The pandemic disrupted supply chains around the world and exposed many weaknesses, but one of the most glaring issues was in microchip manufacturing. Microchips are the engine that runs the modern world, from cars to mobile phones, computers, and electronics of all kinds, disruption to the production of microchips rippled through the world economy. Many industries that require advanced microchips in the manufacturing process experience delays and shortages. The shortages drove the price of goods up and contributed to rising worldwide inflationary pressures.
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has gained a great deal of attention as one of the most important technologies of our time. But what is AI, and why is it so important? In short, Artificial intelligence is the science of developing a system or software to emulate human intelligence. The goal is to give the software the ability to learn and apply knowledge and skills. AI is a process that allows computers to learn and work on tasks that, until now, were reserved for humans.
Leonardo Da Vinci wasn’t born one of the greatest artists in history. His transcendent skills as a painter, sculptor, and inventor were acquired through decades of focused hard work and practice. What most people don’t know is that as a young boy, he began his career as an apprentice. Apprenticeships have a proud history dating back more than 4,000 years and are still in use today.
Though apprenticeships still exist today, parents and teachers in the post WWII era have been “pushing” kids to go to college as a SURE-FIRE WAY of being qualified for a “good” job. The “push” seems to have worked. In 2017, 34.6% of women, and 33.7% of men, had college degrees in the U.S. But, before parents and teachers get kids aboard the “college bound train,” they should consider several potential downsides to the college option.
Rising College Tuition and the Debt Trap.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Telescope and is one of the most expensive single devices built in human history. So far, the cost of the telescope has been more than $10 billion and operational costs will continue to add up over the years. The question is, is it worth it? What will be the return on the incredible investment in time, money, and resources? Some people argue that we should be investing in other more urgent issues, like healthcare, education, or environmental issues. But others believe that the search for new knowledge is essential for humanity's future and that every bit of new knowledge is invaluable.
From its beginning as a relatively simple machine to help people transport heavy equipment to the current iterations that include artificial intelligence and the capability of performing tasks without human assistance, applications for this technology continue to evolve at a robust pace. In this article, we take a look at the current and anticipated future state of the industry and the many uses for robots that have evolved.
Society directs technology, and new technology then shapes society. It is a relationship that has existed since humans first started inventing new technology. Inventions such as the printing press, iPhone, and the internet have had profound impacts on society, but an emerging technology that investors are pouring billions of dollars toward developing, will more likely than not cause the greatest societal change in history--the cure for aging.
In a world where technology is more powerful than ever, we need frameworks through which to view the research and development we conduct. Technology carries both bright hope and dark possibilities for the future, and it is up to us as individuals and as a society to decide which path we want to take. In this blog post, we will explore the bright and dark possibilities of technology and why philosophy is needed now more than ever to make informed decisions about our future.
The pace of technological change is speeding up, which has profound implications for individuals, businesses, and societies. In a little more than 100 years, technological development has taken us from the first telephone call (1876) to the first website (1991). A mere 16 years elapsed between the appearance of the Internet and the first iPhone (2007). Since then, significant technological breakthroughs have included autonomous vehicles, electric cars, tablets, augmented reality, the bionic eye, social media, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering, to list a few. Each new development builds on earlier ones to create ever more powerful technologies. As these technologies proliferate and become more sophisticated, they change how we live, work, learn, and play.