In this virtual briefing, WIRED editor Greg Williams and George Dyson, historian of technology and author of Analogia: The Emergence of Technology Beyond Programmable Control, explore how technology has shaped humanity and what’s to come when we develop technologies beyond our programmable control.
With AI developing at a rapid pace, we are beginning to coexist with technologies we can no longer fully control or understand. Fundamental elements around the relationship between nature, human beings and machines are being forgotten in the race for technological innovation.
In this discussion Dyson explores the possibility of analogue machines thinking for themselves, and the likelihood of them taking control of our thoughts. Watch it above or on Youtube here.
George is an expert in the history of computing, the development of AI, and the history and prehistory of the American Northwest Coast. His TED talk on the birth of computing has nearly 1 million views. He is also an author of several books, including Turing's Cathedral, Project Orion, and Darwin Among the Machines, will be releasing his latest book, Analogia, on August 18, 2020.
Analogia goes back through 300 years of history and science to explore the digital revolution and what might come next. The book weaves in the Dyson family’s personal story and the tension between the digital and analogue world in George’s own life. He argues that we’re on the wrong track with AI, and highlights the deep philosophical questions that run through his ideas, addressing the relationship between nature, human beings and machines.
Dyson’s publications broadly cover the evolution of technology and the hidden connections that underpin the digital and beyond-digital transformation of the current age.
Designed as an extension of WIRED’s long-running live conference portfolio, WIRED virtual briefings are punchy, deliberate and engaging sessions that reflect the same high calibre of speakers and programming featured at a WIRED event. Part of the WIRED Foresight series, curated by WIRED editor, Greg Williams.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
