As humanity approaches one of its most tehcnologically advanced eras, the dependancy on virtual assistants has progressively increased. From students to working professionals, every individual seeks the validation and the reassurance of a pre-installment mechanism in our comfort devices; the digital assistants in our smartphones. This essay aims to evaluate the weight of such an unpredictable change in human behaviour, as opposed to what in generally believed of us.
Firstly, if one were to see the current behavioural patterns of the newer generations, it is easily deduced that more than trusting our own understanding and knowledge, people have opted to place their trust in technology. The one and only explanation for this phenomenon is ease. The comfort of being able to have all that would otherwise require tedious manual labor or prolonged hours, at your fingertips is what truly defines this century. However, thinking unbiasedly, is this not leading us into a future where people will be unable to perform a single task, independently? This is the primary factor that makes the whole picture all the more dystopian.
Secondly, even if we were to presume that robots working alongside humans would only improve the quality of life- it is still worth noting that the reliance and convenience will dumb down human capabilities. One of the most important things that one is taught in their early years is the ability to solve problems: from math questions in school to big decisions about financial responsibilities. The umbrella of decision making easily includes important aspects such as critical thinking, problem solving, personal evaluation, planning and predicting, and trusting one’s intuition. At the rate that we, humans, are abandoning our instincts and swapping it for the quick and easy method of “Hey Alexa, what’s the best time to have breakfast?” is concerning.
In a nutshell, I truly believe that the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages of complete and utter relience on technology; especially digital assistants who do the most mundane of tasks for us making humans lose their intrinsic skills.