Hammer and nail.

It has occurred to me just how society is shaped by technology.

When something is developed, a lot of time, effort, and creativity are involved. Innovation and creativity are usually at the core. Slicked by good intentions and novelty, the technology is adapted.

Then, it’s standardized and specialized. Variations are created.

So, there are gold hammers for status. Claw hammers for utility. Rubber hammers for the special touch.

But when you have a hammer, everything becomes a nail. If an unrelated hammer issue is presented, hitting it with a hammer enough times will solve it. Of course, the solution usually involves a waste of time, destruction of the item, and a lot of frustration.

Even a child knows that a square won’t fit in a round hole.

But that doesn’t stop trying! The technology and the person’s effort will, eventually, wear down the corners so the block will fit into the hole.

Technology can take many shapes.

Government, I think, could be considered a hammer. Organized, nationalized, and a source, whatever political order it’s located in, it’s the hammer.

Different prongs are used to handle different problems. The IRS handles funding for the government. The military protects. The governor oversees and administers.

But people and society are, in a limited sense, fluid. People and situations change due to economic factors, marketing, other technology, and globalization.

The hammer is still the hammer, and the situations and changes are considered nails — although they’re not nail-like. Rather, they could be screws or some other metaphor.

So, the hammer or the nail suffers.
The government becomes ineffective. Bloat, fraud, and defunding occur.

The nail shatters or becomes malformed if hit enough times.

It’s like AI.
AI is a technology. It’s new, heavily funded, and has a lot of uses.

So, everything becomes a nail. It’s forced into everything – from medical insurance, human resources, language, and education.

But all of those things aren’t necessarily nails.

People may be hired more effectively. More applicants can be reviewed for that position. But it’s based on existing technology – which may favor a specific gender or education.

For example, should a male apply for an elementary teacher position, the AI may discredit the applicant just because he is a male. Traditionally, elementary education has been led by female teachers.

That’s discrimination.

AI used in medical insurance takes into account the age, location, and previous medical history of hundreds of people,

From that information, it determines if a claim is profitable. A person’s life hangs in the balance.

So, the technology needs to be altered and specialized. We’re already seeing this. AI is being developed for videos, writing, characters, music…

AI is the technology that is essentially becoming plug-and-play.

If AI can be adapted for anything, anywhere, to any task, everyone and everything becomes a nail.