AUP’s Georgi Stojanov on Technology and Cognitive Ability

On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, the Office of AUP’s President Celeste M. Schenck hosted the third event in its Presidential Lecture Series: a talk from Professor Georgi Stojanov of AUP’s Department of Computer Science, Math and Environmental Science. The lecture series, titled “Technology and the Human Future,” invites speakers to participate in live online events, so they might engage with both theory and practice in responding to the question of how technology will continue affecting our lives beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. Stojanov’s talk, “Your Personal Diary Is No Longer Private, and You Are Not Even the Primary Author,” explored the coevolution of technology and human cognitive ability. Are we still the same species we were 1,000 years ago?

After an introduction from President Schenck, Stojanov began exploring whether we remain the primary writers of our own lives, given that humans are so inextricably linked to technology. He argued that some of our oldest inventions have been most crucial in guiding human evolution: for instance, language. There are many theories about how language emerged, whether it has a genetic origin or whether it spread from a single point or was invented simultaneously by independent groups. What is clear, according to Stojanov, is that language has made significant contributions to human evolution, as without it there would be no way to share innovation with the next generation. Stojanov argued that without technology – primarily language but also other key developments such as the wheel and agriculture – we as humans would have become a different species. Tools make us smarter and more complex in the same way we make tools smarter and more complex.

The talk then shifted to modern technology and how new inventions could transform humans in the future. Much of this focused on the internet, which has been a double-edged sword when it comes to human cognitive function. Though the internet has had much positive impact on our cognitive abilities, online data collection has resulted in the creation of “dynamic psycho-predictive models” that predict online and offline user behavior, providing advertisers with information on how best to incite behavioral change in consumers. Search engines like Google can also cushion users from certain information by hiding negative content.

Stojanov ended his presentation by noting that much of this power to influence individuals is concentrated in a small number of unelected companies, which today influence the behavior of whole populations and, in some cases, can be considered more powerful than state governments. Regulation can only go so far in controlling such power, as companies can, for example, easily pay fines without needing to change their behavior.

Following the talk, Stojanov took questions from the audience via an online chat function. You can watch Stojanov’s presentation and Q&A in the video below.

The next event in the Presidential Lecture Series will take place on February 3, 2022, during which Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO, will speak on the topic: "Gender, Inclusivity and Technology." You can register for the event online here.

Significant contributions to this news piece were made by Jackson Vann, a graduate student studying for AUP’s MSc in Human Rights and Data Science.