Some argue that past advances in technology had a profound impact on many people’s lives compared to relatively recent technological improvements. I completely disagree with this contention as I believe the benefits of both past and modern technological developments are equally important for the general public.
To start, earlier technological developments, especially those made in the 20th century, marked a significant milestone in human civilization. Take the invention of computer chips as an example. The introduction of this technology meant that large-scale mathematical computation could be executed with great speed and effort. This, as a result, helped people in domains like civil engineering, medicine and architecture to overcome technical problems in their fields and make novel solutions, which would then radically improve the lives of millions of people across the world.
The same could be said of latest technological developments. Recent advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence have prompted fundamental changes in the workplace, streamlining government as well as business operations. This, in turn, has liberated people of complicated transactions as well as mundane clerical work, allowing them to engage in more meaningful pursuits instead. Similarly, cutting-edge technologies in the field of medicine including DNA mapping and gene editing come with a promise of a brighter future for many people who suffer from genetic predispositions and underlying chronic conditions. With the help of these advances, doctors can now provide more accurate diagnoses and eliminate birth defects.
Having considered some examples of both past and present technological inventions and their impact on the lives of ordinary people, I am more convinced that inventions from both eras have such important implications for human lives that they cannot be brought into comparison.