Technological inventions aim at assisting and promoting the efficiency of human activities (Sollie, 2007). Notably, technology advances every other day, as inventors compete to introduce their latest development. Similarly, society reveals unusual patterns of technology absorption. Today, for instance, for every passing minute, users upload more than twenty-four hours of video content. Sollie (2007) notes that such high paces of the invention can, at times, present grey areas in technology, especially regarding ethics. Since inventors develop technology to complement human activities, there is a need to incorporate ethics in the development process to ensure that it does not jeopardize human nature.
One ethical issue that technology presents to human nature is its attempt to mimic human-like functions. For instance, some algorithms imitate the logical reasoning of the human mind. The use of such technology may be vital in eliminating human error. Nonetheless, recent developments in technology portend negative consequences to humanity alongside with their intended purpose. Regarding the issue of human imitation, for example, recent technological developments present with high levels of uncertainty (Sollie, 2007). One approach to view this new trait is that human interactions with machines will be authentic, almost to the extent of passing for a real person. Perhaps, the uncertainty may cause devices like robots to be happy, sad, or even angry.
On the flipside, inventions may carry irreparable harm to humanity. Firstly, technology threatens to erode the human work culture by replacing the workforce with machines. While technology’s resourcefulness and accuracy are not in doubt, the potential to replace humankind with devices threatens to restrict the role that humanity plays in society (Stahl, Timmermans & Flick, 2017). Perhaps, the most contentious issue regarding this observation is that capitalists will take this chance to increase their profits and reduce cost subject to their strong influence in legislative matters about technology. Going by utilitarian ethics, technology will effectively empower a few wealthy people to the detriment of the masses, which is a step in the wrong direction. To this end, inventors have the onus to ensure that their technology takes into account human nature and culture.
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While complex and diverse technology simplifies work, it also threatens to shift the power balance to the rich, effectively destroying the society’s power dynamics. From the readings, technology has been linked with limiting the power and control individuals have. By adopting more unlegislated technology, there is the ethical danger of replacing society’s workforce with machines, a fact that could change the current societal power and economic dynamics. It is therefore essential that technology development incorporates ethics in consideration of society’s human work culture.
