The prospects for the development of digital technologies for the near future are clear: technology will only be faster, smarter, more functional. And how do we change as humans? What happens to a person at a time when physical and virtual objects are increasingly merging and dependent on each other?
— Okay, Google, who sings the song «Hang-glider»? — Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev. — And how old is he? — 65 years old, born on March 19, 1949. — Okay, Google, where is the nearest cinema? — In your opinion the following objects were found no further than three kilometers …
Everyone can conduct such a dialogue with their smartphone today. Thanks to the free Google Search application with a voice service (for the first time in Russian!) Now you can not write down on a piece of paper what to buy in the store — the application itself will remind you of this, and not someday, but only if you go to Auchan . Ask him questions about the calorie content of products, recipes for your favorite dishes, performers of your favorite music tracks, and you will always get the exact answer*.
Of course, this dialogue is not distinguished by the intimate depth, humor and thematic variety that fills the conversation of a lonely writer with the Samantha operating system (Spike Jonze’s film «Her», 2013), dubbed by Scarlett Johansson’s slightly husky sexy voice. Nevertheless, the appearance of a voice service available to everyone is another small, almost imperceptible step of a person and a gadget towards each other. If earlier we expressed emotions in relation to a silent computer or smartphone, today devices can answer us.
What is the next step? Creation of direct “brain-computer” interfaces and living computers based on DNA… Computers that subtly feel what mood you are in and what you need now – make tea or turn off the light… Prospects for the development of digital technologies for the near future are clear. And how do we change as humans? What happens to a person at a time when physical and virtual objects are increasingly merging and dependent on each other?
“Technology has created new opportunities that seriously change the priorities of our higher mental functions,” says existential therapist Elena Stankovskaya. “For example, we partially delegate the function of memory to the Internet, respectively, its role is reduced, and the ability to find and quickly evaluate a large amount of information becomes more important.” “Technological progress is growing, but at the same time, human capabilities are shrinking,” says Yekaterina Zhornyak, a narrative consultant, supporting her colleague. — New features, including Google Search, are designed to make a person freer, but in reality they do not free him at all. Previously, we could check mail once a week, and many current issues were resolved by themselves during this time. Now the increase in the flow of information leads to the fact that we are constantly in touch and are forced to react with lightning speed, while in almost 100% of cases a person experiences negative emotions, gets irritated. The Internet is free to select music, films, books for us, guessing our taste. We do not need to remember anything else, even our own phone number — the gadget remembers and knows everything for us. As a result, we begin to live in a version of ourselves that we didn’t even construct.”
- The art of being online
We unconsciously transfer the same rules to our relationships with a computer that we adhere to in our relationships with other people, say psychologists from Stanford University Clifford Nass and Byron Reeves **. Politeness, flattery, sexism also take place when handling a car: gadgets endowed with a male voice are taken more seriously by us than endowed with a female one, and are much more in demand. A device equipped with a female voice is considered to be knowledgeable in the field of love and human relationships, and a gadget with a male voice is more competent in the technical field.
More emotions!
As for emotions… Sharing your joy or annoyance with technology — even if not with devices, but with robots — is becoming possible today. The Japanese robot Paro is a charming seal that does not speak, but affably waves its flippers, rolls its eyes in bliss when you stroke its head, and purrs with pleasure, like a real cat. This baby learns from a thousand touches of the owner and will react to his mood. At the first exhibition-show «Ball of Robots» in Moscow***, children do not leave it, and adults do not remain indifferent either. At home, many of them have dogs, cats, hamsters, but here it is a completely different matter. It seems to be a car, but generously shares good emotions. It is used in hospitals and nursing homes as an antidepressant. The furry seal, the pride of computer engineering, has entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most efficient therapeutic robot in the world. The French anthropomorphic robot NAO, the most perfect at the moment, will easily take your child’s free time by dancing, drawing, telling a story before going to bed or singing a song. Sensitive sensors allow him to take the child by the hand or hold objects.
The management of the exhibition also considers the English robot Thespian to be part of its team. When producer Natalia appears in the office, he greets: “Hi, Natasha!” and she smiles back. By the way, Tespian is a representative of the creative profession, an actor. It was created specifically for the experimental theater of robots (there is one!). He reads excerpts from Shakespeare with expression, blushing bashfully at the right moments.
“Relations between humans and robots are only getting better,” smiles Natalia Khrebtova, producer of the We Make This agency, organizer of the Ball of Robots exhibition. We look at them, and they look at us. I think we tend to animate them to make up for the lack of communication. But it is likely that in fifty or a little more years we will be able to make live contact with the robots, and, I hope, they will become good friends for us.