Isn't it crazy how these days you have to say the word "human" before the name of a service or machine operation? It used to be just driver, but these days it has to be "human driver" because cars can "fully" drive themselves. It used to be just cashier, but these days it has to be "human cashier" because there are self-checkouts.
Is there anything that beats a child's innocence? I used to watch the 2004 science fiction movie "I, Robot" thinking it was cool. I loved how they even used an Audi concept car (which later went into production as the R8) as Will Smith's ride in keeping with the futuristic theme. But, that was for entertainment purposes only, because now I can't say the same. It gives me the creeps how the seemingly good intentions of artificial intelligence are creating the world depicted in that movie, which is actually based in the year 2035. And then there are all sorts of wacky things from other science fiction movies slowly coming into fruition.
We all have burdens that rest on our shoulders as we get through our daily lives, and for most of humankind, technology has done a fantastic job of easing them. Technology has made communication easier; work can be done more quickly and easily; we can make money without ever setting foot outside our homes. And there are all sorts of other conveniences it has brought! But, what happens when you add money to the equation? Of course, nothing in this world is free, and not just in monetary terms. But, the moment huge chunks of money are made out of something, everybody wants a piece of the action. This then creates an industry where everyone wants to showcase their ability to take things up a notch, so as to get as big of a piece as possible. The problem is that technology has become a cash cow these days, hence everyone is wildly obsessed with coming up with a creation and calling it "convenience". One thing that is admirable about people in the tech industry is how they can tell you how problematic that activity you have been performing all your life just fine and didn't even think about really is. They will tell you how their creation will eliminate the need for you to do A and B, so that you are left with more time and money for C and D, while they make money on it.
Famous car journalist Mat Watson from the YouTube channel noted that some financial experts predicted that the self-driving car technology industry will be worth around $7 trillion by 2050. This came after he noted how "self-driving" technology is only good at repeated events, the things that usually or always occur. When anomalies happen, trouble ensues! Humans are better at reacting to one-off events. The problem is that you can't programme everything into a computer, and you can't be complacent about it. This $7 trillion worth of industry is the reason, he said, why car manufacturers are forcing this technology despite not working. Everyone just wants to capitalise on it!
If the tech industry wasn't profitable, we wouldn't have many of the wild gimmicks we have today. Everything is digitalised, automated, robotic; all in the name of "convenience", and it will only continue to advance from here. You just have to say "human" before anything these days. What's next, a human barber? And that's if robot barbers aren't a thing already, because they are always up to something.
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