Scientists Use “Science Fiction Science” to Study Future Technologies
A group of international researchers is using a new conceptual approach called “science fiction science” to study the social and ethical implications of technologies that do not yet exist. This approach could change the course of future legislation and development.
According to Independent Persian, citing Popular Mechanics, the idea was proposed by Iyad Rahwan from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany, Azim Shariff from the University of British Columbia in Canada, and Jean-François Bonnefon from the Toulouse School of Economics in France. The goal is to simulate future technologies and expose groups of people to controlled, experimental versions of them to gauge social and ethical attitudes and reactions.
The researchers believe this type of foresight can alert lawmakers and developers to potential dangers and prevent unintended consequences. For example, if such simulations had been conducted before the widespread adoption of social media, they could have warned about issues like addiction, decreased self-esteem, or ethical problems. The researchers emphasize that this “a priori” simulation can make the path of technological development more cautious and humane.
One practical example of this method is an app called “Gauge,” which calculates a person’s social credibility score based on the evaluations of colleagues and virtual interactions. This score can be transferred between jobs. Experts have warned that such systems could fuel discrimination in the workplace and marginalize individuals with different communication styles. In response, the European Union has begun to consider a ban on these types of systems.
The list of technologies being examined in this experimental project is extensive, including autonomous vehicles, genetic screening of embryos for desirable traits, and “ectogenesis,” or artificial wombs, which are reminiscent of Aldous Huxley’s critical narrative in his book, Brave New World.
The researchers believe that studying human behavior in the face of future technologies poses new challenges for the social and behavioral sciences. While this path remains on the boundary between science and science fiction, they hope that this method can more accurately predict and manage the positive and negative consequences of new technologies before they enter our daily lives.
