The inferior human being

Armin Grunwald also addresses a non-scientific audience with his new book. In his opinion, digitalization should be neither left to its own devices nor to global data enterprises. Instead, we have to actively press for its humane design.

Cover "Der unterlegene Mensch" von Armin Grunwald (ITAS) — Cover: riva Verlag

Everybody is talking about digitalization. Wonderful perspectives for the future are outlined. Comfort and prosperity, more health, and possibly digital immortality await us. However, these new amenities are just one side of the coin. The other shows more sinister attributes: Increasing dependency on digital technologies, the risk of total surveillance, robots taking over jobs en masse, the manipulation of public opinions, or the threatening loss of control of man over technology.

In his new book, which addresses a wide readership, Armin Grunwald, head of ITAS and the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB), takes a critical look at possible future developments in the field of digitalization and points out what we have to expect if our society does not consciously shape technological transformations.

“Der unterlegene Mensch” (The inferior human being) shall contribute to assuring that the widespread concern about digitalization and its possible consequences does not result in passive fatalism but in hands-on commitment. Because, according to Armin Grunwald, it is all about using the wonderful potentials of algorithms, artificial intelligence, and robots for the benefit of all and a promising future. (14.11.2018)

Bibliographical data:

Grunwald, Armin
Der unterlegene Mensch. Die Zukunft der Menschheit im Angesicht von Algorithmen, künstlicher Intelligenz und Robotern. München: riva 2019
ISBN: 978-3-7423-0718-7
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