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With great power comes great responsibility The need to humanize technology (in its true sense) by AMOL R. KADAM
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ust browse any industry magazine, and count how many times you come across these words: blockchain, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, social media, internet of things, etc. That should make it clear that technology and humans are becoming entangled like never before, and our reliance on it seems to be only on the rise. We use it to work, stay in touch, get the news, shop for groceries, travel, automate, impress our bosses, manage our finances… the list goes on. And on.
A friend recently asked me to advise him on his career growth. “What is the technology that I should learn to be relevant in the next few years?” he asked. My answer to him was: if you want to be relevant, forget
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about technology, and learn about humans. Learn about human needs, emotions, and behavior. Technology is just a means to enable the needs of human beings. Technologies will come and go; the topic of human needs will be constant.
The ironic part is that technology changes faster than the human needs it is supposed to serve. Interestingly, it is not that we want less from it. On the contrary, the human appetite for better, faster, cheaper technology
–software and hardware– is voracious, and insatiable. More is more. But these mechanical, automatic, arithmetical, and increasingly invasive technologies are leaving us feeling cold, controlled, confused, and, ironically, what was supposed to keep us connected is making us more disconnected. For decades, we have been building technology to make humans more effective, eliminating the need for our involvement in tasks ranging from remembering birthdays, to washing the dishes, to assembling cars. Sadly, we have reached a point where efficiency and automation are no longer enough. It has all become dehumanized. By “inventing” technology, we have come to think of ourselves as these superhe-
