Benefits and risks posed by future Internet and virtual reality

By Dick Pelletier

      

    Futurist Ray Kurzweil, in "The Singularity is near", offers the possibility that computers will one day become self-aware, which will result in the melding of humans and machines. He sees this process well underway by 2025, as nanobots begin to surf bloodstreams to combat disease and alter our brains providing full immersive virtual reality.

    In a recent Futurist article, "Cybercrime in 2025," criminal-justice expert Gene Stephens predicts that computer and Internet use will become seamless, as hands-free, voice-activated data entry and retrieval becomes commonplace between 2010 and 2015. By 2020, automated systems will increasingly infiltrate the net; and as we get more involved with our "wonder-net," dangerous security gaps will emerge that could become nightmares if not handled carefully.

    For example, by 2025, experts predict that databots will be implanted in user's brains, which will require a secure firewall to keep intruders from hacking into the 'bots and terrorizing recipients. "Could there be a more frightening crime than having your brain-stored knowledge erased or scrambled," Stephens asks, "or receiving a message threatening to destroy your memory unless you pay blackmail?" Welcome to the futuristic world of mindstalking.

    This brings us to the long-ignored issues of who owns the Internet, manages it, and controls it. The answer is – nobody does. Can this powerful socio-politico-economic network continue to operate at random, open to all, and thus be vulnerable to bad guys? Attempts to restrict or police the web are met with idealists who believe that the Internet should be free from "big brother."

    So what's the answer? Biometrics and other web-compatible ID systems will help some, along with international crime-fighters trained to catch bad guys. But these are short-term solutions. By allowing anyone with a cell phone to access the web, tomorrow's Internet will be exposed to a glut of cybercrime. Unless some spiritual or humanistic values revolution occurs and humans stop stealing, killing, and hurting each other (don't hold your breath), cybercrime will thrive.

    So here's the question: do we control interactions by holding individuals responsible for everything posted on the Web, or do we allow creativity and individualism to emerge by not setting boundaries and jurisdictions, leaving it much like today's Internet?

    Choosing total control would curtail cybercrime and make the Web safe, but it would invade privacy, freedom of speech, and other liberties. Opting for "nobody-in-charge" allows a free flow of information and exchange of goods and services, but leaves society at risk.

    However, experts see a technology developing that could dwarf our concerns over cybercrime. By 2030, nanobots will be coursing through brains giving us true virtual reality. These clever 'bots will replace normal thoughts with computer-generated images that support a VR program we have selected – think Star Trek Holodeck. Humanity's greatest threat then might be that people will prefer their make-believe world to the real world. Welcome to the Matrix.

    Although these issues may seem insurmountable, the scales are tipped in favor of putting citizen's safety and convenience first. Positive futurists believe that tomorrow's exponentially-advancing artificial intelligence will help develop solutions that minimize abuse and will allow all people to enjoy the benefits of this "magical future" time.

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.