Reflecting on Digital Trends

1. Reflecting on Digital
Trends

2. New technologies provide a feeling as we are living in “The Future”,
which usually is described as a minimalist utopia where everything is
either made of glass, or wears spandex.
Rise of New Technologies

3. Not only are we all aware how these new technologies may hinder us
from realizing what is really important, but also, we seem not to be
grasping what they may be doing to us. Instead of rushing to sign up
for the latest services that these technologies provide, we should
rather start to consider about which of these services to give up.
Reflecting on Value

4. As Muslims, our reaction should no longer be in the form of saying
‘that’s so cool”, yet we should start pondering on the crucial impact of
these new technologies on our faith and our relationship with Islam.
Impact on Faith

5. AI’ (Artificial Intelligence) s primary purpose is to maximize profits
despite its predictions of its benefits to society. As long as AI is
dedicated to economic goals and not societal concerns, its tunnel
vision is a problem. R
Tunnel Vision

6. Facebook’s AI somehow completely failed to notice it was being
gamed by other foreign powers. After all, as Facebook users have
often been told, “You’re not the customer—you’re the product”,
various advertisers have been drawn to the platform and it was not
the job of Facebook’s AI to do anything but maximize the platform’s
profits.
Products rather than Customers

7. Such examples for lacks of a broader lens are at the root of growing
concerns that automation is going to mean the loss of a significant
number of jobs. While AI will probably exacerbate inequalities,
wealth created by AI is likely to be concentrated in a few companies.
Loss of Jobs

8. According to the McKinsey & Company report, 'A Future That Works',
51% of all the work done in the U.S. economy could be automated at
a savings for companies—and loss in workers’ salaries—of $2.7
trillion.
A Future that Works?

9. The New York Times cites Google Photos tagging black people as
gorillas and the algorithms in Nikon cameras assuming Asian people
are blinking. Moreover, as a Carnegie Mellon study found, Google is
targeting ads for high-paying jobs primarily at men.
Fallacies of AI

10. Our best defense against this danger to our society is to educate
ourselves and our children about AI and machine-learning technology
so we aren’t treating AI as some sacred form of modern magic whose
workings and effects we’re forced to unquestioningly accept. Leaving
aside robot overlords for now, it’s the short-sighted greed of our
human ones that should worry us.
Overcoming Greed