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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: SF Huang

This transmission is for future generations.

這個是要傳送給未來世代的。

As it stands, a small sliver of humanity

現在的狀況是，有一小撮的人

is currently imposing their visions on the rest of us.

目前正在將他們的遠景 強加在我們其他人身上。

They invest in space travel and AI superintelligence

他們投資太空旅行及人工超級智慧

and underground bunkers,

和地下保壘，

while casting health care and housing for all

卻把全民醫療保健 和居住正義視為很離奇

as outlandish and unimaginable.

且無法想像的事。

These futurists let their own imaginations run wild

說到彎曲物質和數位實境時，

when it comes to bending material and digital realities,

這些未來主義者充分發揮 他們天馬行空的想像力；

but their visions grow limp

但說到改善我們社會的現實面，

when it comes to transforming our social reality

讓每個人都有機會過著 美好且有意義的生活時，

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

他們的想像力卻乏善可陳。

We are in many ways trapped inside the lopsided imagination

在許多層面上，我們都被困在

那些人的偏差想像中，

of those who monopolize power and resources

那些人獨佔權力和資源，

to benefit the few at the expense of the many.

讓少數人受益， 卻由多數人付出代價。

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

在我看來，這些壟斷者 會向我們銷售兩種故事，

about what the future holds.

關於未來的故事。

The first is the Silicon Valley version,

第一種是矽谷版，在這種故事中

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

我們所有的偏好都會被追蹤， 所有的慾望都會被迎合。

Chatbots, virtual assistants,

聊天機器人、虛擬助理、

driverless cars at our beck and call.

無人駕駛汽車，供我們差遣。

All our wants and needs met in an instant.

我們所有的慾望和需求 都能立即獲得滿足。

This is their utopia, where technology is our savior,

這是他們的烏托邦，

在這裡，科技是我們的救世主，

a future where our automated offspring know us

在這個未來，我們這些 自動化產物對我們的了解

better than we know ourselves.

更勝於我們對自己的了解。

Ease and convenience, just a click away.

輕鬆且便利，點一下即可。

And in their wildest dreams,

在他們最瘋狂的夢想中，

we merge with technology,

我們與科技融合後， 會讓我們的潛力優化到極致，

optimizing our potential to be stronger, smarter, superhuman.

讓我們更強壯、更聰明、超乎常人。

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

另一種故事則是好萊塢偏愛的 故事，它比較寫實，比較混亂。

Conflict and competition run rampant.

衝突和競爭猖獗。

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

就像是《飢餓遊戲》遇見 《銀翼殺手》遇見《駭客任務》。

meets "The Matrix."

People are ruthless and unpredictable.

人很無情且不可預測。

Inequality and precarity are permanent features in our lives.

我們的生活永遠脫離不了 不平等和不穩定性。

In this dystopian vision, technology is our slayer,

在這種反烏托邦的遠景中，

科技是屠宰我們的殺手，

displacing and dominating humanity.

取代人類，主宰人類。

And while these sound like opposing narratives,

雖然這兩種故事聽起來 像是相反的說法，

they have different endings for sure,

它們的結局肯定不同，

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

一個結局是我們被拯救了， 另一個是我們被屠殺了，

they actually share an underlying logic.

但它們背後的邏輯卻相同。

And in both, we give up power.

兩種故事都說我們放棄了自己的權力。

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

兩種故事都假設科技掌控了一切，

propelled by a will of its own.

由它自己的意志力所驅動。

In the utopic and dystopic stories,

在烏托邦和反烏托邦的故事中，

technology impacts us for better or worse.

科技會影響我們， 讓我們更好或更糟。

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

但是我們對科技的影響，

也可以說是「人類的輸入」，

are missing.

卻不見了。

The values, assumptions, interests and needs

那些形塑我們數位和實體世界的

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

價值觀、假設、益趣和需求，

也看不到了。

To move forward,

要向前邁進，

we have to pull back the screen.

我們必須把螢幕拉回來。

Rather than agonizing about a coming dystopia

與其煩惱即將到來的

反烏托邦或渴望未來的烏托邦，

or longing for a future utopia,

we have to reckon with ustopia.

我們該想想 「吾托邦」 亦即「我們托邦」。

Ustopia is a word I'm borrowing from Margaret Atwood

我們托邦這個詞是我向 瑪格麗特‧艾特伍借用的，

to describe the fact that the future is us.

她用這個詞來表達： 事實上未來就是我們。

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

無論我們有多可憎或可愛， 我們將來就會是我們的樣子。

Whereas utopias are the stuff of dreams,

烏托邦是一堆美夢， 反烏托邦是一堆惡夢，

dystopias, the stuff of nightmares,

而我們托邦

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

則是我們很清醒時共同創造出來的。

Ustopias invite us into a collective imagination

在我們托邦邀請我們 進入的集體想像中，

in which we still have tensions,

我們仍然有緊張局勢，

but where everyone has what they need to thrive.

但每個人都有他們成功 所需要的一切。

2000 年代初我在加州大學 柏克萊分校讀研究所時，

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

I witnessed firsthand how innovation often deepens social inequity.

我親眼見證了創新通常 會如何加深化社會不平等。

As the tech sector grew,

隨著科技業的發展，

people who had lived in the Bay area for generations

在灣區生活了幾代的人

被迫流離失所。

were displaced and discarded.

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

當時，我在研究 生物科技的社會面向。

As I observed scientists growing heart cells

當我觀察科學家

在培養皿中用萬能幹細胞 培育出會跳動的

using pluripotent stem cells beating in a petri dish,

心臟細胞時，

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

我就在想，在日常生活中 培育出對他人的同理心

in our everyday lives.

會有多困難。

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

有數十億美金投注在未來醫學，

but health care for all was somehow far-fetched.

但全民醫療保健卻似乎遙不可及。

This is what I mean by a lopsided imagination,

這就是我所說的偏差的想像，

where we can imagine regenerating sick bodies

我們可以想像讓生病的身體再生，

but not an ailing body politic.

卻無法改善不健全的政體。

Utopias require inequality and exclusion.

烏托邦需要不平等和排擠。

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

我們托邦則著重在集體福祉， 而非龐大的財富集中。

They're built on an understanding

其建立的基礎是了解

that all of our struggles,

我們所有的困難，

from climate justice to racial justice,

從氣候正義到種族正義，

are interconnected.

是相互關聯的。

That we are interconnected.

我們是相互關聯的。

Take what's happening in Barcelona, Spain,

以西班牙巴塞隆納發生的事情為例，

where a large-scale participatory experiment has been underway

有個大規模參與式實驗在那裡進行，

for almost ten years now

已經做了快十年，使用

using a digital platform called “Decidim,”

叫做「Decidim」的數位平台

which means "we decide" in Catalan,

這個字是加泰羅尼亞語， 意思是「我們決定」。

alongside in-person neighborhood-level deliberations

同時和居民面對面進行 鄰里層級商議討論，

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

以創造出能真正因應 大家需求的政策。

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

重點是，

推動這一切的並不是科技公司。

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

是由各行各業的人，集思廣益而成的。

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

擁護者稱它為「資料新協議」，

它承認資料主權、隱私、 對資料的集體權利。

collective rights to data.

Decidim is open-source software,

Decidim 是開放原始碼的軟體，

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

因此已經有至少八十個 其他城市採用和使用它了，

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

能保證對公眾的透明度， 這是商業平台無法做到的。

Once you install Decidim,

安裝 Decidim 後，

you can create, comment, consult on ideas

你就可以即時創造、評論、 諮詢想法，並追蹤現況。

and track what happens in real time.

Over 40,000 residents have submitted proposals

已經有超過四萬名居民提出提案，

on everything from affordable housing to air quality,

內容無所不包，從平價住宅 到空氣品質都有，

and about 70 percent of the government's action plan

而政府的行動計畫有大約 70% 都是直接來自這些提案。

have been derived directly from these proposals.

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Take “Superblocks,”

以「超級街區」為例， 這個計畫指在減少碳排放

an initiative to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality,

和改善空氣質量，有十二個行政區

where 12 city districts have been closed to through traffic

進行封閉並禁止車輛通行，

so the interior blocks are more hospitable to pedestrians,

讓內部街區

對行人及單車騎士更友善， 有更多綠色空間。

cyclists, more green space.

On the Barcelona coastline, another initiative is underway

在巴塞隆納海岸線上 還有另一個計畫在進行，

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

居民要讓海岸線變成 當地人皆可使用的，

rather than simply a playground for elites and cruise ships.

而不只有給菁英 和遊輪使用的遊樂場。

Notice how different this is

請注意這有多麼不同於

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

典型的由上而下威權化 「我們最懂」的方式

to shaping the future.

來打造未來。

Like what happened with Sidewalk Labs in Toronto,

就像多倫多的人行道 實驗室所發生的事，

Google's urban development smart city play

Google 的都市發展智慧城市計畫

that would have collected masses of data

本來會收集大量資料來創造 更有效和更方便的城市服務，

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

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

但它最終是以科技為導向 而不是由人來主導。

Sidewalk Labs staged public input sessions

人行道實驗室舉辦了 公眾意見會議，

in order to appear responsive to residents' concerns

以顯示他們對於居民 關心的議題有所回應，

about the newfangled surveillance that would have been embedded

這些議題是關於本來要導入 碼頭區鄰里的新式監控。

into the Quayside neighborhood.

但大家看穿了這項提案， 終止了此發展。

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

In fact,

事實上，

there are ustopias taking shape right here in Atlanta.

在亞特蘭大就有一些 我們托邦正在形成中。

Known by some as Silicon Peach

有些人稱之為矽桃或科技蘭大，

or Techlanta,

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

因為它是全國發展 最快速的城市科技樞紐，

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

它也是全國收入最不平等的城市。

Which shouldn't surprise us when we remember

對此我們應該不會驚訝，因為， 別忘了，某些人的幻想通常

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

會是別人的惡夢。

In many places, tech booms actually exacerbate inequality,

在許多地方，科技繁榮 其實會加劇不平等、

increasing the cost of living, displacing local residents

增加生活成本、迫使當地居民搬遷，

and creating high tech tools for surveillance and social control.

並創造高科技工具 來進行監控和社會控制。

But that's only half of the story.

但這只是故事的一半。

Because here in Atlanta, and in many other locales,

因為在亞特蘭大和許多 其他地區，我們也都見證到

we're also witnessing a historic mobilization of residents,

居民的歷史性動員，

creating ustopias that prioritize people over profit,

創造出將人擺在利益之前的我們托邦，

public goods over policing.

也把公共財擺在維安之前。

It started a few years ago,

它始於幾年前亞特蘭大官員 宣佈建造警察城市的計畫，

when Atlanta officials announced plans to build Cop City,

a massive 90-million-dollar facility

那是個價值九億美金的大型設施，

that would have trained police from all over the country.

本來要用來培訓 來自全國各地的警察。

The development would include cutting down Weelaunee Forest,

這項開發也必須要砍伐威勞尼森林，

one of the four lungs of Atlanta

它亞特蘭大的四個肺之一，

that protects against heat waves and floods,

可以對付熱浪和洪水，提供保護，

and which is located next to a predominantly Black

且位於一個以黑人藍領 階級為主的社區旁邊。

working-class community.

But ATLiens were having none of it.

但亞特蘭大居民對此毫不妥協。

(Cheers and applause)

（歡呼和掌聲）

Utilizing direct action, digital tools,

用直接行動和數位工具，

a broad coalition has formed

他們形成了一個廣大的聯盟，

to push back against the militarizing imagination of the city.

旨在抵制把城市軍事化的想像。

Atlanta's forest defenders remind us

亞特蘭大的森林守護者提醒我們

that true community safety relies on connection,

真正的社區安全仰賴的是連結，

not cops.

不是警察；

On public goods, like housing and health care,

仰賴的是公共財， 如居住正義和健康照護，

not punishment.

不是懲罰。

They understand that protecting people and the planet

他們了解保護人 和保護地球是緊密相關的。

go hand in hand.

From college students to clergy,

從大學生到神職人士，

environmental activists to Indigenous elders,

從環境活動家到原住民長老，

they’re inviting us into a collective imagination

他們邀請我們進入一種集體的發想，

in which our ecological and our social well-being

在這個發想中，我們的生態 和社會福祉是緊密相關的。

go hand in hand.

An ustopia right in our own backyards.

就在我們自己的後院裡的吾托邦。

And even children are pushing back

甚至連孩子也在抵制

against the lopsided imagination of city officials.

城市官員的偏差想像。

比如有個孩子就問：

Like one who asked,

"What did cops do to deserve a playground?"

「警察做了什麼， 值得給他們一個遊樂場？」

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

當他們坐在市議會 會議室外的兒童區時，

where hundreds of people had showed up to speak out

有數百人出席發聲，

against Cop City.

反對警察城。

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

他們提醒了我們

致命的體制可能看似很堅固，

but they're not inevitable.

但它們並非無法攻破。

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

而且我們不需要點擊「提交」。

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

我們每個人都可以盡一己之力 來強化自己地區的社會結構，

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

創造一個所有人皆能共享的願景。

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

我們可以效法巴塞隆納的 資料正義組織者，

forest defenders in Atlanta,

亞特蘭大的森林保衛者，

imagining and crafting the worlds we cannot live without,

想像並打造出我們所嚮往的世界，

just as we dismantle the ones we cannot live within.

就像拆除那個讓我們 無法生活的世界一樣。

The first step

第一步

is to stop policing the borders of our own imagination.

是不要對我們的想像畫地自限。

A world without prisons?

一個沒有監獄的世界？

Ridiculous.

很可笑。

Schools that foster the genius of every child?

培養每個孩子天賦的學校？

Naive.

很天真。

Work that doesn't drive us into the grave?

不會讓我們過勞死的工作？

Impossible.

不可能。

A society where everyone has food,

人人都有食物、庇護

shelter, love?

和愛的社會？

In your dreams.

做你的大頭夢吧。

Exactly.

沒錯。

(Applause)

（掌聲）