There are almost weekly reminders of the risks from technology and the disruption it can cause.
This week the Cork campuses of Munster Technological University had to close due to a targeted cyberattack where criminals encrypted the college’s IT systems, demanding a ransom.
Dublin Airport had to be temporarily shut down four times in the past three weeks because of the dangers posed by drones being flown within the prohibited airspace around the airport.
The chief executive of the airport’s operator, DAA, Kenny Jacobs called for a State defence system to take down the disruptive drones. EU aviation safety rules, intended to guide airports on how to detect and neutralise illegal drones, are not due to be implemented in Ireland for a number of years.
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Technology, by the nature of how quickly it is developed, will always outpace the ability of the governments to manage its impact on society. The National Risk Assessment reports published by the Department of the Taoiseach have over the years pointed to the opportunities but also the risks from “disruptive technologies,” primarily the potential for automation to displace or reshape existing jobs and sectors.
Advances in artificial intelligence and the arrival of ChatGPT, the chatbot that offers convincingly human answers to questions using online information, points to the disruption that this new technology could cause to our lives. It is already causing some alarm in universities over how it could be used by students completing assignments – but that may only be a taste of what lies ahead. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, which has backed the US firm OpenAI that developed ChatGPT, said it is as significant as the invention of the internet and “will change our world.”
While technological advances can be a force for good, change must be equally assessed for the disruption it can bring and how it can be a negative force. Governments will inevitably struggle to keep up, but they must not lose sight of the risks and the need to assess them constantly.