The Divine Machinery Theory explores how the pervasive influence and use of technology in society has become normalized, often leading to the oversight of its ethical implications.
This theory posits that technology and its tools can be referred to as "divine machinery" due to their widespread integration into daily life. From children and teenagers to adults, technology shapes the way individuals think, perceive the world, and carry out their activities.
The theory proposes that artificial intelligence serves as a second brain for humans, given the widespread presence of technologies like AI chatbots and photo generators in today's society. It does not suggest that AI will replace the human brain; rather, it emphasizes that while the human mind remains active, artificial intelligence takes up most of the space in the human brain.
The theory of adoption and integration posits that as technology advances, it becomes increasingly integrated into all aspects of life, including education and relationships. Over time, society’s dependency on technology grows, making it difficult for individuals to function without it. Ultimately, the effects of technology—whether positive or negative—become intertwined with our daily lives, leading people to become less critical of its influence. And lastly, as technology has been normalized, people would eventually become less aware of the ethical implications and impact around them without questioning their effects on society.
For example, artificial intelligence has its origins around 1952, when computer scientist Arthur Samuel developed a program to play checkers. The main goal of artificial intelligence was to enable machines or software to perform tasks that require human intelligence.
This includes reasoning, problem-solving, language understanding, and various other capabilities. Now, we use artificial intelligence to generate answers, create realistic-looking images, and create music without any musical knowledge.
Another example is social media, it originally served as a tool for connecting and communicating with people, but eventially, it has influenced our self-worth, our appearance, and our mental health.
The goal of artificial intelligence was to enable machines or software to perform tasks that require human intelligence, in today’s society, it’s goal is to provide answers to questions or generate something that could or couldn’t be done by the human hand and mind.
Humans have essential organs such as the heart, brain, eyes, ears, and mouth. In a way, computers are similar. The battery serves as the computer's heart, the motherboard acts as its brain, the webcam represents its eyes, the built-in microphone functions as its ears, and the speaker serves as its mouth.
Something is considered a divine machine if a specific piece of technology, such as a computer and artificial intelligence integrated into daily life, has the potential for both positive and negative impacts, which is accepted without criticism, and if it’s able to create something that a human can also create.
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