Killing Technology... How Far Has It Come?

I am not writing this article to scare anyone, nor to belittle technology and its importance; for technology has been and continues to be a cornerstone of human development, an important tool for serving humanity and its advancement, enhancing the knowledge economy, and expanding human horizons to achieve complete human prosperity in economic, social, scientific, and other important areas.

However, the noble purpose for which technology was created in our lives was not the only path humanity took, unfortunately. Instead, some decided to employ the outputs and tools of technology to move from construction to destruction, and from a platform for salvation to a tool for devastation, serving the ambitions and financial aspirations of those in power.

Between this and that, the problem has never been with technology, but rather with the mind that transfers it from areas of good to squares of evil, in a way that has reinforced circles of destruction with the development of various technologies, as if the lords of evil are lurking for the growth of technical capabilities to implement their diabolical ambitions. With the development of artificial intelligence, successive generations of communications, mobile phones, internet technologies, autonomous systems, and advanced computing, diabolical possibilities are no longer theoretical, but have become a reality whose escalation humanity witnesses day by day.

Let's look, for example, at drones, a technology that began for civilian and humanitarian purposes, aiming to transport humans to places they could never reach to achieve the desired developmental progress in agriculture, relief, environmental quality, natural phenomena, the film industry, and many others – however, the desired human goals soon transformed in some contexts into tools for remote killing, where traditional soldiers disappear, replaced by a technical operator behind a fortified screen, possessing some technical expertise and sufficient knowledge to manage the algorithmic scene and control decisions, without the slightest consideration for the human dimension. With such an approach, killing becomes closer to a "technical decision" devoid of emotions, feelings, and values.

With such development, the concept of "algorithmic weapons" is escalating through artificial intelligence, capable of analyzing big data, identifying targets, and even predicting individual behavior and their routine association with targeted squares, ultimately achieving the desired goals of the developers of such weapons.

The important thing for the operators of death weapons is to be free from any legal deterrents, so they can act outside the framework of law and ethics, and away from monitoring and suppression tools, enabling them to execute their objectives precisely by achieving a precise blend between the worlds of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and others, and creating and harnessing a computerized combination far removed from any human context.

Such an approach is reinforced by the development witnessed in the digital space, which has led humanity towards enhancing cyberattacks that have exceeded the boundaries of digital crime and website breaches, becoming capable of controlling financial systems, banks, facilities, infrastructure, radars, military and medical equipment, hospitals, electricity grids, water systems, and an endless list of targeting areas.

Imagine, then, the ability to steal bank accounts and control nuclear power plants, and intercept ballistic missiles. Imagine if power, water, and alternative energy stations stopped, or even health systems were destroyed with hospitals subjected to digital attacks, or if electricity was cut off from entire countries, or even traffic signals and autonomous control systems for water treatment plants broke down, and an endless list of possibilities and targets.

Also, today, in short, the fear of poor control over technologically supported biological and germ warfare weapons cannot be ignored, through the employment of genetic engineering, to carry out dangerous missions capable of expanding human destruction, and modifying viruses or bacteria and injecting them into humans in a way that multiplies the threat.

All these examples are not intended to malign technology or instill fear of it, but rather to pose a crucial question: Has humanity's ethics developed as much as its scientific capabilities? And is it possible to impose the necessary legal and judicial oversight frameworks? Or is the powerful in this world the one who decides and acts as they please? And will humanity continue to chase the urgent need for innovations without reinforcing its endeavor with an ethical and legal system that cares about results and leads to the birth of a clear regulatory environment whose rhythm is controlled by signing an international code of conduct that keeps technology away from death and destruction?

Our human responsibility is enormous, starting from scientists and intersecting with decision-makers, passing through developers, and reaching the poor citizen.

Humanity must not allow technology to act as an independent entity, but rather a clear reflection of values and choices related to the human right to prosperity, not in the manufacturing of death, so as to avoid any ethical slips that may be difficult to contain later.

Finally, humanity must strive to direct technology to serve humanity, not to turn into a platform against it! The beginning is within us, not with machines. To be continued!

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