CS Nov-Dec 2023

ook review
INSIDE THE REVOLUTION
A RANGE OF POWERFUL TECHNOLOGIES IS DISRUPTING AND TRANSFORMING EVERY CORNER
OF OUR REALITY. A NEW BOOK ARGUES WHY AND HOW WE MUST ACT AND ADAPT TO THIS
Unsupervised: Navigating and
Influencing a World Controlled
by Powerful New Technologies'
examines the fast-emerging technologies
and tools that are already starting to
revolutionise our world.
Beyond that, the book takes an in-depth
look at how we have arrived at this
dizzying point in our history, who holds
the reins of these formidable technologies,
mostly without any supervision, state its
authors, Daniel Doll-Steinberg and Stuart
Leaf. 'Unsupervised' sets out to explain why
we, as business leaders, entrepreneurs,
academics, educators, lawmakers, investors
or users and all responsible citizens, must
act now to influence and help oversee
the future of a technological world.
There are several chilling reminders in
the book of the seeming impasse we
have arrived at in our quest for greater
'advancement'. Take, for instance, this
observation from the two authors: "…
technology in the hands of humankind
is now akin to a massive double-edged
sword - a light saber, in fact, in the hands
of an untrained child. Wielding it can
create instant and possibly irreversible
impact, for good or for bad, faster than
one can realize what has happened".
Quantum computing, artificial
intelligence, blockchain, decentralisation,
virtual and augmented reality and permanent
connectivity are just a few of the
technologies and trends considered,
but the book delves much deeper, too.
It offers a thorough analysis of energy and
medical technologies, as well as cogent
predictions for how new tech will redefine
our work, money, entertainment, transportation
and our home and cities, and
what we need to know to harness and
prosper from these technologies.
Doll-Steinberg and Leaf detail how, when
we look a bit farther into the future, we
can see that the task facing us is to
completely reinvent life as we know it -
work, resources, war and even humanity
itself will undergo redefinition, thanks
to these new and emerging tools. In
'Unsupervised', they set out to examine
what these redefinitions might look like
and how we, as individuals and part
of society, can prevent powerful new
technologies from falling into the wrong
hands or be built to harm us.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DANIEL DOLL-STEINBERG created one of the first global standards for digital rights management, securing and delivering
activation keys and content direct to customers, which is said to have helped transform the software industry. Specialising in
disruptive technologies, and focusing on Blockchain and AI, he was later appointed by the European Commission, and then the
UK government, as an expert advisor specialising in education, growth, disruption and Future of Work policy.
STUART LEAF started his career at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets and Goldman Sachs. He held senior positions in smaller real
estate, private equity and asset management firms, before co-founding Cadogan Management, a Fund of Hedge Funds, in 1994.
Investing around the world in a range of strategies, including a significant exposure to technology, he and his partners grew the
funds to $7.5 billion in assets.
8
computing security Nov/Dec 2023 @CSMagAndAwards www.computingsecurity.co.uk