Set in London of AD 2540, the novel Brave New World anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning that combine profoundly to change society
"Community, Identity, Stability" is the motto of Aldous Huxley’s utopian World State. Here everyone consumes daily grams of soma, to fight depression, babies are born in laboratories, and the most popular form of entertainment is a "Feelie," a movie that stimulates the senses of sight, hearing, and touch.
The book is a fantasy of the future that sheds a blazing critical light on the present, and it is considered to be Aldous Huxley’s most enduring masterpiece.
In the Davos Economic Forum 2015, there was an interesting discussion on just how advances in artificial intelligence, smart sensors and social technology will change our lives in the real world. Below is a video of the debate.
The video features:
- Rodney Brooks, Founder, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer, Rethink Robotics, USA; Technology Pioneer
- Anthony Goldbloom, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kaggle, USA; Technology PioneerHiroaki Nakanishi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hitachi, Japan
- Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch, USA
- Stuart Russell, Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA; Global Agenda Council on Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
- Moderated by Hiroko Kuniya, Anchor and Presenter, Today’s Close-Up, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Japan; Global Agenda Council on Japan