1984 was George Orwell’s classic 1949 science fiction novel.  And Orwell popularized such terms as “Big Brother is watching you”, “doublethink”, “thoughtcrime”, “Newspeak”, “telescreen”, and the “Thought Police”.

 It was a powerful example of cautionary fiction set in a dystopian society. In the book, everyone lives from birth-to-death in a state of mass surveillance and brainwashing.  

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Big Brother or Bust

When Orwell wrote his novel most homes didn’t even have a TV. And some didn’t have a phone. But we live in a world of devices. Orwell’s vision of a “telescreen” comes in every size and shape these days. And everyone carries an iPhone with them at all times.

Today social media is constantly and interactively streaming, and Big Tech is everywhere. A couple of years ago the COVID-19 techno-pandemic sealed our dependence on technology.

Have you noticed how many drones are flying around these days? They come in all shapes and sizes.  

At least some drones seem to be multi-tasking for higher purposes. They can fight fires, deliver packages, or even give you a Volo copter ride home.

Drones were weapons and camera-laden spycraft before more positive uses were developed. Drones are now being widely used by many countries to spy on their enemies. 

The drone technology was initially developed for the Chinese military, to track targets and relay information from the air. Large drones were capable of advanced delivery of guided missiles that were originally developed by China.

Since the 1990s the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Iran, ISIS, Venezuela, Yemen’s Houthi rebels, China, and others have used drone strikes against enemies. 

More recently, Russia and Ukraine have been fighting the largest drone war of all time. And hundreds of soldiers and civilians have died by drones.

The Star Wars Connection

Since the 1980s, AI in the form of a robot has been depicted in classic films such as “War Games,” Blade Runner,” “The Terminator,” “West World”, “I, Robot,” “Wall-E,” “The Matrix” and “Robocop.” Then of course there is Hal from “2001 Space Odyssey.” It’s a long list, and most robot films usually lead to the ultimate Halloween scenario.  

Halloween is a spooky time. It’s easy to wander down the path to explore the dark side of technology. 

There are also lots of ways that AI can be dangerous. It is a fascinating and frightening technology.

In 2020, I wrote an article about the dangers of Technology claiming, “As for me, I am a geek at heart. And I love techno-toys with a passion. But a writer is more of a voyeur, than a creator where tech is concerned.”

“I still collect Star Wars memorabilia and I still like to believe, “The force is strong in us.”

The idea that we are entering a new age of enlightenment is exciting. But today, one can only hope, I don’t believe for certain anymore, that there is time to avoid the dark side of technology. And I have no prediction on whether, or not, we are approaching an AI Armageddon.

The only advice I have is shut your eyes and think of Star Wars. They had some success using the Force for good.