“The meaning of 21st century”
21st century stands as a deal breaker between the end of civilisation or beginning of an awesome new era. As James Martin described it as humanity’s last century, or it could be the century in which civilization sets sail towards a far more spectacular future. Our collective actions will define the unknown future that we are yet to witness. Technological advancement, climate change, the rise of non-state actors and extremists, sustainable energy crisis; our action on these factors will define the ultimate providence of 21st century.
Let’s start with artificial intelligence. Elon Musk of Tesla argued that tech companies need to be more careful about the development of AI but then his idea was challenged by Mark Zuckerberg on 25th July this year and we all know what happened next. Yes, on 1st August Facebook had to shut down its “Alice and Bob”- the chatbot that Facebook AI team developed. Alice and Bob developed a bizarre way of communicating themselves. Elon Musk is right, AI possesses greater threat to our civilisation. It’s not just Elon Musk, Professor Stephen Hawking warned about AI many years back. He even went on saying AI will be either “best or worst thing” for humanity. But how AI possesses threat to humanity? Driverless car, drones, surgical and manufacturing robots are illustrating that the use of human labour irrational. Safety, ethical standards are immense concerns in using artificial intelligence. Automated services in bank, train stations and even in chain restaurants have caused redundancy of many human jobs. The use of robots in automotive and manufacturing sectors is quite common for many years; however the experts now predict that a tipping point in robotic deployments is imminent. Whether we are ready for such radical transition or not raises another question. From milking cow to doing audit, AI is posing a big challenge for human being. It would be naïve to say AI doesn’t do any good to us, nevertheless it’s not irresponsible either to say that we should take appropriate measures before it gets too far and Alice and Bob starts attacking us.
Climate change and extreme weather events like drought, flood, cyclone and so on may bring the end of our civilisation. Earth’s temperature is increasing, arctic ice has started melting, and sea level is increasing. Climate change is real and it presents an existential threat to human civilisation. Isn’t Bangladesh one of the worst victims of climate change? It is predicted that by 2050 about 25 million people in Bangladesh will be affected by sea-level rise. The Southern coastal zone and South-Eastern area will be the worst victims of this havoc. Due to our consumerism and greed, we are burning through planet’s resources at a reckless rate. IPPC frazzled that last 30 years were probably the warmest for the last 1,500 years. Climate change is causing human sufferings. It is also threatening national security, food security, echo system and wildlife. In a nutshell, our existence is under risk.
Mass human migration will be another defining moment for this century. Europe has already experienced huge influx of human migration in last few years. Many experts described it as the biggest humanitarian crisis after Second World War. It is estimated that almost 60 million displaced people arrived in Europe. Whether they are arriving from war ragged zone like Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan or Sudan or fleeing economic deprivation, it is beyond any doubt this is perhaps the worst humanitarian crisis so far in 21st century. The socio-economic and cultural challenges faced by migrants are countless. We have seen the rise of far-right wing political parties in local and national elections in many European countries. France Presidential election, Austrian general election, Dutch election; the rise of right-wing prejudices has touched upon every democratic event in European countries. Needless to mention US Presidential election UK’s Brexit. It is mentionable that religious radicalisation has eventually ignited the far-right wing propaganda. Sadly, media and political institution failed to play as critical role as they could.
Climate change, artificial intelligence, mass migration, non-state actors, far right-wing nationalism; these aren’t unknown to our politicians and policy makers. With the advancement of digital media and by virtue of social media, information is available more than any time before. We are more or less aware of the threats that may wipe out our race or cause greater armed conflicts but then have we taken enough initiatives to protect our future generation, our society or our mother earth? As a conscious 21st century world citizen, we need to be more pro-active and responsible and do our part to protect our society, country, civilisation and ultimately our planet. Mutual co-operation & respect, sustainable development, education, diplomacy and dialogue can equip us reach to a “more spectacular future”.
By Adnan Pavel,
Broadcaster and Political commentator,
London, UK
