Signal

I stop at the red signal and go when it turns green. In a way, I listen to the signal, as if it is real and my thoughts get informed by the signal’s presence. I have to acknowledge its presence (perhaps more than any other vehicular presence) and the basic relation set is between ‘me’ and the ‘signal’. The signal becomes an interface for forming all other movement relations with other forms of transport. Simple to understand. Let’s extrapolate this tendency.

Likewise, any form of machine and the digitization/ automation tool is an extension of a rational mind – proficiency, planning, production, optimization, order, predictability, speed – are some of its dimensions.

We designed the machines so they do work for us – and now we have designed systems, where we need to ‘obey’ the systems so they function orderly! In a nutshell, the systems control ‘us’ rather than the other way round!

In an increasing connected/ global/ digital/ virtual world, the challenge would be to weigh the advantages of automated systems verses human ways of doing things, which are spontaneous, messy, slow, social and culturally inclined. The challenge is also regarding what ‘memories’ does one wish to create – conceived out of human-to-human interactions or human-to-AI interactions?

With human-to-human interactions, we definitely remain human. With human-to-AI interactions, we will need to remind ourselves that ‘we’ are humans having feelings!