Transcript Evaluating and Controlling Lecture (Eval)

Evaluating and
Controlling
Technology
CS4020
Overview
•
•
•
•
Information, Knowledge, and Judgment
Computers and Community
The ‘Digital Divide’
Evaluations of the Impact of Computer
Technology
• Making Decisions About Technology
Source of Information :
Evaluating Information
on
the
Web
Web a prevalent source of information.
•
• Is the source good? Not as obvious as in print
medium? Hard on web to even sometimes know who
the “author”/source is.
• Expert information or individual opinion or ‘wisdom of
the crowd’?
– Daunting amount of information on the web, much
of this information is not correct
– Search engines are replacing librarians, but Web
sites are ranked by popularity, not by expert
evaluation
– Wisdom of the crowd - ratings by public of website
– If millions participate, the results will be useful
Evaluating Info on the
Web
• An example: Wikipedia
– Written by volunteers, some posts are
biased and not accurate
– Although anyone can write, most people do
not
– Those that do typically are educated and
experts
Evaluating Info on the
Web
• Wisdom of the crowd
– Problems of unreliable information are not new
– The Web magnifies the problems
– Rating systems are easy to manipulate
• Vulnerable viewers
– Less educated individuals
– Children
– Compared to print media…where you have to
physically get it….we can have wide audience
“find” web material through search engines…
• Responsibilities of site operators
– Should identify user-supplied content
– Make clear which information has been verified
Media on the Web
• Manipulation of images:
– Movies and videos use special effects to add
creativity and enjoyment of entertainment
– People can use technology for deception and
fraud
– Ease with which we can modify digital images and
video
• Should news agencies modify images and videos?
• Faking photos is not a new phenomenon; more
people can do it now because it’s easy
Writing, Thinking and
Deciding?
• Have computer/technology/web tools displaced skills
that were once important??
– Example: Is it okay to create a paper by
“mashing” together other peoples thoughts quickly
found/taken from the web.
• Abdicating responsibility…the future? The now?
– People willing to let computers do their thinking
(computer models…see next slide)
– Reliance on computer systems over human
judgment may become institutionalized
– Fear of having to defend your own judgment if
something goes wrong (so let the
computer/web/technology speak for you)
Computers Thinking for
us: Computer Models
• Computer Models = program/system that
autonomously or semi-autonomously models
a situation and possibly makes decisions or
presents results/ conclusions
Computers Thinking for
us: Computer Models
• The PROBLEM
– How well do the modelers understand the
underlying science or theory?
– Models necessarily involve assumptions
and simplifications of reality…..so, they
produce results that may not be absolutely
correct.
– How closely do the results or predictions
correspond with the results from physical
experiments or real experience? Are they
better than the human experience?
Computer Models…more
• Why models may not be accurate
– We might not have complete knowledge of the
system we are modeling
– The data describing current conditions or
characteristics may be incomplete or inaccurate
– Computing power may be inadequate for the
complexity of the model
– It is difficult, if not impossible, to numerically
quantify variables that represent human values
and choices
Discussion Questions
• Eval.1) How do you evaluate the reliability of
information you find on the Web? How do
your evaluation methods compare to the way
you evaluate information from other sources?
• Eval.2) Some computer models are better
than others. What types of models work
well? What types don't? Why?
• Post your answers on discussion board.
Computers and Community
• It is human nature to form associations based
on common interests and beliefs
• Some feared early technologies, such as
telephones, thinking communication would be
de-humanized
• Computers and the Internet were blamed for
the decline in community involvement and
memberships in clubs and organizations
• But, the Internet provides communities
focused on specialized interests or problems
Computers and Community
(cont.)
• The Internet brings people together from all
over the world
• E-mail and the Internet provide convenient
and cheap ways for families and friends to
stay in contact
• New trends include social-networking sites
such as MySpace and virtual environments
such as Second Life
Discussion Questions
• Eval.3) How convincing is the argument that
electronic commerce threatens small (“brick
and mortar”) community businesses and thus
the health of small communities?
• Eval.4) Do you think that communicating by
text messaging and via social-networking
sites depersonalizes or dehumanizes your
relationships with friends?
• Post your answers on the discussion board.
The "Digital Divide"
• New technologies only available to the wealthy
• The time it takes for new technology to make its way
into common use is decreasing
• Cost is not the only factor; ease of use plays a role
• Entrepreneurs provide low cost options for people
who cannot otherwise afford something
• Government funds technology in schools
• As technology becomes more prevalent, the issues
shift from the haves and have-nots to level of
service
The "Digital Divide"
(cont.)
The Global Divide and the Next Billion Users:
• Approximately one billion people worldwide have
access to the Web; approximately five billion do not
• Non-profit organizations and huge computer
companies are spreading computer access to people
in developing countries
• Bringing new technology to poor countries is not just
a matter of money to buy equipment; PCs and
laptops must work in extreme environments
• Some people actively working to shrink the digital
divide emphasize the need to provide access in ways
appropriate to the local culture
Impact of Computer
Technology
The Neo-Luddite View of Computers, Technology, and
Human Needs:
• Movement of opposition to specific or general
technological development
• Computers cause massive unemployment
• No real need (We use technologies because they are
there, not because they satisfy real needs)
• Computers cause social inequity
• Benefit big business and the government
• Do little or nothing to solve real problems
• Computers separate humans from nature and
destroy the environment
• The term Luddite is a political/historical term relating
to a political movement during the Industrial
Revolution
Impact of Computer
Technology (cont.)
Accomplishments of Technology:
• Prices of food are down and raw materials
are abundant (cheaper to produce w/
technology)
• Real buying power is up (easier to distribute)
• Food supplies and GDP are growing faster
than the population
• Dramatic impact on life expectancy (hmm?)
• Assistive technologies benefit those with
disabilities
Making Decisions About
Technology
The Difficulty of Prediction:
• Each new technology finds new and unexpected
uses
• The history of technology is full of wildly wrong
predictions
• Weizenbaum argued against developing speech
recognition technology
– Mistaken expectations of costs and benefits
– Should we decline a technology because of
potential abuse and ignore the benefits?
– New technologies are often expensive, but costs
drop as the technology advances and the demand
increases
Making Decisions About
Technology
Intelligent Machines and Super-intelligent
Humans - Or the End of the Human Race?
• Technological Singularity - point at which
artificial intelligence or some combined
human-machine intelligence advances so far
that we cannot comprehend what lies on the
other side
• We cannot prepare for aftermath, but prepare
for more gradual developments
• Select a decision making process most likely
to produce what people want
Discussion Questions
• Eval.6) If you could decide what technologies
should be developed, what would you
develop? Why?
• Eval.7) Does the prospect of super-intelligent
robots scare you?
• Post your answers to discussion board.