By

Mark Smyth

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“Every action has a consequence, and each consequence has another consequence… Be careful when making changes.” – Josh Kaufman

Frank Chen of Andreessen Horowitz spoke at the AI Summit in London in June 2018 on an area he calls “The Autonomy Ecosystem”¹. The centrepiece of the presentation is the addition of a new artefact to tomorrow’s world – the self-driving car. The narrative to date around autonomous vehicles has predominately been focused on two significant consequences; human drivers being made redundant by technology and lives being saved through reduction in errors. In many instances, those two points are contrasted almost as cost and benefit. The debate of whether or how we proceed with the revolution of transport appears to rest on a simple net equation. Technology does not live in a vacuum however and the car touches a lot of ecosystems. As we come to understand the implications from the advent of new technologies, we should look towards the farther-reaching consequences and understand the role we have in shaping effects.

Continue reading “The Unintended Consequences of Technology: Second Order Effects” →