#221 - Post Digital Era: The New Values

The Webrain report "Collaborative Robotics: Human and Machine Symbiosis" focused on how humans and robots coexist and introduced Dr. Ben Shneiderman's theory of Human-centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI). This theory suggests that humans should always be at the center of a system, and that AI should exist in a way that supports humans. Gartner also mentions Augmented Intelligence, which supports human abilities and experiences, arguing for the importance of combining automation technology with human decision-making. Nowadays, the relationship between humans and technology is also examined from the perspective of ethics and philosophy. For example, Ivan Illich, an Austrian philosopher, uses the word "convivial" to describe how humans should aim at working passionately and follow their desires while using tools with appropriately limited functions. However, as we look at technologies such as advanced automation and artificial intelligence that rival human capabilities, it is hard to consider them to be “appropriately limited tools” anymore. In this report, Webrain expands the view from the technological trends of convenience and productivity and discusses the new values rooted in "humanity" in nations and companies that have grown up in the post-digital era.