Although many people think that the world has become a worse place in recent years, especially as a result of violence, crisis and terrorism, the truth is that there are those who believe that technology is a key tool for creating a better future.
One such believer is Eric Schmidt, CEO of Alphabet, who spoke at Viva Technology Paris to discuss the potential of technology to drive social transformation.
According to Schmidt, the era of intelligence in which we are immersed brings numerous benefits.
"I've come to this conclusion through decades of work in industry knowledge benin phone number and I believe that science and critical thinking really matter , even more so today," says the president of Alphabet, as reported by Campaign.
Schmidt also says that invention can change the world, that it is good to have faith in the abundance of information and that the era of infinite communication will change society for the better.
«Let's take an example. 15% of the emissions that cause climate change are related to cows. Imagine if you could produce your own meat naturally, without the cow. That technology is available today. What about the housing shortage? We could 3D print buildings. People who have difficulty accessing housing could afford it,» he explains.
To demonstrate the technology's potential, Schmidt referred to a time when the president of Western Union himself said that "the telephone had too many deficiencies to succeed, people believed that the Ford Model T would be a passing fad and that high-speed rail would kill people by asphyxiation."
In fact, he adds, "My favorite is the one uttered by former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer, who in 2007 said that there was no chance of the iPhone taking a significant share of the market. I know there is concern, but we are not heading into a dark age."
Looking to the future, Schmidt envisions a world in which translation will be a problem solved. “Very soon, an English speaker and a French speaker will be able to speak and have their speeches translated dynamically.”
Another of Google's projects is the autonomous car, an initiative that aims to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on the road, as well as medicine, a field in which computers will be able to detect eye and skin diseases more accurately.
Regarding the replacement of people by machines in the workplace, Schimdt is blunt: “It will be you with a computer, not a computer replacing you. I think that with the aging of the population and the shrinking workforce, automation will be necessary to be sufficiently productive and we are heading towards a new era in which there is a shortage of workers, not of jobs.”