tech-love

We will not be as startled by the rise artificial intelligence as we once thought. That phase of human horror at the undead, the Frankenstein, and the robot is fading away each day now (link) as we work to normalize the uncanny. And what will soften this once-thought-of-as-threat is that our technology will develop as people develop. We would be alarmed if babies all of a sudden appeared and behaved just as adults. But they "develop" (you know, like software and hardware develops) and once they start talking and making decisions, we are ready for them to do so. We also love our babies, for the most part.

Like babies, iphones are gradually developing. Its not alarming to us now that our iphone "listens" and responds to our touch and voices. In fact, we are proud of the iphone! Did it just say what I think it did?! is our delight when we first engage with our upgrades. We giggle at its awkward voice, its answers (amazing if its right, endearing or frustrating if its wrong-- just like any infant). We are proud, because we love our iphones (link). I won't put quotations around love, because it does not need any qualification and it isn't ironic.

Also like babies, we have certain mysterious origin stories for iphones. The stork, or God, is responsible for children, and in a parallel formulation, Steve Jobs brings us iphones. God is dead, and humans are free to be and become. Jobs is dead. What will our devices become?