Skip to content

Why I Don’t Fear Machines, Yet

James Watson: Up until now, machines have made our lives a lot better. I don’t thing they’ve depersonalized us so far. 
Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

I think machines let us do wonderful things. There will be some things which can be done much better by a machine than by humans.  So you could say they’re bridging the need for humans.  And that’s one of our problems. Will everyone on the Earth have a role that will be taken over by machines?

There have been people predicting that none of us will have to work or it will lead to a point where we would only have to work 10 hours a week.  

I’m happier when I’m working.  I used to feel always very strange on Sunday when I didn’t have something to do.  When I was a boy, I was anxious on Sundays.  The rest of the week, it was easy.  Up until now, machines have made our lives a lot better. I don’t thing they’ve depersonalized us so far. 

In Their Own Words is recorded in Big Think’s studio.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.
Related
A bearded man wearing glasses and a plaid shirt speaks with a microphone clipped to his collar in front of a purple background with white dots.
The Well
How Rainn Wilson discovered sacredness
The hospital where Rainn Wilson’s wife and son nearly died became his own personal holy site. There, he discovered that the sacred can exist in places we least expect it. During his talk at A Night of Awe and Wonder, he explained how the awe we feel in moments of courage and love is moral beauty — and following it might be the start of our spiritual revolution.
▸
13 min
—
with
Rainn Wilson
Up Next