Emerging Technology
What does the phrase "Emerging Technology" bring to mind? AI? Certainly. But what else? How do think about it? How to survey a wider landscape and see what's coming? I get to lead a class called Emerging Technology. What would you teach if you were me?
I am very open to ideas and feedback (even negative). I'd prefer audio messages instead of text. I'm never camera ready for video. So many ways to stay in touch. I like https://telegram.org/ since it's cross-platform. I tend to use https://texts.com/ to have all my choices in one spot. Please reach out. Love to discuss teaching emerging technology with you.
Let's investigate, emerging technology, using Maslow's hierarchy of needs as a framework. What are the physiological needs?
Physiological Needs
The most basic and essential requirements for human survival, including:
- Air
- Water
- Food
- Shelter
- Sleep
- Clothing
- Reproduction
- Exercise
- Hygiene
- Temperature Regulation
What new emerging technologies are going to help us satisfy our needs in the physiological? I like this approach because it helps me pay attention to categories or themes that otherwise I may ignore or forget.
Safety Needs
Moving up the hierarchy:
- Personal Security
- Financial Security
- Health and Well-being
- Safety Nets
- Environmental Security
- Law and Order
- Freedom from Fear
- Stability and Routine
- Property Security
Love and Belonging
You get the idea:Here’s the list in bold text:
- Friendships
- Family Relationships
- Romantic Relationships
- Social Connections
- Sense of Community
- Intimacy and Affection
- Group Memberships or Affiliations
I am much more interested in this level of needs. What is the future of loneliness? How do I use technology to be better connected not more distant through screen?
Esteem
- Self-respect
- Recognition and Appreciation
- Achievement: Grades, Degrees
- Confidence
- Status and Prestige
- Respect from Others
- Independence
What is the future of learning, higher education, adult continuing education?
Self Actualization
- Personal Growth
- Creativity
- Fulfillment of Potential
- Pursuit of Meaning
- Self-expression
- Autonomy
- Peak Experiences
I don't believe I will visit each and every item for each need. And remember, the needs are hierarchical, meaning we need to reasonably satisfy the lower needs before we can focus on the higher needs.
Can emerging technology help me be more human?
What does it mean to be human instead of robotic?
While pursuing these questions, how do I separate signal from noise, hype from reality? First, in a personal context, but more specifically in a business context. Picture yourself as a new manager and it's your turn to decide where to focus your limited attention to reach your companies outcomes.
When it comes to discerning signal from noise—I’ll focus on teaching frameworks like Gartner’s Hype Cycle or Clayton Christensen’s Disruptive Innovation theory to help students evaluate emerging trends. I can explore how to ask the right questions:
- Is this technology a long-term solution, or just a passing trend?
- What fundamental human need does it address?
- How can it be applied in real business or life situations?
To emphasize practical applications of these technologies, encouraging students to critically assess not just the tech, but its potential impact on human needs, I'll search for guest speakers or interesting presentations.
The idea of making tech help us be more human is really the heart of it. Instead of just adopting tech for efficiency, we can look for innovations that foster empathy, creativity, and meaningful connections.
What are your thoughts? How could this framework evolve as we explore the technologies?
All of my work is a draft, I'm eager to refine as I go. What do you suggest?