Off -Whose - Shelf?

There is no end to the water that flows under the bridge when it comes to discussing Ethics of Technology Vendors. There has been much talk about monopoly of a few companies that hold the entire technological ecosystem in their hands. The public institutions are therefore forced to purchase technology from the monopolists only. However, what about the methodology used by the public institutions to purchase technology? Do the Public Institutions know whose shelf they are buying from?

The 2G Spectrum case in India is a fantastic example to show as to how technology is actually procured by public institutions and the nasty problems that come out of it.. Independent India's method is the rule of the lowest bidder gets the tender contract. Some countries use the method of purchasing technology from the globally best vendor. Some countries are so messed up that they buy from whoever is willing to sell to them even it means giving up citizens, natural resources or sovereign assets to the vendor.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccine requirement has totally exposed the stupidity of many countries in their technology procuring methodologies. It is however, conceded that many countries are too poor and if not assisted suitably by the “Developed” World, they will more likely go into the messed up method mentioned above.

In the middle of the confusing messages from Governments and International Organisations, a serious question seems to flow like a quiet undercurrent. Whose Technology should we buy?? In the last few decades, though every country follows some form of democracy, (atleast a majority), the pandemic has totally exposed the fact that, democracy that is being currently practiced in different parts of the world is different from each other. The differences are getting bigger to the extent that, simply copying the strategies of one country when it comes to public policy may not be a good solution to another country. Lockdowns may work in Country A, but it is a total disaster in Country B. It is therefore hilarious when Political Personalities compare the principles of democracy in one country to the principles in another country when it comes to questions that are political bombs.

This difference in democracy has its biggest impact not on the question of rights or duties but on the technology that is applied by a country to actually recognise the rights, duties and obligations of its citizens. It is therefore even more hilarious to observe the circus that is unleashed when Elected Officials, Courts and Legislative bodies get their blood pressure near to boiling points when technology companies born in a different democratic country refuses to recognise the rights of the largest democracy in the world, retaliates against coups, legislation and even openly influences governance. The only way for a country to obtain a technology company to do business in their country is to concede some portion of their democratic or non-democratic system of laws and regulations in favour of the democratic law, regulations that is followed by the Technology Company. The crazy thing is that, all rules look the same.

Technology is neutral. Intelligent Technology is slightly less neutral, but neutral nevertheless. Ready to Use Technology that is purchased from another is not completely neutral. It requires some amount of integration into the political and social principles imbibed from the source. It is common to compare this statement with 20th Century Technology and deny such statements. Example, India purchased a lot of military technology from the Soviet Union, but did not become a Soviet Satellite. The Technology of that time was more neutral and required total human intervention. Therefore, all we had to do was just understand the science in order to understand the technology. It was therefore, much easier for India to develop Soviet Variants of technology especially military technology for the Indian conditions. However, Industrial Production of the purchased technology demanded some integration into Soviet Thinking - the induction of Socialism into our Constitution and by extension our economic and social life. Indian Culture, nevertheless changed. The fact of the change was immediately apparent and visual but the depth was not. We feel the impact of Socialistic Thinking and The Emergency today in ways no one could even imagine then.

Globalisation and Liberalisation of the 1990s saw India transform from a British Legacy to a society that idolised the American Dream and Way of Life.. Information Technology made such thinking possible and rewarded it.. The depth of the cultural change was so fast and is so deep, that we totally and completely rejected the earlier Indian way of thinking in many areas. We no longer search for information about our culture, language, history in our libraries or grandparents, We "Google". Our Entertainment Industry is fundamentally a total copy of the Western Entertainment Industry. We “missed” peak hour Traffic Jams during the lockdowns. "Yes" became "yeah", Corporate Talk became informal but more heirarchial. By the 2000s we had changed but amplified and retained many aspects of the old. But no one can question any of it, yeahs, Corporate Hierarchies and Executive Indian lunches alike. We take what is served to us. All this happened in just two decades since globalisation.

Yet, it is surprising that we fail to see the Depth to which Off-The-Shelf Technology changes our life. When the Technology comprises of software or biological code that Is intelligent and works without human intervention, the cultural change is not just fast, but a Blitzkrieg. We do not understand that such culture changes has negotiable upsides but non-negotiable downsides. It was definitely a boon to workers when Socialism was introduced, but they non-negotiably suffered the most during the Emergency. It is definitely amazing to sit in Air Conditioned Halls and write code, but the carpal tunnels, back pains are painful. Toxic work culture is suffering. The answer is not affordable therapy or corporate getaway packages. Mental Health and Physical Degradation is non-negotiable. It is amazing to afford fast cars and bikes, but crawling Traffic and Indian Roads kill our spines. The answer is not Chinese influenced Taxi apps or police bias on sports bikes. You cannot negotiate with your spine. It is nevertheless joyful to see cities full of material comforts, prosperity and modern life. But is it the Indian way to allow people to enjoy all the progress at the cost of their health, mind and happiness and then push for an economic system that advertises to “remedy” all the ills? Way of Life is Non-Negotiable.

I wonder what our culture will become once we totally Integrate into a mix of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence from both Chinese and American way of Thinking? Will India become the battleground of American and Chinese Technology? Who will be the Soldiers of such battles? Will Cultural Upheavals that are triggered by American And Chinese Thinking not just impact but Crash with such force that leaving common Indians confused, depressed and even some version of “Shellshocked” to the extent that the majority or even no single app, psychologist, doctor and sociologist may actually be able to understand what is going on in the Indian mind?

The Courts and lawyers will likely be more confused and the legal system would most likely buckle under the exponentially growing confusion that will in all likelihood give tailored answers to questions nobody asked but remain totally mute to questions that are actually asked.

If the Impact from non-intelligent technology of different systems was so deep that we can only understand enough to swim with the current, the impact from the same method of purchasing intelligent technology will be of a depth which we will probably never have a “chance” to understand because we will busy trying not to drown.

India has suffered much from purchasing technology from the shelves of other countries. It is likely too late to build our own shelf. But, It is perhaps time to pause and see whether the shelf we are purchasing from will match with ours and not if the shelf matches The Budget. .