Advances in technology throughout the entire human history has sought to make our lives easier. But what do we do when our systems become redundant as a result? The Second Machine Age postulates the idea that with greater technological innovations, software-driven machines may eventually substitute the role humans play in completing cognitive tasks. The accelerated evolution of automation and artificial intelligence indicates that this may soon become a reality.
The Second Machine Age matters because disruptive technologies do not stop at self-driving cars and mobile virtual assistants. Global capital has increasingly looked towards machine-based technology for cheap and efficient labour, and on the other hand emergence of tech enabled start-ups have grown in recent years creating more and new jobs, disrupting traditional businesses. Meanwhile, our daily lives have become significantly dependent on technology changing the way we work, interact, and perceive information; Are our policies, governance and education systems adapting fast enough? We need to start thinking about the social shift that the machine age has brought and rethink the way we do things.