Since I wrote about the Artemis mission to the moon and back last month, there has been a lot going on in the battle between technological achievement and human achievement.
AI-powered robots beat elite human players at table tennis.
Tech 1. Human 0.
Humanoid robots beat human runners in a half marathon.
Tech 2. Human 0.
Two men run a full marathon in under 2 hours.
Tech 2. Human 2.
They wore shoes weighing less than a bar of soap.
Tech 3. Human 2.
And so it goes.
Endeavour means to try, strive, or make a serious, determined effort to do something.
And that constant drive is what supposedly keeps us going.
We strive to succeed as humans.
We develop technology that can beat us.
We develop technology that can help us.
We try to do better.
But maybe there’s a better way.
Maybe we don’t need to keep chasing our technology tails.
Do more. Do better. Do faster.
Sir David Attenborough is 100 years old today. A man dedicated to helping humankind understand the natural world.
“What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet.”
Not what machines do.
What humans do.
Maybe the real challenge isn’t beating the technology.
Maybe it’s simply remembering to be human.
Enjoy your Quick PINT.
Cover image, the moment when David Attenborough met the gorillas taken from the BBC the Making of Life on Earth
BBC
Read more about robots winning at table tennis
Ian Sample
Read more about robots winning the half-marathon
Andrew Gregory
Read more about the running shoes worn for the sub 2 hour marathon
Jessica Murray and Sarah Lee
