Need for EI in an AI Changing World
The currently recognised industrial,
commercial and political world order is struggling in a frenetic global
atmosphere of disruption, the like of which homo sapiens has never
encountered before. The pace of change, the sheer quantity of new
technologies, widening disparity between the well-off and the disadvantaged,
political unrest, mass migrations, international terrorism, cyber crime,
climate change, addictive social media, vacuous celebrity culture,
environmental pollution – all combine to challenge us and the things we are
used to taking for granted.
Organisations and philanthropic individuals are emerging with the potential to command future generations for good and bad alike. Through innovative strategies and competent delivery, certain powerful companies are increasingly able to control the global means of communication, and they own vast amounts of our personal data. Just one area of communicative change is social networking, both helpful for friendship but also harmfully manipulative - fake news, political interference, targeted addictive content. As you would expect, all smart global organisations embrace Artificial Intelligence.
Naturally, the development of AI can be seen as a driving force for amazing advances, from life-saving medical interventions, robotic landmine clearance, autonomous vehicles, planetary mineral extraction to removing menial tasks etc. However, unintended consequences and threats from ethically dubious AI interactions are ever with us. We already anticipate some of these intrusions, including suspect cognitive enhancements and the manipulation of human emotions. We can further speculate that AI could be used to interfere sinisterly with that inexplicable human characteristic - consciousness itself.
As bystanders caught in the web of change, how can we survive this futuristic onslaught? We can become more aware of what is actually going on. We can learn to operate, where and whenever feasible, outside these powerful new global structures. We can find ways to salvage self-respect, compassion and dignity, and work for fairer societies. And we can positively harness our Emotional Intelligence in a novel way by consulting the Mindful Runes©.
Return to Context
Organisations and philanthropic individuals are emerging with the potential to command future generations for good and bad alike. Through innovative strategies and competent delivery, certain powerful companies are increasingly able to control the global means of communication, and they own vast amounts of our personal data. Just one area of communicative change is social networking, both helpful for friendship but also harmfully manipulative - fake news, political interference, targeted addictive content. As you would expect, all smart global organisations embrace Artificial Intelligence.
Naturally, the development of AI can be seen as a driving force for amazing advances, from life-saving medical interventions, robotic landmine clearance, autonomous vehicles, planetary mineral extraction to removing menial tasks etc. However, unintended consequences and threats from ethically dubious AI interactions are ever with us. We already anticipate some of these intrusions, including suspect cognitive enhancements and the manipulation of human emotions. We can further speculate that AI could be used to interfere sinisterly with that inexplicable human characteristic - consciousness itself.
As bystanders caught in the web of change, how can we survive this futuristic onslaught? We can become more aware of what is actually going on. We can learn to operate, where and whenever feasible, outside these powerful new global structures. We can find ways to salvage self-respect, compassion and dignity, and work for fairer societies. And we can positively harness our Emotional Intelligence in a novel way by consulting the Mindful Runes©.
Return to Context