(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)