Will Technological Apartheid Lead To Racial Apartheid In The Age Of The Singularity?
If you believe that technology is advancing at an exponential pace per the predictions of people like Raymond Kurzweil then you have probably heard of the term ‘Singularity’. For those who have not heard of the Singularity let us explain what it means and how it can potentially affect racial dynamics in the 21st century and beyond.
The strict definition of ‘The Singularity’ from Google is 'a hypothesis where the invention of artificial superintelligence will abruptly trigger runaway technological growth, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization.'
Most debates and discussions dealing with ‘The Singularity’ are geared towards technological growth post-Singularity. However we wish to discuss the lead up to the Singularity in the context of technological apartheid.
The reason we here at Afro-Pick.com believe this is worth discussing is because as believers in self-empowerment for our people it behooves us to have a firm grasp on potential future trends and how they can positively or negatively impact our status in the world. For those who scoff at the idea of the Singularity just remember that Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla and SpaceX has recently formed a new company (Neuralink) to merge man with computer - specifically to keep Man apace with the advent of superintelligent AI.
Whether or not we invent superintelligent AI, the quest to do so and many of the other technologies being worked on will fundamentally change our world in the next few decades. From life extension, human augmentation, bio-hacking, human-level AI, and so much more is no longer a dream of science fiction writers but a very real trend that is going on right now.
This trend brings us to the troublesome issue at the heart of technological progress. The fruits of technological advancement are highly unlikely to be distributed in a democratic fashion.
First and foremost, the value of any major advancement will probably be priced out of the range of just about anyone who is not already rich.
Then there is the issue of technological apartheid.
From Wikipedia:
'Technological apartheid is the denial of useful modern technologies to Third World or developing nations. The term is based upon the South African term apartheid, which refers to the practice of keeping certain populations in a separate, lower-class status. It has been used to describe situations that are unintended, such as the absence of computers and information technology in the favelas of Brazil or other impoverished areas.[1] The term also applies to the deliberate denial of technology for geopolitical or neocolonialist reasons. The government of Iran has characterized the efforts by Western governments to deny nuclear technology to Iran as technological apartheid.'
Our concern is that in an exponentially advancing technological world, some groups will rapidly advance beyond other groups in a fashion that will create a new world-wide class system that will be to a significant degree based on race.
It only takes a quick search of Google to understand that most of the poorest countries in this world are populated by the peoples of the African Diaspora.
Whether unintentional due to the economic poverty within the African Diaspora which will limit most of our people from sharing in the benefits of technological progress or intentionally in order for the ruling or dominant group(s) to maintain power over those groups who are not as technologically advanced it is certain that without extensive investment throughout the African Diaspora – we will be left behind.
Sure there will be individuals who do well and perhaps some in richer countries will be fine, but as a whole, the African Diaspora will be at an extreme disadvantage if we do not begin preparations now.
To summarize and answer the question of this post, we here at Afro-Pick.com believe strongly that current trends paint a picture of a world where human beings will be capable of influencing their own evolution to a degree once considered impossible. We believe these capabilities are in their infant stages but that they will progress exponentially and thus will come upon us much quicker than we can imagine and that even prior to the Singularity our capabilities will be very advanced by today’s standards. We believe that a conservative estimate of such capabilities is no further than fifty years away from fruition and that due to the economic state of the African diaspora worldwide at this time; the vast majority of us will be at the mercy of other groups who are further along in their investment and advancement of technology. So our position is a resounding YES – Technological Apartheid will lead to Racial Apartheid in the age of the Singularity – but only if we enter that age without forethought.