I was born in the same year the World Wide Web became publicly accessible. For my generation, technology is a part of our first memories and experiences. This is why our brain is wired to think in digital ways, and we can’t imagine a future without AI. For us, technology is not a threat. We are designed to see it as a friend.
When most of us were kids, the future we imagined featured flying cars and people dressed in fancy space clothes. What we have instead today are polluted cities and fast fashion. Are we treating technology as our good friend?
What if an ad showing a beautiful T-Shirt mentioned that 2,700 liters of water were consumed to make it? Can’t we use technology to solve the problems of water misuse and pollution from burning crude oil and gas? What if we had push notifications on our phones to tell us when we left the water running while we brush our teeth or purchased goods from businesses that are not verified as powered by clean energy sources? There are various types of sensors and IoT solutions that can address the use of resources and energy. In my dream, we are breathing forest-fresh air in the middle of any of the world’s cities, powered by 100% clean energy coming from the sun’s powerful rays, the blow of the wind, and the vigorous force of the ocean. Technology should help us to protect the environment.
At the end of the day, major industries inflict pain on our planet because of their thirst for wealth. My home country of Romania has many issues with the exploitation of forests that authorities have tried to fix, but poorly implemented technology led to an end result that was not performant enough. That’s why I want to be part of the teams that will develop and implement technology and solutions that address environmental issues on a global scale. Right now, I dream about the day we will treat technology as our good friend that helps us better understand the environment, becoming more efficient and responsible with the way we impact it. Imagine the day when our true friend technology will help us focus on a sustainable life on Earth rather than flashy ads. Our society is ready to take this step.