The Dark Side of Technology

 

The Catholic Weekly's Light of the World Column gives us the dark side of our technological progress.

 

Robots are replacing humans in many fields due to technological advancement. It is important to reflect on whether to live only immersed in man-made civilization or choose to live the evangelical life that God invites.

 

“A robot moves the battered chicken into an oil pot. And shakes the frying basket. In this way, six deep-fry pots are turned to fry up to 50 chickens in an hour. The rent for the robot is 1.1 million won per month, which is not a small amount, but the labor cost is rising a lot and people are reluctant to stand in front of hot oil, so they say they chose a robot as an alternative.” (SBS News, February 26, 2023) 

 

Few mistakes and fast— These days, when you go to a restaurant, kiosks (unmanned order payment machines) are standard, and many self-driving serving robots have been commercialized. In addition, it is an atmosphere that leaves the cooking of food to robots. In the 3.3 square meter kitchen, 4 robots cook 310 servings of 4 different menus in 1 hour. Although it does not require human hands at all, robots do what few people need to do without error. It is said that robots reduce the burden of high labor costs for operators, and that is why it is an inevitable trend in the era of high prices.

 

Logistics centers that handle tons of baggage are also 100% done by robots. Thanks to this, people do not have to carry heavy and difficult items themselves, there are no safety accidents, and delivery is much faster from the consumer's point of view. From production workers in large factories to unmanned convenience stores in the neighborhood, artificial intelligence is rapidly spreading across all fields of industry.

 

Are you ready to greet the robot? This phenomenon will certainly have the advantage of enjoying the benefits of civilization, but on the contrary, one of the downsides is the concern that many jobs will disappear and job losses will lead to a decrease in purchasing power, intensifying the disparity between the rich and the poor. Furthermore, there is a prediction that 43% of domestic workers will be replaced by robots in Korea, where there are many manufacturing and face-to-face service workers (2018, LG Economic Research Institute).  

 

Therefore, foreign countries with superior technology than Korea are deliberately limiting the pace of AI robot introduction while preserving existing employment and preparing time to prepare for the future. (Robots per 10,000 population in 2016, Korea 531, Japan 305, Germany 301, Taiwan 190, USA 176) But Korea says the speed is too fast.

 

Utopia or Dystopia? Since ancient times, technological development has brought light and darkness to mankind at the same time. Behind the light of prosperous civilization and richness of life, the dark reality that anyone, including myself, could be sacrificed always followed. That is why practicing fairness is important, and the Catholic Church has emphasized that practicing for fairness is God's will (Isa 56:1). Perhaps the proliferation and automation of artificial intelligence robots will accelerate in the future. And the pros and cons will gradually be revealed.

 

What matters is how we ourselves treat the Word of God and our neighbors. Whether we live immersed in man-made civilization or choose the evangelical life invited by God and live a life of passionate love, our reflection as believers is important.

 

 “The first of the great problems facing mankind today concerns the truth about human existence itself. The boundaries and relationships between nature, technology and morality require individual and collective responsibility for our attitudes toward questions of what man is, what he can achieve, and what he ought to be.” (「Brief Social Doctrine」 Paragraph 16)