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(The picture above depicts a man with a military drone, one the new technologies the military has implemented in their forces. The source of this picture is a very relevant article to my below post, linked here. It also relates to the face recognition improvements in technology we talked about a few days ago in class.)
After reading Rosenweig’s chapter “Wizards, Bureaucrats, Warriors, and Hackers: Writing the History of the Internet,” I was particularly compelled by the historical influence of the military as one of the basis’ for the beginning of the Internet. Though Rosenweig points out that there is some dispute among authors and historians about the exact origin and credit to the start of the Internet, there is emphasis on ARPA military funding, the influence of the Cold War on the rise of technology within the military, the idea of “inter-networking” military applications, and other factors concerning militarization going on at the same time as the rise of the Internet.
This historical context captured my attention because it finally made me understand a common concern that arose when computers and the Internet were gaining popularity, and is now becoming prevalent once again in our modern society: that technology, particularly artificial intelligence now, would one day outsmart the human mind and take a life of its own, overthrowing our civilization. Though I still believe that we as humans are in control of technology and its growth, it makes sense why there was an outburst of concern in the late 20th century when technology was on the rise. With militarization as the basis of the Internet and the growth of technology, there is an established precedence of capability for the military to do more and more with what they started with. Based on this historical context, the concerns of artificial intelligence now gaining power is less far-fetched that I thought. With the growth and expansion of weaponized technology, I am more compelled to be on the side of caution with these potentials (disclaimer: I do not think technology is about to take over our world any time soon and I am not afraid of it, I just now see potential for it).
Posted from Digital Studies 101 Blog by Lindsay