How much technology is too much technology?
With technology being a major pillar in innovation, the invention lies in the “This done, what next?” attitude. “What more can the existing technology do”, is exactly where the problem statements have shifted in recent times. With innovation inching closer to a virtual or an engineered reality, it is only natural that the conversation shifts to a place where the lack of control in these phenomena tends to spook/scare the philanthropists, thinkers, and the public alike.
Every innovation treads on the fine line of destruction if amplified in an uncontrolled manner. But it’s also a key factor that leads to a breakthrough and that is the reason why in this article we take a look at startups in sectors that have the potential of making plausible Black Mirror episodes,
Brain Implants — Neuralink
Elon Musk’s most secretive company Neuralink, a four-year-old medical company founded by the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, emerged from stealth mode to make a rare update through the main act of Neuralink’s demo with four pigs. The launch event offered claims which went beyond healing paralysis and other brain conditions, Musk also stated that the tech would one day enable us to rewind memories, or download them into robots. The company also claims to be working towards small goals that could revolutionize the lives of those who suffer body immobility. In true Musk fashion, unsatisfied, he went on to say that “I think long-term you can restore someone to full-body motion.”
The Flipside
While the Neuralink demo and the potential that comes with brain implants seem extremely intriguing and now even plausible, it raises some very obvious concerns. Experts believe that bio-implants are more likely to be prone to malicious cyber-attacks and hold the potential to become a new sport for hackers. Brainjacking as they call it involves using a neurostimulator or a wireless brain implant that can be hacked using off-the-shelf materials and then used to make voltage changes that can result in sensory denial, disability, or even death. This clearly shows how there is an innate potential of weaponizing a simple brain implant for malicious purposes.
DNA Hacking- Nebula Genomics
With technology today being able to map your DNA strand, to get your genetic heritage, ancestral know-how, the world welcomed the first phase of reaching the root cause of diseases like Alzheimer’s and common cancers. The idea of the unknown seemed less scary when there was the possibility of mapping every chromosome, DNA strand in your body.
Nebula Genomics did just that, by offering whole-genome sequencing for free, as a way to stock up for its real ploy: a blockchain-based genetic marketplace. The goal, says Nebula co-founder and chief scientific officer Dennis Grishin, “is to create an environment where users can cheaply learn about their DNA and share it with scientists while protecting themselves from potential diseases and maybe privacy breaches.”
The Flipside
One cannot help but draw the X-Men parallel with the above scenario, wherein the ideal world, biologists of the near future will figure out how to program viruses and bacteria to deliver custom-made cures for every disease at hand. In the worst-case scenario, bioterrorists engineer deadly superbugs, superhumans even? that targets us at a genetic level. What would have sounded ridiculous 7 months ago, somehow falls in line with the conspiracy theory revolving around the origin story of the COVID-19 pandemic, of the weaponizing genome mapping for a plausible biowar.
Geoengineering — Prometheus
If the evolution of Science and Technology was the reason behind the deplorable state that our planet is in, scientists also believe that it is the same science and technology that can “hack” the planet back into shape, through the process of geoengineering.
For example, Y Combinator-backed startup Prometheus is trying to build a machine “that creates usable gas from thin air — rather than the oil deposits deep underground.We make gasoline from the air, water, and electricity,” McGinnis announces. The basis is very simple, develop a technology to remove carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into fuels. Two birds, one stone.
The Flipside
Let’s take a look at the list of some of the ways to geoengineer the environment.
- Spraying chemical aerosols like sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere to bounce a fraction of sunlight back into space
- Pouring iron into the ocean to spur algae blooms that consume CO2
- Spraying a mist of seawater into low-lying clouds to make them brighter, reflecting more sunlight
- Planting forests of artificial trees that use chemical reactions to absorb and store CO2
Each option somehow paints a picture of a different apocalypse that is waiting to happen if the process is not controlled. Even geoengineering promoters warn of unintended side effects. Out-of-control algae blooms could create massive dead zones in the ocean; one nation’s seawater spray could cause monsoons halfway around the world; chemical reactions could cause widespread damage to natural habitats and human life.
Deep Fakes — Topaz Labs
A little over a year ago, an anonymous Reddit user named Deepfakes changed the internet with manipulated videos or other digital representations that yield fabricated images and sounds that appear to be real.
Topaz Labs, a software firm run by a son-father team Eric and Albert Yang have a new AI-powered software suite, which allows everything from noise reduction to converting a simple JPEG to a highly editable RAW image. “As the technology improves we have to think about it more. The data right now is not at a level where we’re too concerned someone will be misidentified from a wrong license plate because software fabricated the number,” says Albert.
Alternatively, deep fakes also offer a cheap and effective alternative to VFX, and CGI used to create artificial but believable worlds for compelling storytelling. Deepfakes can democratize the costly VFX technology as a powerful tool for independent storytellers at a fraction of the cost.
The Flipside
At a minuscule level, in early 2018, Reddit uploaded a machine learning model that could swap one person’s face for another face in any video. Within weeks, low-fi celebrity-swapped porn ran rampant across the web. Reddit soon banned Deepfakes, but the technology had already taken root across the web–and sometimes the quality was more convincing. But the danger of that is “the technology can be used to make people believe something is real when it is not,” said Peter Singer, cybersecurity and defense-focused strategist and senior fellow at New America think tank.
When it comes to risk mitigation in the world of innovation, scientists and innovators will always tread on a tightrope. But one cannot shy away from the fact that roots of innovation dig deep in the risk-centric landscape, and therefore making it an unavoidable territory.
Regulatory measures, controlled expansion, documented checklists, impact analysis might act as a safety net for the ones concerned but truth be told, in situations like these, crossing the bridge when we arrive at it, is the approach predominantly taken by the innovators.
Until then, we wait on the season finale of the current season of Black Mirror titled COVID-19, and then move onto the next season.
