Technology's a boon and a bane; deploy and use with circumspection

ARTIFICIAL Intelligence (AI) is now an integral part of life. AI-powered, algorithm-driven and blockchain-structured technology is omnipresent and all-pervasive in commerce, travel, communication, medicine, entertainment, education and just about everywhere else.

To say AI makes modern life easier and more convenient would be an understatement. At some levels - in modern medicine, for example - it has become critical. The advent of 5G will simply lift machine-led (or dominated) life to a new level. Today, Apps do everything from movement of money to monitoring human movements. While the benefits of technology are huge, there can be downsides arising from over-dependence on them. When AI can be gamed and programmes hacked, it raises cybersecurity concerns. It is plainly evident and widely acknowledged that fake news and the dark web are clear and present dangers.

At another level, many still fear that - despite the assurances - technology will kill many jobs. Could it also kill human effort and make us just plain lazy? Will over-reliance on machine-assisted communication kill our interpersonal touch? These are all valid debates. No doubt, many simple, mundane and repetitive transactions can be done using technology and machines. But not every task has to be technologically super-amped.