Originally written on 07th Jun 2024
The overall feedback from the dragons was positive. They affirmed this topic to be relevant and contemporary. The questions that arose were around the specific field that I was looking at. Initially I had intended to look at this subject from a legal and technology point of view, but upon reflection I believe that pivoting to the cultural impact of this technology would be far more productive for me. Understanding the impact of this technology and its surrounding legal debate would paint a clearer picture the direction in which creative society would head.
My reasons for selecting the cultural application is not arbitrary, it stems from my work and expertise in the field. Without a technology or legal background, I would not do those fields justice. Of course, all these fields intersect at points and influence one another, which is why in the larger story it is important to look at different aspects deeper. My intention moving forward is to pivot my research to understand the technology, it’s applications and limitations; possibly even it’s potential for the times to come. New technologies have been coming into existence since the prehistoric era, often facing initial backlash from those it seeks to assist or replace. More often than not it has been seen that over time, they are embraced through a changing social mindset. An example that comes to mind is the cotton Jenny, which in the late 18th century created fear amongst yarn spinners of increasing competition. In 1768, spinners also broke into the inventor’s house to destroy his machines to prevent what they perceived as the taking away of their work. Over time however, the Jenny created new avenues of work and expression as the increased productivity led to the drop in price of threads and yarn and allowing people to diversify their work. The invention took a long time to replace the truly “artisanal” spinners as quality continued to be an issue. This is just one story amongst many about emerging technologies, the threat they pose, the opportunities they bring and the cultural impact they create. The work on development of machine learning (Artificial intelligence systems) is unlikely to stop and it’s true impacts still far from certain at this point.