It’s even more critical now that we truly put our “big brain” to work

-       Robert McLean

Climate change is the product of man’s big brain – we imagined and thought our way through problems to find technological solutions; solutions so grand and so effective that we are now altering earth’s climate system.

Our 'big brain' is  to be admired,
but now is the time to put it to work.

Subsequently, many continue to see even further technological breakthroughs as the answer to what presently ails humanity and threatens not only it, but many other species that have thrived in what has been a Goldilock’s-like period (not too hot, not too cold) in the Earth’s history.

The technology most envisage has been directed at resolving the obvious, that is controlling the amount of heat from the sun reaching Earth or removing and sequestering the carbon dioxide emitted from our voracious use of fossil fuels, or even both.

However, what Andrew Masterson discusses is a different issue altogether and although the technological changes he envisages are not primarily aimed at resolving, or easing, climate change, the unintended consequence could bring on such changes to our behaviour that the human impact on climate could dissipate, and maybe make it no longer our greatest threat.

The suggestion that we may spend more time in virtual reality (VR) worlds concerns me.

If artificial intelligence (AI) is to allow people more free time, and a “social wage” absolving the need to work to live, we should be spending more time connecting with real people, doing things that answer our needs and those of our neighbour and others around us, and generally learning to live a more socially abundant life, building strong and resilient communities.

It’s even more critical now that we truly put our “big brain” to work.

Read Andrew Masterson’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “As the pace of technological advancements grows, just what jobs – if any – will we be doing in the future?”