Co-evolution Between Humans and Digital Technologies

The development of humanity and its culture is inextricably linked to the creation, use, and improvement of various implements. Over time, non-material artifacts have been added to these, which have conditioned human appearance, practices and world of life, and the realities of all civilization. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolded, the relationship between human beings and technology became significant.

The emergence of new technologies has given humanity unprecedented computational and production capabilities. The fundamental changes caused by the qualitative breakthrough in the development of computational technology lead us to the state of erasing the conventional boundaries between the world of man and the world of technology.

In this article, we will touch on the co-evolution between our contemporary humanity and digital technologies that have become an integral part of our modern society. What is more, we will provide you with the beneficial sides of the implementation of these high technologies. So, let us consider first what digital technologies can offer to humanity and how they can simplify our lives.

The extension of human capabilities

One of the essential purposes of digital technologies is the extension of human capabilities. And it is not a wondering fact that people are not perfect, but these technologies can help them to become closer to perfection. We know many examples of these technologies. For instance, you probably know or even deal with smart glasses. The primary idea of these glasses is to give people an opportunity to get the needed information immediately. It is just required to take on these glasses, connect them to the Internet, and ask what kind of information you are looking for.

One more exciting development is smartwatches. With the help of these devices, it is getting easier not only to know the exact time but also to see the notifications from the connected devices to these watches. What is more, these smartwatches show the weather.

Furthermore, these smartwatches can work with voice assistants, and the cooperation of the two technologies makes an even greater effort on the human race. Presently, people use their voices to order services or buy products.

For sure, there are other developments that help people simplify their lives. However, some technologies can assist us in a physical way.

Decreasing physical strain

If two hundred years ago, people who were working on manufacturers or in the field of building had to deal with all the heavy stuff alone. And it was an arduous task. While working over 10 hours per day, many people were utterly exhausted, and this fatigue caused many harmful consequences (even deadly ones). But now, the manufacturing and building process has become much easier because of the technologies.

Thanks to some technological devices, it is easy for machines to lift any heavy object independently from its weight. And for people, there is no need to deal with the issue of dealing with these objects.

Creating production flow

Continuing the topic of manufacturing, the increased development of technologies allows humans to produce way more products compared to the production process, which was done without the help of technologies.

You probably know that there are a lot of specifically built machines that increase the production flow. In factories, you can see that all the automatized work is accomplished with the help of these machines. Additionally, people just do a more straightforward job and control the production workflow.

Development of information and computer technology

Of course, it should also be said that digital technologies have occupied the industry of the informational sector. Right now, it is a piece of cake to find any needed information in just seconds. Just open your browser and text the request, and the required result will be displayed immediately. But the technologies have gone further, and it is possible to know the needed information with the help of your voice.

But these technologies have been continually growing and developing - if it was a miracle to know that AI-based software can find the needed information, then these technologies can quickly produce this any time of content. Of course, the quality of this content is not so great, but the progress is noticeable. From month to month and from year to year, these innovative technologies impress humanity while providing people with more progressive approaches.

Breaking boundaries

It is a well-known fact that people communicate in many different languages. According to some third-party sources, there are over 7,100 different languages globally, and it is impossible to know all of them and be capable of understanding the people worldwide. However, advanced technologies break these boundaries and allow people to understand each other. For instance, your business is going to scale and enter an international market with the help of video content. But the problem is that there is a need to translate and dub your video content from one language to another (like from English to German or from French to Ukrainian). In practice, translation and dubbing are time-consuming processes that require a lot of financial investments. So, what is the benefit of digital technologies?

First of all, many video translation services apply AI-based software that can translate any video independently from the language, whether it is Polish, Spanish , or Italian . Secondly, your business does not need to hire expensive professionals (a video translator, an audio translator, or many of them) because this software is in charge and responsible for all the outcomes. And last but not least, video translation services are famous because of the exceptional delivery speed. If the traditional approach of video translation and dubbing (which involves people) can take days, weeks, or even months, the innovative video translation services with AI-based software can do the same job 1,000 times faster.

Online translators are another good example of the implementation of digital technologies in this regard. These translators help people to have an opportunity to communicate with each other independently of their native languages. Simply open the translator and allows it to listen to your discussion to translate it in real-time.

So, you clearly see how these technologies can break the boundaries and make our existence more effortless.

A battle of intelligence

We have already discussed many benefits of using innovative digital technologies, but a question appears - what is humanity’s place in this chain? Suppose previously, people were way more innovative and more intelligent. In that case, presently, artificial intelligence, with the help of machine learning and other additional tools, calls into question the place of humanity.

Let us consider one simple example. When robotic welding appeared in assembly-line production, the electronic “brain” mechanism only did routine work. This computerized system could not make any decision because the human was the only one capable of doing this. And now, this advanced technology can decide for itself and without human intervention.

Friendship and partnership with robots

The previous example shows that if these high technologies can deal with many issues without listening to human commands, there is a threat to humanity. And to avoid this threat, people are trying to develop a friendship with robots. And with the latest technological developments, we see that some robots are heading to become as close as possible to humans.

Nowadays, it is not surprising that a human can play chess with an AI-based robot or play different computer games with or against robots.

Diving more profound into the industry of gaming, RPG titles allow players to be a part of a society where there are no boundaries between reality and virtual reality. In these games, players cooperate with the technologies in different ways.

And this shift shows that people want to have a friendly relationship with technologies (in particular with robots).

Copying behavior and emotions

On the other side, high technologies are striving to become more human-like than ever. And it is not wondering because developers of these technologies try to teach them how to become human beings.

The student surpasses their teacher

The paramount quality unavailable to artificial intelligence today is creativity. It is what allows humans to win in the competition with robotics.

Many major companies are already paying attention to developing this very quality in their actual and potential employees. Google holds a special contest for children worldwide and provides scholarship support for its winners. Children take special intellectual tests that involve a creative approach rather than standard logical thinking.

Humans should not try to compete in computing with new technologies and artificial intelligence. Machines have large memories and are vastly superior to humans in terms of speed of operations. Nevertheless, humans have many other advantages over machines. Not only in the future but even now, it is useful for people to develop creativity, empathy, and soft skills - universal skills for any profession.

And if our humanity wants to win the battle and does not allow artificial intelligence and relevant, innovative technologies to surpass human beings, it is worth putting more effort into our further development and development of the relationships with these technologies.

Further development of the relationship

Over the past two and a half centuries, the world has undergone three industrial revolutions. Each of them dramatically changed society and people’s lives. During the first one, factories appeared, creating many jobs. The second gave people electricity, comfort, and mass flow production. The third - digital - opened up the world to the Internet and access to all available information with it. And the Fourth Industrial Revolution is what we have experienced now.

This revolution brings about changes in all spheres of human life. Society itself is being transformed. Routine will be replaced by opportunities for self-development and taking care of one’s health, meetings in virtual reality will replace meetings in the office, and relevant and pre-selected content by a virtual assistant will replace the search for relevant information in the mountain of infoshop and spam.

Endnote

New technologies have already flooded the human home. Technology has become not only intelligent but also “friendly. Special chips are built into electronic devices, which allow one object to exchange data with another, such as wristwatches and scales, a refrigerator, and Internet stores.

New technology is designed to make people’s lives more comfortable. This gives people an excellent opportunity to free up time for more important things, realize their potential, and provide tools for more efficient work.

In just ten years, the psychological perception of artificial intelligence has changed dramatically. While earlier, when talking about the future, many people imagined robots as friends and assistants of humans, today there are more and more frequent reflections, including the dangers of artificial intelligence development.

So, it is necessary to try to co-exist with the advanced technologies and try to conduct friendly relationships with them. The beneficial side for our humanity is tremendous, and it is worth using every single chance to make our lives better and more prosperous. 
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