This week was an introduction to futurology and AI – two subjects that I have a minimal understanding of. Learning that AI really is all around us, and consumes our day-to-day lives is something I had never put a second thought to, and yet it is happening before my eyes. I think one of the most important takeaways of understanding AI’s prominence in society today is that we must embrace it’s growth and not resist. Even just seeing the array of examples where AI has facilitated growth in almost every industry, from medical sciences to food services – confirms to me that it is important to learn.
The interview exercise was an enlightening experience in learning how others could see AI developing our future. One point that was made was that the sky is really the limit in terms of what we can create – if we can imagine it, we can some day achieve it. I am interested in exploring this throughout future classes, and reflecting on where these ideas come from. Is it purely from necessity or do creators set their mind to bringing to life their own imaginations?
Additionally, looking at everyone’s ‘futurology starter packs’ was incredibly interesting as it showed some patterns in the way we all imagine technology to develop, even in our own lifetimes. Notably, the rise of face-ID and tracking, and lab-grown meat and organs. Some of us were influenced by media portrayals of the future too (e.g. Black Mirror). I am interested in exploring this further both in class and when watching films or TV shows that have a distinct portrayal of the future – dystopian or otherwise. The point that a lot of these visions are stemmed from current cultural concerns is important too and I think further exploring how futurology has developed over different periods of time will be fascinating.