Life in a Science Fiction Novel
Join Dr. Brad Allenby on Monday, Oct. 28 at 10 a.m., as he discusses previous and present technology systems which have and will leave few societies unaffected, dramatically changing human, natural, and built systems on a regional and global scale.
There are five foundational technologies that will be discussed: nanotechnology, biotechnology, information and communication technology, robotics, and applied cognitive science. For example, today, AI writes music and novels, and creates fascinating paintings and videos from simple verbal commands. It is now impossible to know whether a picture, video, or voice is real or fake.
That call from your mother might actually be from an AI, which in turn will use your voice to scam money from your friends and bank accounts. That video of a politician making incendiary statements might be real, or it may be designed to alter your behavior without you even being aware of it. Scientists are increasingly treating the human aging process as a curable disease, and believe that our children may well live healthy lives of 150 to 200 years, perhaps much longer.
These are only a few examples, as our future is one where our planet, and the human itself, become design spaces subject to human intervention and deliberate change in ways never before possible. The psychological, political, economic, and social implications are vast, but we are not helpless: there are ways to think about, and prepare for, this turbulent period of change.
Allenby is President’s Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering, and of Law; Lincoln Professor of Technology and Ethics; Senior Sustainability Scientist; and co-chair of the Weaponized Narrative.
Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. in the lobby of the Renaissance Theater and are $5 at the door. No registration is required.
The theater is equipped with a hearing loop system which is a special type of sound system for people who use hearing aids. The loop system provides a magnetic wireless signal that is picked up by a hearing aid when it is set to the T-setting (telecoil). Many hearing aids are equipped with telecoil technology.
