Dialog in the Museum

It is almost as if artificial intelligence (AI) from the Daimler and Benz Foundation had given a perfectly timed cue for Prof. Dr. Frank Allgöwer’s lecture: It coincided almost to the very day with international press reports of demands from leading American AI corporations to slow down and regulate the development of AI in view of potential incalculable risks to humanity. “How can we derive benefits from the opportunities offered by technological progress in future that outweigh our exposure to its dangers?” Allgöwer took a look through “cybernetic glasses” to explore this key question.

Technological progress as a dynamic system
Allgöwer began by providing a brief insight into his academic discipline of cybernetics, which deals with control, regulation, and communication in dynamic systems. These are defined as systems subject to change – such as a car in motion, an evolving society, or a biological system with a beating heart. “Cybernetics sets out to understand how these systems function and how they can be influenced, whether they be machines, living organisms, or social organizations,” said Allgöwer.

Technological progress itself is also a dynamic system – one that grows exponentially according to the rules of cybernetics, Allgöwer continued. In the future, this could go hand in hand with rapid advances in medicine, diagnostics, and therapy; but he emphasized: “While technological progress grows exponentially, our understanding of it only increases on a linear scale.” The pace of technological development is thus increasingly surpassing the adaptability of today’s institutions and society. Regulatory safeguards always come too late, he added.

Dealing with technology – how should we shape our society?
“We have only one option: We need new societal models right now, before the momentum becomes uncontrollable,” Allgöwer urged. From his perspective as a cyberneticist, “feedback loops are essential for all future societal models – loops that stabilize the system and compensate for deviations.” However, this also means that societal goals must be modified: Rather than the logic of the market, which aims solely at increasing wealth, the common good and quality of life should be at the focus of attention.