JEREMY BENTHAM鈥橲 design for an all-seeing prison, the Panopticon, has come to
pass. He proposed a jail with a central tower from which guards could watch
inmates without being observed themselves. And 159 years after the philosopher鈥檚
costumed skeleton took up residence in a glass case at University College
London, that鈥檚 how it is in most British town centres and on all major
roads.
There鈥檚 now one CCTV camera for every 40 citizens. But the eagle-eyed
electronic Big Brother is passive, recording wrongdoings so that culprits might
be identified after the event. The jury is still out on how effective our
Brother is at cutting crime. So, assuming he鈥檚 here to stay and before he turns
nasty we should adapt him to improve our daily lives.
We have the technology to rebuild him so he can intervene and prevent all
kinds of human conflicts before they escalate. From the smallest
misunderstanding at a bus stop to a pitched battle between police and
demonstrators, the system could help civilisation be more, well, civilised.
Advertisement
CCTV systems can already pan, zoom and tilt automatically to lock onto
suspects. They can sound alerts when people don鈥檛 follow the common routes
through car parks or when they loiter suspiciously at railway stations. They can
recognise individuals, and improvements are being made In lip-reading and
interpreting gestures. There鈥檚 little reason why they won鈥檛 soon be able to
understand subtle body language.
Combining expert systems containing the knowledge and experience of scores of
behavioural psychologists with the CCTV cameras could predict the consequences
of the human interactions being surveyed. Is that man getting angry? Is that
child too trusting? Is that queue of people getting fed up? Then the networked
鈥渞oboshrink鈥� could, in the blink of an eye, decide whether the likely conclusion
of the scene is desirable for the individuals concerned, or for the greater good
of the greatest number. Game theory and cultural rules would guide its
decisions.
The next step would be to improve the situation by communicating with the
people in the picture. Their mobile phones might receive text or synthesised
speech messages, advising them to step back, smile, loosen up or walk away, for
example. It could tell them what to say and how to say it so they can reach a
happier compromise.
And as it gained experience, the system would get better at its job of
promoting peace, love and understanding. It would observe the consequences of
its advice and continually refine its expertise. Say hello to Big Uncle,
dispensing wise, personalised advice instantaneously.
Thus the technology that clutters our towns will deskill behavioural
psychology, just as clerical tasks are now largely computerised, and robots
assist with neurosurgery. It makes expert advice available to all. At the
moment, only those who can afford therapy sessions learn how to relate better to
others. Technology could make this affordable to everyone, all of the time.
Do you have a problem with that?