Be careful what you wish for: Dr. Roey Tzezana at TEDxKibbutzimCollegeofEducation

In his research Dr. Tzezana examines future aspects of human enhancement, nano-technology, genetic engineering, and other disruptive technologies. He's also a magician and a father.
powered by NMP solutions and Kibbutzim college, department of media and film,
בית הספר לקולנוע ותקשורת סמינר הקיבוצים

(Applause)

Like many of you, I am excited
about new technologies.

Take Facebook for example.

And my presentation, thank you.

Take Facebook for example.

You can use it to keep in touch
with each other

all over the world.

But you can also use it
for cyberbullying,

for breaking up relationships,

for making people lose their jobs,

and even can be responsible
for cases of teen suicide.

So is Facebook good, or is it bad?

I say, it depends
on the discussion of the users.

Now I am passionate
about future technologies.

I have been researching it
in the university for years.

I'm writing blogposts,
I'm writing papers,

I'm even publishing a book right now

about emerging technologies

I talked with earlier adopters,
with analysers,

with developers, with entrepreneurs,

and I try to identify and analyse

emerging technologies
that we can and should embrace

But I always remember
that we must consider them

very very carefully.

Because if we don't,

technology can backfire on us.

Let me show you an example.

Meet my son, Omer Tzezana.

Gorgeous, isn't he?

Absolutely. In 2 weeks,

he will celebrate his first birthday.

Let us follow three possible scenarios

into the future and see how technology

can be used to shape his life

in the 3 decades to come.

Ten years from now,
Omer is 11 years old.

I watch him sleep, and I smile.

Why am I smiling?

Because he's not schizophrenic.

You see, in the next 5 years,

genetic sequencing is going to cost

less than a thousand dollars.

That means, you can sequence,

you can read the entire genetic code

of a human being for
a measly sum of money.

Omer is going to have
his entire genetic code sequenced,

meaning doctors are going to read

every gene in his genome

and analyse its implications.

And it turns out, O'Neil
is prone to schizophrenia.

But he hasn't had an episode yet.

And even that is something for me

to smile about.

I drive Omer to school,

to his private school.

It wasn't easy to get in.

Unlike public schools,

private schools require

a genetic certificate.

And when the school board
read Omer's genetic certificate,

they almost disqualified him on the spot.

Luckily, his grades were high enough

to grant him entry anyway.

But his friend David wasn't as lucky.

His gene map shows the potential

for uncontrolable fits of rage.

They never happened even once,

but he still got rejected.

Because in 10 years from now,

we will be entering the era
of genomic fashion.

Where friends share their genetic data

over Facebook.

Oh sorry, over genebook.

And Omer shares his genetic data

with all of his friends.

Now we really regret it,

because everyone in his class knows.

This is not science fiction.

The technology for sequencing
your entire genome

already exists.

They will get much, much cheaper

in the next few years.

20 years from now

Omer is 21 years old.

Please stop with the whistling.

(Laughter)

I watch him sleep, and I smile.

Why am I smiling?

Because he is still not schizophrenic.

Also, I think of his beautiful eyes.

I paid for one of them.

How did that happen?

Well, you know about 3D printers, right?

This amazing technology that can be used

to print items and tools in your house.

It's amazing technology, it's exciting.

It's full of potential and benefits.

But it also depends, unless we use

tough regulations and strict discretion,

these printers are going to hurt

some people like Omer.

Because when he is a teenager,

he is curious

and they leave him all alone.

He goes to the Internet

and he downloads the schematic
for an actual gun.

And he prints this gun on the internet

in his printer with a bullet

immediately printed in the gun,

ready to be fired.

And again, not science-fiction, guys!

This weapon has been printed,

3D printed, in 2013, this year.

The magazine, and the body of the rifle.

The rifle has been used to shoot

6 bullets before it malfunctioned

When Omer is a teenager,

he will download the gun

he will print it

he will take the gun out

Well, he aims it at the window,

he pulls the trigger,

and the gun doesn't fire.

The bullet must be stuck.

So he aims it at the computer screen,

right in front of him.

He pulls the trigger

the gun still doesn't fire.

The bullet must be really stuck.

Then he decides to find out

exactly where the bullet is stuck.

It's a good thing we have insurance.

Because even in the future

3D printers that print new eyes

are not cheap at all.

In 30 years from now,

Omer is 31 years old.

I watch him sleep and I smile.

Why am I smiling?

Because he is 31 years old,

and he is still not schizophrenic.

In 30 years, it is
the era of brain technology.

It is the time when technology

starts to influence
and affect your brain

Think of your brain as a car engine.

If you want to switch gears,

if you want to take it to the next level,

and beyond, well you can't.

You don't have a wheel
to guide your brain.

You don't have the levers.

You can't reach inside, or can you?

Because even today, 2013, we have

technologies that can be used

to boost the brain's performance,

to enhance memo-recreation,

to make you think faster.

These technologies are based on creating

electromagnetic fields inside your brain.

There are some neurology
and psychology students

who even use these technologies
on themselves,

by attaching generators to their heads,

so that the electromagnetic field

is created in certain spots

and it should help them study better.

And they say it does.

That's great, right?

I mean who wouldn't want that?

I would want to use this technology!

But once you start pulling levers

and pushing buttons in the brain,

it's got to start being
a mess at some point,

because the brain is not a simple organ.

You can't just play around with it.

And in 30 years, when this technology

is as commonplace as cellphones today,

some people will exhibit adverse effects.

And Omer might be one of those.

He will use it for a long time

because he needs
to keep up ahead in his job.

He has no choice,
everybody else is using it!

And at some point, something,

some pulses get burned.

30 years from now,
he finds it more difficult

to accomplish his daily tasks,

that's why he still lives at home.

Why did I take you
on this journey with me?

There is a message for all of us here:

technology is here to serve us,

to improve our lives

but only if we use it carefully
and with discretion.

I believe we should use more regulations

on emerging technologies, some of which

I have shown you right now.

And this is not science fiction.

All of these technologies exist today.

I believe we should teach our children

to be more responsible

in their use of emerging technologies

I believe we should start today.

I call up on you,
each and everyone of you.

When you finish this conference,

when you rise from your computer screen,

go to your children and talk with them

about the amazing
and exciting technologies

they are using.

40 years from now,

Omer is 41 years old.

I watch him sleep

and I thank you for listening to me

(Applause)