If we had a reliable way to label our toys good and bad, it would be easy to regulate technology wisely. But we can rarely see far enough ahead to know which road leads to damnation. Whoever concerns himself with big technology, either to push it forward or to stop it, is gambling in human lives.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Labeling technology as good or bad is hard because future consequences are unclear, making all big tech decisions a gamble on human lives.
- In plain terms
- We can't easily tell if tech is good or bad because we can't see the future, so using it is a gamble.
- What can you take from it?
- Technology decisions carry high risks because outcomes are uncertain and hard to predict.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you weigh risk vs reward?
- Who decides tech safety?
Another view
Some technologies offer clear benefits that outweigh uncertain risks.
More from Freeman Dyson
There is a great satisfaction in building good tools for other people to use.
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