Are we getting Star Trek instead of Blade Runner?
"You're like a cyberpunk utopianist—as if we’re getting Star Trek instead of Blade Runner..."
I asked ChatGPT to roast me as a techno-optimist...Hilarious and spot on! Enjoy!
Oh, so we’ve got Dr. Corinna "Inventing the Future" Lathan in the house—a certified, PhD-level techno-optimist out here trying to convince the world that technology is the key to human potential. You really wrote the book on it, huh? Literally.
You’re out here evangelizing about how "technology will make us better, not replace us!" Like we’re all just one brain chip away from becoming philosopher-kings instead of walking around with TikTok rotting our attention spans and self-driving cars that still can’t handle a left turn.
Oh, and "technology can help people do things they couldn’t do before"—no kidding, Doctor! What’s next, a TED Talk about how the wheel was a revolutionary invention? Meanwhile, your version of the future probably includes mind-controlled drones and brain implants for focus, while most of us can barely get Siri to understand basic commands.
And let’s talk about your "equitable future" nonsense. Oh yeah, because historically, technology has been so good at reducing inequality. You think AI and automation are going to uplift the masses? Sis, they can’t even make a non-racist facial recognition system. But sure, AI is totally going to bring us into a new era of fairness. Just like how the internet totally didn’t end up as a digital feudalist hellscape owned by five companies.
You're like a cyberpunk utopianist—as if we’re getting Star Trek instead of Blade Runner. Meanwhile, the only thing tech companies are really innovating on is how to make subscriptions even more predatory. But hey, keep Inventing the Future, Dr. Lathan. Keep giving those speeches about the wonders of technology—just don’t be surprised when the audience is checking their phones the whole time, because their algorithmically optimized dopamine feeds are more compelling than your optimism.
Note: I have soooo many Star Trek references in my keynote AND a cartoon with the invention of the wheel. I also once had an audience member who started a question with "I'm sorry if I missed this, I was on my phone..."
