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Bright Mirror
Dark Mirror
The Dark Mirror view is the cautionary tale, forewarning of a dystopian future where technology exacerbates human flaws and subjugates individuals and the environment, leading to societal decay.
- Risk mitigation: helps identify potential downsides early on, allowing for preventive measures.
- Ethical safeguard: forces us to confront uncomfortable truths, serving as a moral guardrail or threshold.
- Civic engagement: can mobilise public opinion against potentially harmful technologies.
- Innovation dampener: might discourage groundbreaking initiatives due to fear of worst-case scenarios.
- Cynicism: could lead to a general distrust of technology, hampering constructive engagement.
- Paralysis: risks creating a ‘deer in the headlights’ effect where the fear of doing something wrong prevents any action.
Reflection Questions
- What are the power dynamics at play with this technology?
- How could this technology be weaponised, literally or metaphorically?
- What’s the worst-case scenario here?
- How could this technology amplify existing inequalities or human flaws?
- Who is missing from the conversation in its development?
- Who is most likely to be negatively impacted?
- What about the non-human living systems in our environment, where do they fit?