Every day, the technology industry creates new and advanced programs which are applied to the world’s normal routine. With this technology comes an enormous amount of responsibility. Some of these products will be engaging in some of the most efficient ways to assist people. Without a general understanding of what people are putting their trust in comes the dangers of their ignorance. The important question for users to ask is: is this product trustworthy?

Innovation is what society fuels off of in this era. All inventions have to be the best and appealing to a harsh market. Brands constantly have to out create other brands due to the competition, especially when selling technology.

Self-driving cars are new to this generation and they’re starting to become more and more popular. Each time someone gets into a self-driving car, they trust that the car will drive itself safely and no problems will occur.

According to theguardian.com, studies show that “drivers get lulled into a false sense of security,” when they’re in self-driving cars. Drivers’ minds wander away from the road and once a situation happens where their assistance is needed, they won’t be able to react quick enough. Many cars, such as Teslas, have experienced glitches that have caused cars to drive into other lanes when they’re supposed to be driving straight.  

In late March, one of Tesla’s self-driving cars was involved in a fatal car crash. The car was on autopilot. The driver did not have their hands on the steering wheel before the crash, despite the car’s warnings. Due to this event, the Governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey suspended the testing of self-driving cars. This caused people to be aware of the potential dangers that come with this form of technology.

“Once we go to self-driving cars, everyone’s insurance is going to drop, highway fatalities will become a thing of the past, almost all accidents are caused because of human error and not mechanical issues, same thing with aircraft, without a doubt. When we see one on the news we normally don’t see how many people die from human error so it’s absolutely a wonderful thing,” Dr. Brian Wargo said, when reviewing the benefits of self-driving cars.

Another form of technology trusted heavily that isn’t a part of everyday life is Artificial Intelligence (AI). This technology is so advanced, some of the robots can experience emotion and carry out a conversation. The biggest fear amongst creators is the technology becoming too intelligent for humans due to their rapid knowledge growth. Many of the world’s most intelligent people such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have expressed their concern with this form of AI.

“We are playing with a very dangerous entity and it will be like a golem, which is a mythical creature that is very strong, but has no mind. AI won’t have morality or values, but we are handing over tremendous power to these machines so it is very dangerous,” Wargo said, discussing the dangers of AI.

People naturally assume that creators have this technology under control and that there is no reason to fear, but in reality, technology can be dangerous if uncontrolled and used irresponsibly. Awareness is essential for the safety of technology users and creators. As our society rapidly strengthens in technology, humans need to be able to keep up. Before giving trust to technology, an understanding needs to be established. This will keep an innovated society safe and responsible.