Post #3 - The Video is Up - Sam Gualtieri

Hi, I’m Sam Gualtieri. For my first blog post, I discussed the concept of the technological singularity and how realistic it was. In my second blog post, I reviewed the interview I had just done and discussed the more realistic dangers of computer technology and what should be done to prevent them, as well as what the majority of people thought about the subject.

My subject is something that’s only beginning to show itself as a problem in our society. Many parents have started to find problems with how the internet interrupts their children's social interactions. This is true for basically all ages, and is far from the only problem that comes with computer technology, but it’s one of the most popular ones to be protested. However, there’s more to this story. Computers are an incredibly powerful tool, and many worry that one day they may become too smart and be beyond our control. However, as Mr. Kamal pointed out to me in my interview, the problem isn’t software (or other things) being too smart, but too stupid.

It’s a powerful tool, and has no foolproof way to stop itself from getting out of the hands of someone with dangerous intent. For my Agent of Change, I created an informational video and put it on youtube. The best way I can describe it is a Vox-style educational video. The video contains 6 recommended guidelines recommending questions to ask yourself before creating a new technology.  The goal is to share this out as far as possible and maybe make those guidelines mainstream. The questions are:

1. How much will it cost to create and maintain?

1. Are the materials too expensive for mass productions?

1. On that note, would it be smart to use this material environmentally?

2. Could my product be a danger to the user in any situation?

1. Electric shock? Exploding? Sentiance?

3. How could my product be used with negative intent and what can I do to  prevent this?

1. How powerful is my tool?

2. Could it be used to hurt people? (physically, online)

4. How easy should my product be to acquire? (commercial or specific market)

1. Should people be able to order it online, or should there be legal requirements involved?

5. Would this product replace human jobs? How many?

1. While maybe it could be convenient for companies, how many working class people would be let go?

6. What are the benefits of my product? Does it justify these risks?

1. What does my product do and how beneficial is it to the world?

2. Have I found many problems looking through these past problems?

3. Are they worth risking for the sake of the product?

Overall, I’m ok with my video. I hate everything I make, as do many content creators of any creative medium. The timing is weird in places, and it can be very dense, but it also looks really nice. Mr. Kamal had a lot of interesting things to say and it was difficult to try to cut it down. In the end I wish I could have made his part shorter, but there was just so much good stuff. I’m passionate about this subject, yet I learned that I don’t know as much as I thought I did, and compiling all that into a video is hard. There are plenty of things about this video that I wish I did differently. The transitions from The Singularity to general safety with technology isn’t really explained outside of Mr. Kamal sort of changing the subject. I still need to post this link on all my social media and try to get people to share it. Otherwise, I’m done.

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