[Opinion] Reevaluating Technology Development Overly Focused on Commercialization

The world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, 'CES 2023,' was held in Las Vegas, USA. Under the theme of 'Cooperation in a Divided World,' in-depth discussions on blockchain and virtual assets also took place at the 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF), known as the Davos Forum. It has been quite some time since the term Fourth Industrial Revolution was first used at the Davos Forum in 2016. At this point, let us consider the current level and limitations of technology in the world.

First, SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son launched the emotional robot Pepper in 2014. The 'Henna Hotel' in Japan, registered in the Guinness Book as the world's first robot hotel, called back human staff instead of robots. Consider the significance of the massive losses of Son's Vision Fund and the discontinuation of Pepper robot production in 2021. The emergence of robots that can empathize and interact deeply with humans still seems far off. Despite the enthusiasm for certain sectors of the robot industry at CES 2023, the expectation that such robots will commercially appear in the near future remains hopeful rather than realistic.

Second, "The driver sits in the driver's seat for legal reasons only; the vehicle drives itself." Tesla confidently defined their autonomous driving technology, Autopilot, this way. However, what a surprise! Recently, an insider revealed that the promotional video for the autonomous driving feature of Tesla's 2016 electric car Model X was staged. It was not footage of actual autonomous driving but manipulated to appear as if the car was driving itself. More than ten fatal accidents have occurred due to reliance on Tesla's autonomous driving, and related lawsuits are ongoing. Consumers still expect that using autonomous vehicles will be more convenient after a certain point. However, surveys show many do not believe autonomous vehicles are safe. Commercialization of autonomous driving by 2030 currently seems distant.

Third, the failure of AI chatbots represented by Iruda in 2021. Even before Iruda, there were abundant forecasts that AI would be able to hold human-level conversations within five years or that the golden age of chatbots was imminent. Iruda's failure demonstrated the problem of blind faith in algorithms. There is still no basis for optimistic forecasts that intelligent chatbots capable of conversing with humans will be realized soon. In reality, 'AI chatbots' are fraught with technical limitations and frequent errors. Of course, we must realize a strong AI nation. A future without AI is regression, and the country leading AI is prosperous.

Fourth, Yuval Harari turned his attention to the scenario that in the singularity era, sapiens will no longer be the only human species. However, considering various circumstances, it seems unlikely that machines will soon become intellectually superior to humans and that rapid technological changes will irreversibly transform human life in the near future. Machines are experts in specific fields but weak in comprehensive thinking like humans.

Looking at human history, technology has driven the progress of human civilization. However, overemphasizing technology alone can benefit only one side and cause consumers to miss out on much. Numerous venture entrepreneurs have highlighted technology to attract investment and reap profits. We see countless stocks trading below their IPO price. Are we too fascinated by the commercialization of technology? Considering the sustainability of humans, technology, and business, let us imagine technologies that will inspire humanity's future. Have we been too hasty in focusing only on money games with an emotional approach? The time is approaching to calmly review the direction of technological development and scientific innovation.

Wonkyung Cho, Professor at UNIST / Director of the Global Industry Cooperation Center