We’ve talked at length about some scary movie monsters. We’ve covered more than our fair share of horror flicks. And, of course, tonight the streets will be filled with plenty of pint-size ghosts and goblins, hunting for candy.
But while some people like to induce a few shivers this time of year, the world itself can be quite the scary place already. You might think that our wonderful technological advances might make society a little less terrifying, but judging from the following trends, that’s not always the case.
Let’s take a look at some tech trends that may come with frightening downsides.
Killer Robots
In fairness, we’ve been worried about this for a long, long time. The first freakishly frightening robot on film showed up way back in 1927, in the silent classic Metropolis. But as robotic technology grows ever more advanced, the possibilities—and threats—posed by robots grow. Just take a look at this video posted by Boston Dynamics (a company dedicated to building robots capable of incredible things), demonstrating what their humanoid robots can already do:
Robots in and of themselves are not necessarily scary or bad. It’s all about how they’re programmed right? But the threat of weaponizing robots is real enough that an organization has blossomed to stop the possibility. Its name: Stop Killer Robots.
Sex Bots
The folks at Stop Killer Robots might lean into the old 1960s slogan “Make love, not war.” But when it comes to robots, the whole “love” thing (or a facsimile thereof) is an issue, too.
Scientists are hard at work creating hyper-realistic androids and gynoids that, of course, can be tailored to appeal to whatever physical desires their human buyers might have. And there’s more: According to Medium, these robots will cater to emotional needs, too: “You can talk with your sex robot about your problems, then cuddle, have sex and cuddle again. It will feel like a real person, an actual significant other, and you may even engage in a relationship with it.”
Pornography has already had a huge impact on our marriages and on our kids. It can be corrupting and damaging. Now add in a human-like body, designed especially for us, that will talk with us, too? All of a sudden, we’ll have the ability to feel companionship without all the messes of, y’know, engaging in a real relationship.
We’ve talked about the dangers of digital relationships before. Hollywood has done its own speculating over the issue. But the potential impacts in this arena are indeed terrifying.
Nanobots
Robots don’t need to be our size to be scary. Scientists have developed nanobots: microscopic robots that promise huge advances in the world of medicine. But these teensy little suckers, like their big robotic cousins, could be programmed not to save lives but end them. (Just check out what happened in Agent Cody Banks.) Writes Bernard Marr for Forbes, “Weaponized nanobots could kill a specific person or group of people, or even rewrite their memories so they turn against their own side.” And just like anything that uses a computer, they can be hacked.
Yep, that doesn’t worry me at all.
AI Singularity
Ah, the singularity—the moment when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, and, if Hollywood’s right, the moment we’ll all fall into the world of The Matrix or The Terminator. (You can also read Plugged In’s own speculations in “What Would Happen If AI Took Over?”)
In truth, some doubt that the singularity will ever happen, but a lot of experts believe we’re just years away. It’s already hard to tell whether something was written by ChatGPT or a human. Give it a few more years and it may be downright impossible.
While many believe that the singularity is something we should all look forward to—I mean, computers have been beating us at chess for years now, and the world hasn’t exploded yet—we just don’t know. And that’s the thing: Nothing is more terrifying than the unknown.
Transhumanism
So, if AI is going to get smarter than us anyway, why not join ‘em? That’s what transhumanism is all about—a blending of organic humanity with digitized artificiality. What might it look like? A flash drive stuck in our skulls? Our brains placed in artificial bodies?
I’ll not spend too much time here, because we’ll be publishing a dynamite blog by Bret Eckelberry on the subject early next week. But the idea of plugging myself into a computer just feels wrong.
Deepfakes
OK, suppose we survive the singularity. We get over our fears of becoming cyborgs. How do we know that what we see or hear or read online is actually real?
This, of course, is a concern already. Deepfake technology is getting more realistic by the minute, it seems, which makes it ever more likely that we’ll be taken in by a fabricated video or the simulated voice of a loved one. “Deepfakes can be used to create images and videos of anyone, including celebrities, politicians or technology leaders, and could be used to support any agenda,” Marr writes. And that can trigger not just misplaced outrage but societal distrust.
Virtual Reality Addiction
As it becomes harder to tell what’s real from what’s digital, the desire we may have to slip into a wholly digital world would seem to grow. We may lose interest in the real world altogether.
This fear blends with transhumanism. According to Medium, the two most exciting and terrifying developments in virtual reality are Immersive Reality (where another reality is “injected” into your brain) and Brain-Computer Interfaces (which manipulates the brain itself). The former may give you such an enticing virtual world that you don’t much care for the real one. The latter could “turn you into something that is not human, or at least deprive you of basic human experiences.”
And that brings us to a paradox perhaps endemic to most of this list: If we grow ever more fearful of the technology around us, the temptation to use technology to escape that fear may itself grow apace.
3D Printing
Like most of the stuff on this list, 3D printing can be pretty awesome. I have a tooth crown in my mouth right now that was “printed” in my dentist’s office. I’d love to have a 3D printer myself: all the better to print myself some Batman action figures. You can print just about anything these days—but that includes weapons, including guns without serial numbers.
According to the BBC, “3D-printed guns could become ‘the weapon of choice’ for criminals and violent extremists around the world.” They’re largely untraceable, and gun blueprints are spreading like crazy.
Quantum Computing
You think computers are powerful now? Just wait. Experts say that practical quantum computers (computers that scrap traditional bits for more complex qubits) are just around the corner (5 to 10 years away). And those computers will be exponentially more powerful than what we have now. According to Spinq, Google’s quantum chip Willow recently spent 5 minutes solving a problem that the world’s fastest traditional supercomputer would need 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years to solve. Give or take.
That’s great, right? Well, maybe not. The issue is that those quantum computers can break through pretty much any traditional security system we have. And that spells problems not just for our bank accounts but for national security, too. Oh, and all those killer robots and nanobots that might be on the horizon? Yep, they’ll be prime targets for quantum hackers. Surely quantum computers will allow us to develop more secure systems, too, right?
Well, let’s hope.
Designer Babies
Thanks to advances in genetic engineering, we may soon genetically modify babies before they exit the womb. We might be able to eliminate birth defects, change the color of our babies’ hair, make them potentially smarter or stronger.
The technology, in fact, is already here. In 2018, a Chinese scientist “created” the world’s first genetically edited set of twins. (While the twins were born healthy, the doctor went to jail.)
This poses a lot of potential issues, of course. But one of the biggest would be the pressure on parents to create better, more beautiful babies—kids with a leg up on their natal competitors. Think about how cutthroat parents can be in trying to get their children into the best preschool. Or how Instagram Face encourages tweens and teens to strive for an unrealistic and homogenized form of beauty.
Genetic modification just might ensure that your future kid has blue eyes and blond hair, but they could be joining a host of other genetically modified blue-eyed, blond-haired kids in daycare. If you’re worried that your own racial makeup could be a drawback in the job market, you might even be able to change that in your kid, too. If you have the money, of course.
But the Bible reminds us to treasure our diverse natures—not eliminate them. After all, as Colossians 3:11 reminds us, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”
The Truth About Technology
Technology is wonderful, and potentially awful. We have much to look forward to, and perhaps something to fear. But it’s important for us to remember that, while these and other technological advances may frighten us, they don’t scare God.
Our world is changing, and we’re forced to change with it. We’re guiding our kids through some exciting, shifting and, yes, terrifying times. But in the midst of all this change, we can remind them—and remind ourselves—that we’re rooted in the greatest constant in the universe: God. Christ. The Holy Spirit.
“What is truth?” Pilate once asked. In our ever-changing world, society is asking that same question more and more. But the answer is the same now as it ever was. As the world questions its future, remember that answer.
