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Brief History of the Industrial Revolution
Throughout history, people have been dependent on technology and use the technology they have available to help make their lives easier and at the same time try to perfect it and bring it to the next level. This is how the concept of the industrial revolution began. Right now, we are going through the fourth industrial revolution. The following provides a brief list of the previous ones
The First Industrial Revolution of 1765 followed the proto-industrialization period. It took place from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th. The biggest changes came in the industries in the form of mechanization. Mechanization enabled agriculture to be replaced by industry as the backbone of the societal economy. At the time, coal was extracted on a massive scale along with the significant invention of the steam engine which created a new type of energy that later on helped speed up the manufacturing of railroads, thus accelerating the economy.
The Second Industrial Revolution started at the end of the 19th century, with huge technological advancements in industries that facilitated the emergence of a new source of energy—electricity, gas, and oil. This revolution resulted in the creation of the internal combustion engine that started to reach its full potential. Other important points of the second industrial revolution were the development of steel demand, chemical synthesis and methods of communication such as the telegraph and the telephone. Finally, the inventions of the automobile and the aeroplane at the beginning of the 20th century are the reason why, to this day, the Second Industrial Revolution is considered the most important one!
The Third Industrial Revolution 1969 brought forth the rise of electronics, telecommunications and, of course, computers. The third industrial revolution opened the doors to space expeditions, research, and biotechnology through the new technologies such as nuclear energy production. In the world of the industries, two major inventions, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and Robots, helped give rise to an era of high-level automation.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also titled Industry 4.0, started at the dawn of the third millennium with the one thing everyone uses every day—the Internet. The Fourth Industrial Revolution shapes the world. Worldwide economies are based on them. Programmes and projects are being implemented worldwide, focusing on helping people take advantage of its benefits during their everyday lives. However, there is one increasing concern that, contrary to previous Industrial Revolutions, a sharp rise in unemployment might create an existential crisis not experienced in previous Industrial Revolutions.
The looming Existential Crisis caused by AI
We are entering an age where reality can be fabricated, and no one can tell the difference. It is a landslide, and it will not recede. There are two possible views: First, no matter how great or terrible you think AI may be, engagement is not an option. You will adapt or you will die. How quickly or how slowly is anyone’s guess. Second, AI will not destroy us. Instead, we will destroy ourselves, as we give up our minds and our social institutions to control AI.
The necessity of adaptation: Within ten years, peer-to-peer connections uninhibited by geographic distance became the most powerful source of change. Despite the positive effects such as the use of AI for therapy and companionship, the majority of human activity is driven by a fear of our own mortality alongside an existential crisis most of us avoid until it is forced upon us. Human technological innovation is also primarily driven by this fear, along with our refusal to accept reality. This collective refusal produces the inevitable cycle of crisis, represented through wars, famine, diseases and communal/civilization collapse.
An interesting contribution to this discussion comes from Yuval Noah Harari, professor of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the author of “Nexus,” a book about the history of information networks from the Stone Age to AI. The key question of “Nexus” is why humans are so stupid on the verge of destroying them? The following summarizes two chapters presented by his book:
The biggest risk is misunderstanding what AI actually is
The acronym AI traditionally stood for artificial intelligence, but according to Harari it is more accurate to think about AI as an acronym for alien intelligence because the term ‘artificial’ gives the impression that this is an artifact that we create and control. AI is becoming less and less artificial and more and more alien in respect to the fact that we cannot predict what kind of new ideas and strategies it will create. As a result, there is plenty of hype generated by AI, especially in marketing new products and services. If you want to sell something to people today, you connect to an application of AI. One of the key moments in the evolution of AI goes back to 2016 when AlphaGo from Google defeated Lee Sedol, the world champion at the game of Go. Go is a strategy board game much more complex than chess which was invented more than 2000 years ago in China. The most amazing thing about the victory of AlphaGo was the use of a strategy not seen before. When it played its crucial moves, Go experts did not understand it because nobody has ever played Go like this which in turn indicated that our human minds have explored only a very limited part of what they are capable of for solving complex problems.
Information technology has shaped society
From a historical point-of-view, every time a new information technology was invented, it completely changed society, politics and culture. About 5’000 years ago, one of the most important revolutions in information technology was the result of the invention of writing. Today, from a technical perspective, it did not seem important because to invent writing it required just mud and a stick. However, written information does not imply that its content is really true. The more we flood the world with information – unless we make the effort to construct institutions that invest in truth – the more we will be flooded by fiction, illusion and junk information.
The requirement for institutions investing in truth can be documented by comparing democracies with dictatorships. For AI to take power in a dictatorship is much easier than to control power in a democracy. Because all power in a dictatorship is already concentrated in the hands of just one leader. The AI needs to learn how to manipulate just this single individual in order to take power in the country. Hence, the danger of AI taking power in a country is much bigger in dictatorships with a power-hungry leader than it is in a democracy. Consequently, If we want to ensure that we get the truth we have to invest in institutions that conduct academic research or in media companies that invest in finding the truth. Moreover, we should watch the quality of the information that is fed to our mind. If we feed our mind with fake-information full of greed, hate and fear, we generate sick minds.
Conclusion: We must engage our Minds
Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally focusing ones attention on the present moment, acknowledging your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surroundings without judgment, evaluation, or reaction, helping you become more aware and less overwhelmed by distractions or stress. It is about observing experiences with openness and curiosity, not trying to change them, and it can be cultivated through meditation, yoga, or simply paying close attention in daily life to support mental well-being. To achieve this goal some core principles can be applied:
Present moment awareness, being fully engaged with ‘what’s happening now’ instead of dwelling on the past. Non-judgment by observing thoughts and feelings without labelling them as good or bad and right or wrong. Open attention by paying attention on purpose, gently bringing focus back when your mind wanders. Observation by noticing your internal experiences (thoughts, emotions) and your external environment. Acceptance by allowing experiences to be as they are, rather than fighting them. Skill development by training your attention to stay focused, helping you pause before reacting automatically to situations.
The entire arc of technological progress, and the inevitable rise of AI as the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the most expensive and elaborate mechanism humanity has ever devised. Time will tell if this revolution enables humanity to progress to a new and positive level of existence.