Is Technology Our Savior — or Our Slayer? | Ruha Benjamin | TED

翻译人员: Maple Dilidili 校对人员: Laixi Kang

This transmission is for future generations.

我在这里要传达的讯息 是为了未来的世代。

As it stands, a small sliver of humanity

就目前而言， 一小部分人

is currently imposing their visions on the rest of us.

正在将他们的愿景 强加给我们其他人。

They invest in space travel and AI superintelligence

他们投资太空旅行、 超级人工智能

and underground bunkers,

和地下掩体，

while casting health care and housing for all

同时将为所有人提供 医疗保健和住房问题

as outlandish and unimaginable.

认为是匪夷所思 和难以想象的。

These futurists let their own imaginations run wild

当涉及到强力改变物质世界 和数字化现实的时候，

when it comes to bending material and digital realities,

这些未来主义者 任其想象力大放异彩，

but their visions grow limp

但在改变我们的社会现实，

when it comes to transforming our social reality

让每个人都有机会 过上美好而有意义的生活之时，

so that everyone has the chance to live a good and meaningful life.

他们的愿景变得软弱无力。

We are in many ways trapped inside the lopsided imagination

在许多方面， 我们受困于那些垄断权力和资源

of those who monopolize power and resources

以牺牲许多人为代价 来使少数人受益的人的

to benefit the few at the expense of the many.

不平衡想象之中。

And as I see it, there are two stories these monopolists sell us

在我看来， 这些垄断者向我们兜售

about what the future holds.

两种关于未来的故事。

The first is the Silicon Valley version,

第一个是硅谷版本，

in which all our preferences are tracked and desires catered to.

其中我们所有的偏好和欲望 都被追踪并满足。

Chatbots, virtual assistants,

聊天机器人、虚拟助手、

driverless cars at our beck and call.

无人驾驶汽车随叫随到。

All our wants and needs met in an instant.

我们所有的愿望和需求 都能立即得到满足。

This is their utopia, where technology is our savior,

这是他们的乌托邦， 科技是我们的救星，

a future where our automated offspring know us

在这个未来， 我们的自动化了的后代

better than we know ourselves.

比我们自己更了解我们。

Ease and convenience, just a click away.

轻松、方便， 一切只需点击一下即可。

And in their wildest dreams,

在他们最疯狂的梦想中，

we merge with technology,

我们与科技融为一体，

optimizing our potential to be stronger, smarter, superhuman.

优化我们成为更强大、 更聪明的超级人类。

The other story, preferred by Hollywood, is grittier, more chaotic.

另一个故事是粗粝的，混乱的， 更受好莱坞青睐。

Conflict and competition run rampant.

里面冲突和竞争猖獗。

It's "Hunger Games" meets "Blade Runner"

是《饥饿游戏》遇上《银翼杀手》

meets "The Matrix."

遇上《黑客帝国》。

People are ruthless and unpredictable.

人们是冷酷无情和不可预测的。

Inequality and precarity are permanent features in our lives.

不平等和不稳定 是我们生活中的永久特征。

In this dystopian vision, technology is our slayer,

在这种反乌托邦视野中， 科技是我们的杀手，

displacing and dominating humanity.

它会取代和统治人类。

And while these sound like opposing narratives,

虽然这些听起来像是 截然相反的叙述，

they have different endings for sure,

而且它们的结局肯定不同，

one in which we're saved, one in which we're slayed,

一个是我们得拯救， 一个是我们被杀死，

they actually share an underlying logic.

它们实际上有一个共同的逻辑。

And in both, we give up power.

在这两个方面， 我们都放弃了权利。

Both stories assume technology is in the driver's seat,

这两个故事都假设 科技有其自主意识，

propelled by a will of its own.

并由此推动下处于主导地位。

In the utopic and dystopic stories,

在乌托邦和反乌托邦故事中，

technology impacts us for better or worse.

技术对我们的影响非好即坏。

But our impact on technology, the human inputs, shall we say,

但是，我们对科技的影响，人类的作用，

are missing.

可以说是完全没有体现。

The values, assumptions, interests and needs

塑造我们数字和现实世界的

that shape our digital and physical worlds are nowhere to be seen.

价值观、假想、 兴趣和需求完全看不见。

To move forward,

为了继续往前，

we have to pull back the screen.

我们必须开拓视野。

Rather than agonizing about a coming dystopia

与其为即将到来的 反乌托邦感到痛苦

or longing for a future utopia,

或渴望未来的乌托邦，

we have to reckon with ustopia.

不如思考如何实现我们的乌托邦世界。

Ustopia is a word I'm borrowing from Margaret Atwood

我借用玛格丽特·阿特伍德 （Margaret Atwood）

to describe the fact that the future is us.

的一个词 “ustopia（正反乌托邦）” 来说， 我们就是我们的未来。

However loathsome or loving we are, so will we be.

无论我们当下多么令人讨厌 或充满爱心，未来也将如此。

Whereas utopias are the stuff of dreams,

乌托邦表现的是梦想之境，

dystopias, the stuff of nightmares,

反乌托邦代表噩梦的想象，

ustopias are what we create together when we're wide awake.

而 ustopia 则是我们 在清醒时共同创造的东西。

Ustopias invite us into a collective imagination

ustopia 邀请我们 进入一种集体想象，

in which we still have tensions,

这当中虽然也存在紧张角力，

but where everyone has what they need to thrive.

但每个人都可以得到所需 来蓬勃发展。

When I was a grad student at UC Berkeley in the early 2000s,

2000 年代初，当我还是 加州大学伯克利分校的研究生时，

I witnessed firsthand how innovation often deepens social inequity.

我亲眼目睹了创新 往往会加深社会不平等。

As the tech sector grew,

随着科技行业的发展，

people who had lived in the Bay area for generations

世代生活在湾区的本地人

were displaced and discarded.

被迫流离失所和被抛弃。

At the time, I was researching the social dimensions of biotechnology.

当时，我正在研究生物技术的 社会层面影响。

As I observed scientists growing heart cells

当我观察到科学家 用多能干细胞培养的

using pluripotent stem cells beating in a petri dish,

心脏细胞在培养皿中跳动，

I thought about how hard it is to grow empathy for other human beings

我想到了在日常生活中

培养对他人的同情是多么困难。

in our everyday lives.

Here were billions of dollars being poured into the future of medicine,

数十亿美元被投入到 研究医学的未来，

but health care for all was somehow far-fetched.

但全民医疗保健 却莫名其妙地难以企及。

This is what I mean by a lopsided imagination,

这就是我所说的 一边倒的想象力，

where we can imagine regenerating sick bodies

我们可以想象 让生病的身体重生，

but not an ailing body politic.

但无法拯救衰败的政治体。

Utopias require inequality and exclusion.

乌托邦需要不平等和排外。

Ustopias center collective well-being over gross concentrations of wealth.

Ustopias 以集体福祉为中心， 而不是财富的高度集中。

They're built on an understanding

它们建立在这样一种认识之上，

that all of our struggles,

即我们的所有斗争，

from climate justice to racial justice,

从气候正义到种族正义，

are interconnected.

都是相互关联的。

That we are interconnected.

我们都是内在相关的。

Take what's happening in Barcelona, Spain,

以西班牙巴塞罗那 正在发生的事情为例，

where a large-scale participatory experiment has been underway

一项大规模参与的 社会实验

for almost ten years now

已经进行了将近十年。

using a digital platform called “Decidim,”

这个实验使用名为 “Decidim” 的数字平台

which means "we decide" in Catalan,

这个词在加泰罗尼亚语中 意为 “我们决定”，

alongside in-person neighborhood-level deliberations

加上面对面进行的 社区层面的讨论，

to create policies that respond to people's actual needs.

以制定满足 人们实际需求的政策。

And the thing is, technology companies are not driving what's happening.

事实上，科技公司并没有 推动正在发生的事情。

The collective intelligence of people from all walks of life are.

各行各业人们的集体智慧 才是推动其发展的力量。

Proponents call it a “New Deal on Data” that recognizes data sovereignty, privacy,

支持者称之为 “数据新政”， 承认数据主权、隐私

collective rights to data.

和集体数据权益。

Decidim is open-source software,

Decidim 是开源软件，

so it's already been adapted and used in over 80 other cities,

因此已经在其他80多个城市 进行了更新和使用，

guaranteeing public transparency in a way commercial platforms don't.

以商业平台无法做到的方式 保证了其公共透明度。

Once you install Decidim,

安装 Decidim 后，

you can create, comment, consult on ideas

您可以创建、评论、咨询想法

and track what happens in real time.

并实时跟踪发生的事情。

Over 40,000 residents have submitted proposals

超过四万名居民 提交了方案

on everything from affordable housing to air quality,

内容涵盖从可负担住房 到空气质量几乎所有方面，

and about 70 percent of the government's action plan

约 70％ 的政府行动计划

have been derived directly from these proposals.

直接源自于这些提案。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Take “Superblocks,”

以 “超级街区” 为例，

an initiative to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality,

这是一项旨在减少碳排放 和改善空气质量的举措，

where 12 city districts have been closed to through traffic

那里有 12 个城市区域 已禁止无停靠交通，

so the interior blocks are more hospitable to pedestrians,

因此街区内部 更适合行人、

cyclists, more green space.

骑自行车者和更多的绿色空间。

On the Barcelona coastline, another initiative is underway

在巴塞罗那海岸线上， 另一项计划正在进行中，

in which residents are working to make it more accessible to locals,

居民正在努力让这里 更加方便本地人，

rather than simply a playground for elites and cruise ships.

而不仅仅是精英 和游轮客的游乐场。

Notice how different this is

请注意， 这与典型的自上而下

than the typical top-down, "we know best" approach

所谓 “我们最了解” 的 塑造未来的方式

to shaping the future.

有什么不同。

Like what happened with Sidewalk Labs in Toronto,

就像多伦多的 Sidewalk Labs 一样，

Google's urban development smart city play

谷歌的智慧城市发展计划

that would have collected masses of data

可以收集大量的数据，

data in order to create more efficient and convenient city services.

以创建更高效、 更便捷的城市服务。

But which in the end was tech-driven rather than people-driven.

但这最终是由技术驱动的， 而不是以人来驱动的。

Sidewalk Labs staged public input sessions

Sidewalk Labs 举办了 公众意见征询会，

in order to appear responsive to residents' concerns

目的是仿佛看起来 对公众关于新式的

about the newfangled surveillance that would have been embedded

可以嵌入码头社区的 新型监控系统的担忧

into the Quayside neighborhood.

有所回应。

But people saw through the proposal and put an end to the development.

但是人们看透了提案， 结束了这个开发项目。

In fact,

事实上，

there are ustopias taking shape right here in Atlanta.

在亚特兰大， 许多 ustopia 正在形成。

Known by some as Silicon Peach

它被一些人称为 “Silicon Peach” （硅谷之桃）

or Techlanta,

或 “Techlanta”（科技亚特兰大）

because it’s the fastest-growing urban tech hub in the country,

因为它是美国增长最快的 城市科技中心，

it’s also the city with the highest income inequality in the nation.

也是全国收入不平等 程度最高的城市。

Which shouldn't surprise us when we remember

这似乎也并不出乎意料， 尤其是当我们想起

that the fantasies of some are so often the nightmares of others.

一些人的美梦常常是 另一些人的噩梦之时。

In many places, tech booms actually exacerbate inequality,

在许多地方，科技繁荣 实际上加剧了不平等，

increasing the cost of living, displacing local residents

增加了生活成本， 使当地居民流离失所，

and creating high tech tools for surveillance and social control.

并创造了用于监视和社会管控 的高科技工具。

But that's only half of the story.

但这只是故事的一半。

Because here in Atlanta, and in many other locales,

因为在亚特兰大 和其他许多地方，

we're also witnessing a historic mobilization of residents,

我们还目睹了 历史性的居民大动员，

creating ustopias that prioritize people over profit,

创造的许多 ustopia 将人置于利润之上，

public goods over policing.

公共物品优先于警务管理。

It started a few years ago,

它始于几年前，

when Atlanta officials announced plans to build Cop City,

当时亚特兰大官员宣布 计划建造警察城，

a massive 90-million-dollar facility

这是一个耗资 9000 万美元的 大型设施，

that would have trained police from all over the country.

用于培训从全国各处而来的 专业警员。

The development would include cutting down Weelaunee Forest,

该开发项目将包括 砍伐韦劳尼森林，

one of the four lungs of Atlanta

这是被称作亚特兰大的 “四个肺”的森林之一，

that protects against heat waves and floods,

为该城市抵御热浪和洪水，

and which is located next to a predominantly Black

而且毗邻一个

working-class community.

以黑人为主的工人阶级社区。

But ATLiens were having none of it.

但是亚特兰大民众坚决不同意此计划。

(Cheers and applause)

（欢呼和掌声）

Utilizing direct action, digital tools,

利用直接行动和数字工具，

a broad coalition has formed

民众已经形成了 一个广泛的联盟，

to push back against the militarizing imagination of the city.

以抵制对这座城市的 军事化想象。

Atlanta's forest defenders remind us

亚特兰大的森林捍卫者提醒我们，

that true community safety relies on connection,

真正的社区安全 取决于人际关系，

not cops.

而不是警察。

On public goods, like housing and health care,

建立在住房和医疗保健 等公共资产之上，

not punishment.

而不是惩罚。

They understand that protecting people and the planet

他们明白， 保护人类和保护地球

go hand in hand.

是相辅相成的。

From college students to clergy,

从大学生到神职人员，

environmental activists to Indigenous elders,

从环保活动家 到土著长者，

they’re inviting us into a collective imagination

他们邀请我们 进入一种集体想象，

in which our ecological and our social well-being

让我们的自然生态和社会福祉

go hand in hand.

协同发展。

An ustopia right in our own backyards.

ustopia 就在我们自己的后院。

And even children are pushing back

甚至孩子们也在抵制

against the lopsided imagination of city officials.

市政官员一边倒的想象力。

Like one who asked,

比如有小朋友问道：

"What did cops do to deserve a playground?"

“警察做了什么 而配得游乐场地？”

As they sat in the kids zone outside of the city council meeting

当他们坐在市议会会议之外 的儿童区时，

where hundreds of people had showed up to speak out

有数百人出现在市议会 会议外大声疾呼

against Cop City.

反对警察城。

Together, they're reminding us that deadly systems may seem durable,

它们共同提醒我们， 致命的系统可能看起来牢不可破，

but they're not inevitable.

但他们并非不可避免。

And we don’t simply have to click: submit.

而且我们不必简单地点击：提交。

We can each work to strengthen the social fabric in our own locale

我们每个人都可以努力加强 我们自己所在地区的社会结构，

and create a shared vision in which no one is left behind.

并创造一个不让任何人掉队的 共同愿景。

We can follow the example of data justice organizers in Barcelona,

我们可以效仿巴塞罗那的数据正义组织者、

forest defenders in Atlanta,

亚特兰大的森林捍卫者的榜样，

imagining and crafting the worlds we cannot live without,

想象和塑造 我们所赖以生存的世界，

just as we dismantle the ones we cannot live within.

就像拆除那些 我们无法在其中生活的世界一样。

The first step

第一步

is to stop policing the borders of our own imagination.

是停止监管我们自己 想象的边界。

A world without prisons?

没有监狱的世界？

Ridiculous.

太荒谬了。

Schools that foster the genius of every child?

培养每一个孩子的 才华的学校？

Naive.

天真。

Work that doesn't drive us into the grave?

拥有不逼迫人们劳作致死的工作？

Impossible.

不可能。

A society where everyone has food,

一个人人都有食物、

shelter, love?

住所、爱的社会？

In your dreams.

你做梦吧。

Exactly.

没错。

(Applause)

（掌声）