restaurants with only QR code menus, and so on... The non-face-to-face and automation around us are steadily progressing... Even the 20-30 generation who use smartphones routinely, one wonders what percentage of the smartphone’s functions they actually utilize. But is it necessary to understand all the technologies condensed in a smartphone to use it? Don’t people use it well without knowing? In fact, it has always been like that. Most people drive cars without knowing how they work. Not knowing display technology does not hinder enjoying OLED TVs. So AI should be treated just like cars or televisions... Technology is not something to fear. It is just a tool. That is the core of this book. I hope readers will examine various new technologies through this book and acquire the laws that run through them. I want them to grasp the essence of the digital age and find their center. There is no need to worry. If you don’t know, just learn. - From "Technology is Not Something to Fear"

Historically, newly emerging technologies have always been regarded as both opportunities and threats. The Industrial Revolution in 18th century Britain is a representative example. This period, called the First Industrial Revolution, gave rise to numerous capitalists and blossomed the market economy. However, the dawn of factory production systems using steam engines marked the beginning of hardship for the working class... The fear of unemployment and wage cuts spread instantly. Fear soon turned into anger, and anger led to class struggle. The target of the struggle was the capitalists, and the method was setting fire to their houses and destroying valuable machines. The result was riots. This is the well-known 'Luddite Movement.' However, the Luddite Movement did not last long. When the British government punished those who incited riots and committed crimes with harsh penalties such as death sentences, the movement quickly ended... At the same time, across the Atlantic in the United States, concerns about technology grew. The media at the time competed to disparage new technologies or indulged in 'nostalgia for the past,' stirring up longing for bygone days. The New York Times, a representative American newspaper, was no exception. When the first transatlantic cable connected New York and London in August 1858, the New York Times criticized the telegraph technology that sent telegrams, saying the speed of news could be "too fast compared to the truth." This sounds like something we might hear today worrying about fake news and misinformation. - From "Humans Are Irreplaceable Beings"

People do not pay enough attention to the future that is coming... Most people do not hesitate to see fortune-telling or horoscopes to know their future. However, they fail to recognize that the technology that can change their lives and lead the future is right in front of them... Ultimately, looking at how humans approach technology, two things can be realized. First, not all technologies are the same. Second, people tend to ignore technology until it successfully changes their daily lives. Oh, and one more thing. Once technology is successfully established, people take it for granted. - From "The Inevitable Flow of Great Innovation"

No technology is loved from the start. On the contrary, it is the opposite. New technology must become old technology to escape criticism. With the advent of TV, radio was freed from criticism that it commercialized news and exploited musicians and artists. Thanks to video games, television was able to shed the stigma of being the main culprit disrupting children's education. Every time more powerful new technologies such as the internet, smartphones, and mobile games appeared, people shifted their targets of attack. In that sense, technologies that seem completely unproblematic to us now may have been controversial in the past. - From "The Law of Instinct: Humans Fear Technological Change"

October 28, 2021. When Facebook suddenly transformed into Meta overnight, questions of why and how immediately followed. Countless mockeries and jeers were added. It was an unexpected and abrupt change that no one anticipated. Both fans and anti-fans of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg were curious. 'What on earth is Mark thinking?'... In fact, Zuckerberg was facing a dilemma. Facebook lacked diverse revenue sources compared to Apple, Google, Amazon, and MS. Moreover, when Apple introduced privacy tracking blocking features in iOS14, Facebook’s personalized advertising business inevitably took a hit. The limitations of the SNS business model were revealed... Whether the Meta venture will become a great success story or end as a cautionary tale is unknown. Only those living in the future will know the story. - From "The Law of Time: The Value of Technology is Judged in the Future"

Simply put, artificial intelligence can be divided into three types: Weak AI, Strong AI, and Super AI. All AI developed so far is Weak AI... Among the three types, which AI could pose a threat to humanity? Many experts point to Super AI. Theoretically, Super AI is AI with consciousness. Here, having consciousness means being an entity with self-awareness and subjectivity.

... However, it is a misconception to think that all experts unanimously proclaim an AI apocalypse. On the contrary, there are many rebuttals that such concerns are exaggerated. Yann LeCun, a professor at New York University, and Andrew Ng, a professor at Stanford University, hold the view that worrying about threats that do not even exist is meaningless. Interestingly, these two are the other two members of the four great AI scholars. In the end, among the four great AI scholars, two say AI is dangerous, and the other two say it is not. - From "People More Dangerous Than Dangerous AI"

Services based on digital technology should be conveniently accessible to everyone. Apps that call taxis, services that shop on your behalf, online lectures that can be attended without going in person, and so on should not discriminate based on the user's age... Without improving the ability to use digital devices, expressed as 'Digital Literacy,' which lags behind smartphone penetration rates, the digital transformation is impossible. True 'people-centered Fourth Industrial Revolution' becomes possible only when the elderly can comfortably handle technology and machines. No matter how much we say people are more important than technology, or even curse technology and companies, we cannot return to the analog era. Ultimately, the digital divide is not just a matter of inconvenience but leads to a crisis for Korean society as a whole. This is why digital transformation and digital competency education must be promoted simultaneously to prevent digital underprivileged people from becoming dropouts. - From "There Are No Kiosks for the Elderly"

Quietly notifying resignation by text, saying goodbye via KakaoTalk, sending holiday greetings, birthday wishes, and gifts through messengers, and so on. Who wouldn’t find these convenient? But even if there is no loyalty or duty in living together, it is problematic if even manners are missing. No matter how convenient the non-face-to-face era is, we cannot live ignoring direct meetings and conversations. How long will we communicate only with 'KakaoTalk wassup~'? This is not living like a human. However, as the pandemic lengthened and time spent alone increased, many seem to have forgotten this simple fact. Especially, the 'Corona self-time' has certainly strengthened the habit of the MZ generation communicating via text or apps... If the grandparents of the MZ generation find kiosks difficult, frightening, and embarrassing, their grandchildren are struggling with the stress of relearning how to interact with people. A society where people adjust to technology makes even digitally savvy humans look foolish. Truly a strange world. - From "The MZ Generation Afraid of Phone Calls"

The Alpha Generation refers to those born from 2010 to 2024. Just as the previous generation was called 'Z' after the last letter of the English alphabet, they are known as 'α (Alpha)' after the first letter of the ancient Greek alphabet... The perspective of the Alphas starts from digital. Probably because they appeared after smartphones came into the world. So from infancy, they recognize glass, glasses, mirrors, etc., as touchscreens and press them with their fingers. Their first words might be the name of an AI product rather than 'mom' or 'dad.' In fact, in 2018 in the UK, an 18-month-old child reportedly first shouted Amazon’s AI speaker 'Alexa.'... How can we protect the Alpha Generation from addiction, fake news, bullying, harassment, adult content, gambling, violent content, and so on? The answer is digital literacy. As mentioned earlier regarding older generations and kiosks, digital literacy is 'digital literacy education' that teaches the correct use of digital devices and healthy online activities. It is learning how to behave in digital environments, such as when installing apps on smartphones or reading news online. It involves searching for necessary information, discerning the reliability of obtained information, and developing the ability to communicate by deriving various results.

It is not simply training in computer hardware skills. It is 21st-century literacy learning focused on acquiring and utilizing knowledge healthily online through software. - From "Alpha Generation, Learn About Alcohol and the Internet from Adults"

The Great Illusion, The Right Future | Written by Daesung Park | Inbook | 312 pages | 19,800 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.