IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2020 - 35
OPINION
Dirk Messner
Redefining and
Renewing Humanism
in the Digital Age
e are at a crossroads.
The convergence of
Artificial Intelligence
(AI), big data analytics, and machine
learning has rapidly produced some
remarkable technologies: voice,
face, and odor recognition technologies for precise personal identification; statistical algorithms predicting
human behavior and preferences;
camera and sensor networks tracking, monitoring, and analyzing
human activities; and bots of sufficient sophistication to masquerade
as human actors in 280 characters.
However, when all these digital
technologies meet authoritarian
governments or powerful private
actors (creating business models
based on personalized data, not
embedded in effective public governance structures for data protection), privacy, human rights,
democracy, freedom, and dignity
are at stake. Repressive regimes
no longer need to rely on the blunt
tools of repression, oppression,
and suppression [1], [2]. With unrestricted access to and control of
information technology and communication infrastructures it is
possible to use these digital instruments to manipulate and shape
data collection, information flows,
W
ISTOCK
Preserving Cornerstones
of the Enlightenment
public debate, and public opinion.
Now regimes can build surveillance
societies [3], manipulate electoral
districts and democratic elections,
undermine the independent press
and academic freedom, and control
and destroy democratic movements
and the right to protest.
Bearing in mind that in 2020
more than 50% of the global population is living in non-democratic
states, and keeping in mind the dis-
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2020.2991498
Date of current version: 18 June 2020
JUNE 2020
∕
IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE
turbing trend to authoritarianism
of populist leaders in supposedly
democratic countries, it is easy to
develop dystopian scenarios about
the destructive potentials of digitalization and AI for the future of freedom, privacy, and human rights. But
here it will be argued: this is only
half the story, the dark side. The light
side is that AI and digital innovations
could also be enablers of a Renewed
Humanism in the Digital Age.
35
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2020
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