We look at this interesting and nuanced deep dive into the unintended consequences of technology, and the benefits and downsides that it can bring. Written by Chris Ategeka, it is published by Wiley, you can see more about the book here.
The Unintended Consequences of Technology: reviewed
Chris Ategeka has identified an important area of our lives, that rewards and requires deeper analysis. It has often been said that technology is natural, rather it is humans who either use it for good or evil. Beyond what is now probably simply a truism, Ategeka makes it his business to explore what this really means, and the potential consequences, risks and opportunities that this presents.
We found his chapters on Blockchain, Genomics, and 5G especially interesting and insightful to read. With 5G especially it is interesting how the US has slightly hamstrung itself in terms of its physical networks, resulting in a growing technological deficit with competing geographic entities, China in particular. There are many other chapters which also closely examine, and explain why these are issues that we need to be cognisant of, and understand why they are important.
Well worth reading, check it out.
More about the book
In The Unintended Consequences of Technology, accomplished tech entrepreneur Chris Ategeka delivers an insightful and eye-opening exploration of the challenges and the opportunities at the intersection of technology, society and our planet.
Detailing both positive and negative technology use cases that on one hand have made humanity better, but on the other hand pose a serious threat to individuals and groups across the world, the author suggests a series of steps we can take to deal with the unintended and willfully ignored consequences of technologies.
The bad news is that so long as technology is here, so are its negative externalities. The good news is that with intention, smarts, and safety engineering we can deal with these before they even occur.
This book breaks down what needs to be done – firstly addressing how humanity got into this mess, and then looking at the many exponential technologies and trends with lots of promise but also uncertainty.
The negative consequences of technology are an enormous existential crisis, but solving them should be seen as a huge opportunity. We have the ambition, thanks to the growing global movement led by young people who are deeply concerned. What we need is a will to act.
Whether you are a technologist, a government leader, or a citizen of this world, there are things we can all do to help stop humanity from innovating ourselves into extinction.
Discover the technologies and trends that threaten humanity and our planet— and how we can rein them back in, together
In The Unintended Consequences of Technology: Solutions, Breakthroughs and the Restart We Need, accomplished tech entrepreneur Chris Ategeka delivers an insightful and eye-opening exploration of the challenges and the opportunities at the intersection of technology, society and our planet. Detailing both positive and negative technology use cases that on one hand have made humanity better, but on the other hand pose a serious threat to individuals and groups across the world, the author demonstrates how to avoid allowing powerful technologies to overcome our better natures.
In this book, you’ll:
- Discover how the forces of capitalism, greed and the myths that surround meritocracy when combined with exponential technology pose an existential risk for humanity.
- Explore the many exponential technologies such as gene editing, 5G, behavior modification, cyberspace… that have lots of promise but also uncertainty.
- Consider the future of humanity we wish to collectively build, and whether we can rebuild a capacity for empathy at scale in our tech tools
Perfect for founders, business leaders, executives, managers, Chief Technology Officers, and anyone else [i.e. all human beings] responsible for the use and proliferation of advanced technologies. The Unintended Consequences of Technology is a thought-provoking, must-read resource for those at the forefront of our new technological reality.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHRIS ATEGEKA is an engineer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is the founder of the Center for the Unintended Consequences of Technology [UCOT] a company that focuses on finding solutions to the challenges at the intersection of technology and humanity. He was named to Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 in 2014, is an Echoing Green Fellow, a TED Fellow, and was recently recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
To learn more, visit: helloucot.com/; christopherategeka.com/; Twitter: @chrisategeka
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