Person or Property? - That is the Question... “From a legal perspective, this is a complicated area, as the algorithms of an AI act as a “black box” — even the creator of the artificial intelligence is not always sure why the algorithm made a certain decision," ~ Marten Kaevats, Adviser of the Strategy Unit of the Government … Continue reading With robot rights, come robot responsibilities
Category: Ideas
The future of our shared myths
In many ways, common myths are the glue that hold human society together. This does not make these myths "true". It just makes them true enough for a large enough majority to believe in. When people believe in something, really truly believe in it, they will do almost anything to defend that belief, often to the … Continue reading The future of our shared myths
Of Machines and Men
Cyborgs already walk amongst us. Actually, this is nothing new. For decades already we have been able to upgrade our frail human bodies with a pacemaker to keep our hearts pumping, hearing aid implants to help us regain our sense of sound, and metal plates and screws to hold us together when our hips and … Continue reading Of Machines and Men
The Undoing Project
Michael Lewis is one of my all-time favourite authors. Behavioural economics is one of my favourite subjects. It is no surprise that I highly, highly recommend The Undoing Project to anyone who is interested in how we make decisions and how those same decisions can be manipulated using some really very simple physiological tricks. Not … Continue reading The Undoing Project
Blockchain of all the things
The blockchain makes Bitcoin work. It could make a few other things work better too. Here are just three ways the future is about to get a lot more interesting thanks to this deceptively simple technology: (FYI, Bitcoin itself, as in the currency, is a wonderful way to move your money around the world without … Continue reading Blockchain of all the things
Freedom etcetera
We need more of this: And less of blind political correctness and compliance with the status quo. Think for yourself. No-one else will.
Big governments are bad – it’s just good maths
The UK has taken a lot of ridicule for Brexit. Sure, Brexit is still going to cause a lot of trouble, and a lot of expense to a lot of people. However, although I am not sure Brexit is a good idea now (the damage has already been done), the truth of the matter is, … Continue reading Big governments are bad – it’s just good maths
The Elephant in the room
It is no secret. South Africa’s education system is simply not working. We are failing to educate our children so miserably that The Department of Basic Education has now proposed Grade 7, 8 and 9 learners only have to achieve 20% to “pass” maths. This is a great idea if we want to keep pupils … Continue reading The Elephant in the room
The un-purple cow
It used to be that building a great brand came down to creating a brilliant product - a product so brilliant that people who saw it or heard about it naturally wanted to buy it - and tell everyone else about it. Now, millennial marketers have turned that basic principle on its head. Today marketing … Continue reading The un-purple cow
Equality or Liberty?
There comes a time every country, society and individual had to choose between Liberty and Equality; for the two are mutually exclusive. You cannot achieve equality without violating the liberty of others. Likewise the definition of liberty forces one to accept inequality. As for me, I choose freedom over fairness. I accept that I may … Continue reading Equality or Liberty?