How Will New Tech Shape Your Life? A Roboticist + a Political Strategist Answer | TED Intersections

Overview

This conversation between political strategist Bradley Tusk and roboticist Ali Kashani explores the intersection of technology, politics, and society. They discuss the challenges of integrating innovations like mobile voting and delivery robots into existing systems, the societal implications of these technologies, and their potential to reshape industries, cities, and democracy itself.

Notable Quotes

- People in power don't like making it easier for others to gain power. – Bradley Tusk, on the resistance to expanding voter participation.

- The tutor that the richest person cannot buy is now almost free for any child anywhere in the world. – Ali Kashani, on the transformative potential of AI in education.

- Social media is almost the unhappiness machine. – Bradley Tusk, critiquing the negative incentives of platforms like Facebook and TikTok.

🤖 The Rise of Robots in Everyday Life

- Ali Kashani highlights how delivery robots are designed to be friendly and non-threatening, with most people quickly adapting to their presence.

- Children are particularly fascinated by robots, often stopping to interact with them.

- Concerns about robots replacing human jobs are more prevalent online than in real life, where reactions are overwhelmingly positive.

- Kashani notes that vandalism of robots is rare, despite public assumptions to the contrary.

📱 Mobile Voting and Expanding Democracy

- Bradley Tusk discusses his philanthropic effort to create secure, open-source mobile voting technology to increase voter turnout.

- He argues that higher turnout would reduce political polarization and align policies more closely with the majority's interests.

- Tusk emphasizes the resistance from entrenched political powers, who benefit from low voter participation.

- The project aims to make voting more accessible without replacing traditional methods like in-person or mail-in voting.

🌆 Reimagining Cities Through Technology

- Kashani envisions a future where cities are transformed by unbundling the car, replacing it with smaller, specialized autonomous vehicles like delivery robots and drones.

- He predicts significant urban changes, similar to the impact of the car's introduction, with fewer vehicles leading to safer, more livable cities.

- The integration of drones and robots for deliveries could optimize logistics, especially in high-density urban areas.

📚 AI’s Transformative Potential in Education and Healthcare

- AI is described as a discovery rather than an invention, with the potential to revolutionize fields like education and medicine.

- Kashani highlights AI's ability to tailor education to individual learning styles, exponentially improving outcomes.

- In healthcare, AI could accelerate drug discovery, particularly for rare diseases, by analyzing millions of potential combinations.

⚖️ The Need for Regulation in Tech and Social Media

- Tusk critiques the lack of regulation around social media, which he describes as incentivizing toxic content due to its profitability.

- He calls for updating laws like Section 230 to hold platforms accountable for harmful content.

- Both speakers agree that regulation often lags behind innovation, creating challenges for integrating new technologies into society.

- Tusk emphasizes the importance of aligning government policies with public interests to address issues like climate change, AI ethics, and social media harms.