Philosophy of Technology

Technology, in its broadest sense, means “the way we do things”  – which can be manual, mechanical, and electronic.  What does the way we do things say about the evolution of knowledge, and of our perspectives and priorities, over time?  Does our technology reveal the mindset of its inventors, and those who use it?

Technology is the product of human knowledge, applied to a particular purpose.  The applications of our technology change over time, but why do they change and what are the causes of our inventions?  Are there times when we adapt to our technology, and other times when our technology adapts to us?  Who – or what – determines the future course of the way we do things, and how do the rest of us have a say in the matter?  Join in this ongoing dialogue as we explore the frontiers of technology from the combined perspectives of its developers and its users.

Latest Philosophy of Technology

  • Digital Sovereignty Movement Grows as Global Infrastructure Concentrates Under Few Companies

    Digital sovereignty is becoming a defining issue of the digital age, shaped by the concentration of cloud infrastructure under the control of a few U.S.-based big tech companies. Governments, especially in the EU, are responding through regulation and investment to gain control while remaining globally integrated. Advances in AI and the expansion of digital infrastructure and capabilities add new layers of complexity, shifting the challenge from managing data flows to controlling the systems that generate, process, and secure the data.

  • Quantum Governance: Can the Gap Between Technological Acceleration and Risk Management be Closed?

    While quantum technologies rapidly advance as the basis for powerful and globally integrated systems, quantum governance mechanisms remain fragmented and unable to manage the serious risks of the revolutionary technology. Closing the governance gap could help to ensure peaceful, socially beneficial, and sustainable use of quantum technologies, but will require much broader national and international discussions than limited efforts to date.

  • Nations Adopt Digital IDs for Citizens, While Critics Highlight Privacy Issues

    Digital identity systems are becoming core infrastructure, enabling secure access to services like banking, healthcare, and government platforms. Different countries are adopting distinct models, from interoperable systems in the EU to centralized approaches elsewhere. While these systems promise efficiency and security, critics argue they could also reshape how individuals are monitored and granted access to society.

  • Biases and Flaws of AI Decision-Making for Employment and Immigration are Upending Lives

    Increasingly used to speed decision-making in life-changing matters like employment and immigration, artificial intelligence demonstrates biases and other flaws that are upending lives. When human reviewers lack time and resources to vet AI-based decisions thoroughly, disclosure of the decision-making criteria and opportunities for redress are crucial for fairness. Governments are beginning to take notice, and current legal actions could force changes.

  • What Does the Future Hold After “Human Emulators” Make Millions of Workers Obsolete and Unemployed?

    Elon Musk’s xAI plans to sell one million “human emulators,” and the company’s internal tests show how effectively the robots can do the work of humans. The emulators are trained to copy every step of human workers and operate at a small fraction of the cost of real people, but as they make us obsolete what does that mean for our future and how humanity should be responding in the present?

  • Rapid Increase in Fake Online Content Highlights Urgent Need for AI Detection Technology

    Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are making life-like images and content that are nearly impossible to identify as fakes and are being used to violate copyright, for deception, and even for blackmail and extortion. A recent survey found that fakes comprise as many as one-third of the videos recommended by YouTube’s algorithms to new users, while AI-generated content predominates in new websites. Although tools for detecting AI-generated content are improving, they remain unreliable as deception spreads widely.

The Quantum Record is a non-profit journal of philosophy, science, technology, and time. The potential of the future is in the human mind and heart, and in the common ground that we all share on the road to tomorrow. Promoting reflection, discussion, and imagination, The Quantum Record highlights the good work of good people and aims to join many perspectives in shaping the best possible time to come. We would love to stay in touch with you, and add your voice to the dialogue.

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