Is reality in danger?: Ramesh Shrestha

Truth and reality

Truth and reality are two topics philosophers often debate about. Philosophers define reality as something that exists which we can see (objective reality) and feel (subjective reality which could be contextual such as fever). If you can see or feel, it is the reality. Truth is the belief of the reality that exists – something based on the facts. Truth and reality are the two faces of a coin. With the meteoric rise of information technology, especially with the artificial intelligence (AI) people are now experiencing a virtual reality which lives in cyberspace, snooping on individuals. It is likely that this third reality will be greatly endangered and may even kill the objective and subjective reality of the human psyche which has been an integral part of human beings since birth. Children gradually develop their emotions based on subjective and objective reality as they grow up. Virtual reality has the capability of manipulating and distorting both the subjective and objective reality with simulations thus creating a total confusion bewildering growing children. It creates fantasies, illusions and assumptions and destroys reality. This may be of academic interest to the psychologists and sociologists to examine the impact of virtual reality, especially among children but while the study is ongoing the truth and reality will gradually dissolve in the acidic environment of AI technology – what good is such academic interest?

Are people clever or dumb?

Application of internet technology in science, medicine, industry and manufacturing has made great contributions in human development. It created efficient equipment which assisted doctors in accurate diagnosis of diseases; this technology has the capacity of creating scaffolding with a 3D printer to replace damaged retina so that a blind person can regain vision; the meteorologists can make weather forecast for weeks in advance which helps aviation industry; there are now trains that runs faster than small aircrafts and so on. But the application of this technology in audio-visual communication has very different impacts. While people are able to communicate with anyone anywhere in real time it also has the power to destroy the natural thinking capacity of humans, destroy human emotions and extinguish social values and cohesiveness of our societies and communities. The challenge for the authorities is to regulate this technology to preserve individual and societal integrity of Homo sapiens, supposedly the most advanced and the cleverest creation of nature (or perhaps God).

Our social construct is a dynamic process, derived from our daily experience of our interaction with one another and with nature. We value certain things based on our beliefs and experience. But the new technology has the ability to influence our daily experience with virtual reality that could reshape our thinking. It is giving a new meaning to our thought process. It is undermining the idea of truth and belief, thus distorting the reality. If human beings are clever and smart as the evolutionary biologists made us believe, we will not be doing this disservice to ourselves by allowing us to develop and market software and hardware that plays with human emotions even if it is of scientific interest.

Basic problem

We see around us a ten-year-old child submerged in a video with headphones watching and listening floating outside the realm of the real world. We even see preschool children deeply submerged in their parent's mobile phones rather than playing with toys. We see adults fantasising about characters in SiFi movies. What is happening is that peoples' consciousness and perceptions have been hijacked by the virtual reality pushed by the communication technology through the entertainment industry 24/7. Of course, people need fun and games and to be entertained but not at the cost of people's emotions, reality and truth. It is not a suggestion to go back to medieval society. One can still drive a Tesla but that does not mean that we should accept everything lying down that is imposed on us by the tech-feudal lords.

Personalised technology imposed on people by using virtual realities presented with exaggerated narrative is modifying human behaviour which impacts people's emotions. It is destroying the independent thinking ability of people, especially children and young people. It is destroying the notion of subjective and objective reality. It is a great disservice to humanity, which may fall on the borderline of criminality. Growing children's experience should be based on conscious events, not on virtual reality imposed on them through games, toys and stories based on illusions. We do not have to be a scientist or economist or historian to see how communication technology is infringing on our domestic environment and personal space. People may say that I am able to write this using such a technology, yes, I am able to do so. The argument here is not against technology per say but the application of technology that negatively influences human cognition through virtual reality, especially in toys and games for children.

Distortion of emotion and mood

Virtual reality technology directly influences our neurosensory system which gives us pleasure whether it is playing a game or reading a book or engaging in intellectual dialogue. Virtual technology is implanting a diversion or a detour taking people away from normal thinking processes and taking people to a virtual world which plays against people's emotions. When this happens repeatedly people's thinking and approach to an event or view is modified possibly forever and make them believe 'this is how it should be' or 'this is what it is'. Depending on what one is watching or listening it can induce a change in mood. The technology can direct people's desire for anything the developers make them want. This is the intrusive power of artificial intelligence that could change people's perceptions, which becomes a 'knowledge' – developed subconsciously. It changes people's opinions and beliefs forever, playing against natural thought processes, a behaviour modification game. The problem is not against technology but on the malicious ways of where and how such technology is applied just to make profit.

The cloning of texts, voices and visuals & pictures have been used in spreading disinformation targeting individuals or groups of individuals. Use of such technology in children's games and toys could destroy their normal process of cognitive and psychosocial development curve. The regular use of such technology will make people dependent on it and destroy social relations, which could induce depression. Even in our daily interaction with computers the system tries to complete our sentences while we are writing. While it may look like fun and make our job easier, its long-term impact could be dangerous, gradually suppressing our critical thinking ability, which is one of the central characteristics of being human. The system assisting our writing would be like replacing our writing skill, which is more dangerous than a self-checkout counter replacing a cashier in a supermarket. Not everything that is possible should be done.

The application of any technology, especially aimed at children, teens and youth needs serious scrutiny as it has a strong potential of behaviour modification which could be beyond anyone's control. Given the idea of freedom for innovation and profit behind it, it may just be wishful thinking; but must give it a try. Parents may need a lot of prayer!

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