The Science of Fiction

A reflection on future of work, society and self

Imagine waking up to your personal assistant (PA), say like an Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Cortana or, may be an independent chatbot greeting you, then walking you through the important To-Dos of the day and asking what would be your breakfast preference! Let’s then have this PA on to a drone like device, which means your PA is not a static device like your TV or, music system but flies around the house and can also fly in your neighbourhood and some more. When you are not around, it is connected to other devices in the house including your security system. It has a good idea of your preferences, and with your usage also understands your family and friend circle.

Interestingly, the drone with a PA like smart-device is not a projection into the future, but featured in a science fiction comedy – “Flubber”, starring Robin Williams that was released in 1997, a good 21 years ago. The PA was called “Weebo”. The professor’s home has interesting array of robots and connected devices. Now, if this has your attention, what if I were to share that this plot was remake of 1961 classic – “The Absent-Minded Professor”. In the classic, the professor’s companion was a dog, called “The Shaggy Dog”, which in the remake was quite futuristically turned to Weebo.

Given that PAs are getting smarter and drone technology is maturing, this looks plausible.

Call it the world of Internet of things (IoT), AI and PA; the movie was a comedy, but quite prescient.

Does it bring concerns of a society that spends more time on devices and screens than, actual physical interactions and thus the disruptive impact of automation, robotics, smart devices and AI on work, society and self?

Our responses through understanding this change, participating in this change and benefitting through healthy experimentation, failing and learning is what holds the key.

Serving the human need

The world of AI built on increasing computational power, algorithms that feed and process the exponentially growing data, improving decisional models using Machine Learning and the cognitive development simulating human-like thinking has had its slow motion growth from 1950s to rapid leap over last 7-8 years. Undoubtedly and unapologetically, it presents the horizons that feeds human’s need for intellectual development, research and progress.

While we were not following or concerned enough, genome research also contributed to more resilient crops and vaccines.

Then comes the aspect of regulation which is in the domain of Governments, industry bodies, research institutions and individual code of ethic and conduct.

Regulation

Let’s accept that regulations precede the reform required, and sometimes they are response measures post-facto. The firewall security expected to pre-empt and protect against virus attacks, may also get hacked and later a stronger protection evolves. Data security and privacy as a regulation has trailed the development around data sharing and access.

Hence, when regulation is trailing the technological progress, regulators across the world have to undertake good amount of understanding and skilling to have informed regulation and not populist and piecemeal measures.

The domain of regulation needs to factor wider social impacts, develop clear goals and participate, not just police or track the changes. If Wikipedia is a content created by users for other users, regulators need to participate more actively with the constituents and cannot be passive.

Work and work structures

The discussion on careers in the formal economy over several decades has been about pursuing an engineering degree, medical or commerce and accounting, primarily. This has changed and employable categories is far higher now, with varying degree of specialization and scope of responsibility. The notion of safer jobs and regular salary has disrupted with a wave of entrepreneurial growth and burgeoning number of startups, that experiment business and labor models. The distribution economy that is global is positively contributing to growth in manufacturing to content creation categories.

The undeniable nature of economic growth in countries is now going to be about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and that its impact will penetrate areas from agriculture to space science.

Both at Government and individual level, there has to be greater awareness of this shift and progression.

Society and self

Forget the noise around devices creating barriers to human contact and interaction, I see more social and shared nature of our lives.

Recently at a sweet shop, I saw a carpenter video-calling his friend (or, some relative) asking to see and choose which sweet to buy. Falling data and voice rates, are making people spend time on Facebook, Twitter, video-call, video-on-demand and sharing with friends, family and adding the likes of their lives. The ubiquitous nature of these technologies, also making people choose alternate careers, improve their learning from career enhancing courses to improving their DSLR photography skills.

If a distant library was a source of learning few decades back, today you can learn, improvise and contribute to the learning pool.

Fitness devices and fitness groups are contributing to better health and also insurance premiums that adjust/fall depending on your investment in your health, or the lack of it.

We are shifting to societies where Governments will continue to determine political discourse, including economic and social policies, but with greater power and scope for the individual. If your Facebook and LinkedIn contact network has people from diversity of countries, social and educational background on one platform or, common ground, Government will have to work harder in creating this greater social common ground.

The Fiction to reality

The world will never be short of new and existing risks arising from politics, technology, demographic and there will be leaders from business to politics to pander, guide or influence the choices. The argument on negative effects and disruptive impacts can be quite solid, but are we looking to win arguments or, change the course of our societies.

Finally, the beauty of good fiction is that it creates imaginative future scenarios that are not hindered by the assumptions and bottlenecks of the present.

Now if you liked the Weebo (assistant), it sadly dies in the movie, and when the professor wasn’t looking had gone thru its programs and created its own successor – the Weebette; one AI-bot-drone creating its own replacement, equally affable.