ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE TECHNOCRATIC PARADIGM: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

Authors

  • Sahayaraj Stanley, SJ Arul Kadal, Chennai

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence, Digital Poverty, Greed, Laudato Si’, Power, Pope Francis, Technocratic Paradigm, The Poor

Abstract

We live in turbulent times. Using the tools of technology, humanity slowly surges ahead. Scientific advancements have obviously made our lives better, cosier and trouble-free. The technological progress, which is presented as a paradigm, lies in the hands of the privileged few. Pope Francis, who uses this term ‘technocratic paradigm’ points out that due to this orientation, the human person as the creator and simulator, tends to do more harm than good. The Digital India programme by the government fails to take into account the millions of poor who do not get detected by the technical radar. The victims of this paradigm are the poor and the vulnerable of the society, who are also rightful inhabitants of this planet earth. The Human person, who is a thinking animal, needs to think intelligently towards the wellbeing of the entire society. Technology needs to be pro-poor, pro-planet and prosperity sans fraudulent profit. If unchecked, losing its ethical soul and neutrality, the technological progress will create maximum mayhem and moral madness.

Author Biography

Sahayaraj Stanley, SJ, Arul Kadal, Chennai

Sahayaraj Stanley, SJ belongs to Jesuit Madurai Province, and is teaching in Arul Kadal, Chennai, the Jesuit Regional Theology Centre. He had his licentiate in moral theology from Accademia Alfonsiana, Rome, and his PhD from Innsbruck, Austria in moral theology. His areas of research are: Globalization, Ignatian Spirituality, Leadership Studies and poverty. Email: sahaysj@gmail.com

References

“Artificial Intelligence in Missile Technology,” http://ai.business/2017/01/03/ artificial-intelligence-in-missile-technology/.

Adi Gaskell, “The Technological and Psychological Challenges of Working from Home,” in The Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2020/04/03/the-technological-and-psychological-challenges-of-working-from-home/#450b41a938db.

Blaise Pascal, Pensées, (Translation) Section One: Papers Classified by Pascal (under Transition from knowledge of man to knowledge of God), London: Penguin Books, 1995.

Catechism of the Catholic Church.

D.H. Web Desk, “When Sushant Singh Rajput Bought Land on the Moon,” The Deccan Herald, https://www.deccanherald.com/national/when-sushant-singh-rajput-bought-land-on-the-moon-849437.html.

Ernst M. Conradie, “Do Only Humans Sin? In Conversation with Frans de Waal,” Issues in Science and Theology: Are We Special? Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology, ed. Michael Fuller et al, Edinburgh: Springer International, 2017.

Evan Andrews, “Who Were the Luddites?” Aug 7, 2015, https://www.history.com/news/who-were-the-luddites.

Francis, Laudato Si’, 24th May 2015, http://www.vatican.va/content/ francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.

George Orwell, Animal Farm, 1945.

Government of India web portal on Digital India, https://digitalindia. gov.in/.

Govindan Parayil, ed., Political Economy And Information Capitalism In India—Digital Divide, Development And Equity, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Javed Anver, “From Jio to Demonetisation, Digital India Keeps Failing,” in India Today, November 15, 2016, https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/talking-points/story/from-jio-to-demonetisation-digital-india-keeps-failing-352129-2016-11-15.

Jinoy Jose P., “Digital Divide: The Big Picture is a Bad Picture,” in The Hindu Business Line, 26th December 2018, https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/the-cheat-sheet/digital-divide-the-big-picture-is-a-bad-pitcure/article25835202.ece.

John Paul II, Fides et Ratio, 14th September 1998, No. 1, http://www.vatican.va/ content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091998_fides-et-ratio.html.

John Paul Mueller & Luca Massaron, Artificial Intelligence For Dummies, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2018.

John Xavier, “Japan’s Fugaku Tops World’s Fastest Supercomputer List,” The Hindu, June 24, 2020, https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/japans-fugaku-tops-worlds-fastest-supercomputer-list/article31904759.ece.

Jonathan Merritt, “Is AI a Threat to Christianity? Are you there, God? It’s I, Robot,” The Atlantic, February 3, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ archive/2017/02/artificial-intelligence-christianity/515463/.

Julia Bossmann also has some interesting videos on the future of technology. Julia Bossmann, “Top 9 Ethical Issues in Artificial Intelligence,” https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/top-10-ethical-issues-in-artificial-intelligence/.

Mark Ryan, “Are AI ‘Thinking Machines’ Really Thinking?” in Towards Data Science, November 1, 2019, https://towardsdatascience.com/are-ai-thinking-machines-really-thinking-1fa9d758de6d.

Phyllis A. Tickle, Greed: The Seven Deadly Sins, New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Premkumar, “12th Class Student Commits Suicide for not Giving Cell-Phone for Online Class in Kalaignar,” seithigal.com. 14th July 2020, https://www. kalaignarseithigal.com/tamilnadu/2020/07/14/12th-class-student-commits-suicide-for-not-giving-cell-phone-for-online-class.

Renita D’Souza, “India to Become a $ 5 Trillion Economy by 2025? Not without Eliminating Digital Poverty,” in ORF website, April 09, 2020, https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/india-to-become-a-5-trillion-economy-by-2025-not-without-eliminating-digital-poverty-64317/.

Thomas Reese, “Pope Francis: Technology + Greed = Disaster,” National Catholic Reporter, Aug 13, 2015, https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/faith-and-justice/pope-francis-technology-greed-disaster.

Wolfgang Ertel, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Switzerland: Springer International, 2007.

Yuval Harari, “Salvation by Algorithm: God, Technology and the New 21st-Century Religions,” in NewStatesman, 9 September 2016, https://www. newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/09/salvation-algorithm-god-technology-and-new-21st-century-religions.

Downloads

Published

2020-11-10

How to Cite

Stanley, SJ, S. . (2020). ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE TECHNOCRATIC PARADIGM: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE. Asian Horizons, 14(3), 658–673. Retrieved from https://dvkjournals.in/index.php/ah/article/view/3204