5 Scary Technological Advances – Modern Technological Advances which could be threatening if used in the wrong way
Technology is awesome. It can let people from across the world talk to each other. It can help assist in life-saving surgeries. It can help safely defuse bombs. However, technology isn’t always so friendly. In fact, it can be downright scary at times. Here are five technological advances that are definitely scary:
With the advent of drones, tracking chips in cars, and the rise in electronic payments, privacy is ever-shrinking. Now governments, businesses, and individuals can tell where someone is/has gone, what someone has bought, and even what is said in a “private” conversation. While counter-surveillance measures are always working to thwart these technologies, the threat of a world without privacy looms large.
Genetically Engineered Viruses
While these lab-created variations on natural viruses have the potential to aid in fighting/curing diseases, there is a downside. The inherent instability involved in the testing and production of these microbes may do more harm than good. While fictional cases are the fodder for such stories as The Stand or The Masque of the Red Death, the potential for the creation of an accidental modern plague is frighteningly real.
Touted as virtually unlimited storage for data, clouds take potentially sensitive information and put it in the hands of others. While cloud storage companies claim to have top-notch security protocols in place, hackers always love a challenge. Companies like Google and Microsoft have incurred cloud breaches, but the worst is yet to come. Medium-sized businesses with in house storage are popular targets now, as they tend not to have the security measures of a cloud. As more businesses get hit, more will turn to the cloud and their perceived safety. Hackers will undoubtedly follow suit.
Once strictly the stuff of Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica, laser weapons are a reality. Tests have shown them blowing up pickup truck engines and blasting drones. Laser-equipped fighter jets are projected to arrive in 2020. As with almost all technology, the size shrinks. Imagine a handgun that does not need reloading and never leaves behind a tell tale shell. The range of lasers is also worrisome. Even simple, non-lethal lasers can be seen for miles. With idiots taking these to sporting events to shine them in player’s eyes and others shining them in the eyes of airline pilots, it would be devastating if these lasers could kill.
Scientists have been warning that artificial intelligence may not be the boon that proponents claim. With computers passing the “Turing Test”, a benchmark to decide whether a technology represents an intelligence indistinguishable from a human, the age of artificial intelligence has begun. Yes, many movies like The Terminator and The Matrix portray artificial intelligence as inherently evil, but it is simply too new to determine what it would mean for the world. Will it try to solve international disputes, or would it attempt to seize control of the global banking system? It is the danger of inventing something simply because it can be done without considering the consequences that makes scientists and non-scientists worried about AI.
Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes about technology and other gadgets and gizmos aplenty. She currently writes for Total Voice Tech, her go to for all professional Dragon products.