Google Technology Projects – Social Change in Favor of Management of Information Systems
In 2015, when Google was reorganized into the daughter company of Alphabet Inc., the research-and-development (R&D) organization called X (former Google X) took under control all ambitious projects of Google (Muoio, 2016a). In its official website, X manifests itself as a “moonshot factory” which aims to improve the world using advanced technologies which can resolve some issues of the modern world (“About,” 2016, para. 1). Some other innovative projects of Google are being run by separate Alphabet companies like Calico (McCracken & Grossman, 2013). Hence, it may be assumed that X focuses on solutions which deal with innovations which can make a turnover of our civilization.
Indeed, one may suppose that the only realistic way to solve the problems of today is technology. No one can also deny that the practical implementations of scientific findings make the existence of the humanity easier, and even recent inventions like smartphones have become an inevitable part of everyday life. However, the development of engineering has always been accompanied by environmental problems. As for high-tech, the concern of privacy emerges as the main issue of modern I.T. Moreover, the existing management of information systems (MIS) will change as new hardware and software means may change management conduits, organizations or society. The analysis of R&D projects by Google shows that any invention has environmental, social and ethical issues which change the current concept of MIS.
Self-Driving Automobile
Self-driving automobile project is aimed at creating the car which can adequately navigate without a human driver. In 2016, the project was recognized to be successful enough to separate from X, and now it is called Waymo (“Waymo,” 2016). There are 58 self-driving vehicles in Waymo’s possession, and they have already made more 2,344,188 miles on the road as for November 2016 (“Google Self-Driving Car Project Monthly Report,” 2016). It is stated that self-driving car will increase the mobility of disabled people and there are already cases which prove its efficiency (Davies, 2016). One may freely say that Waymo makes the scientific fiction’s image of the automatic car come to life.
There are several issues which complicate the implementation of technology now or may challenge it in future. The first and the most crucial one is the adequacy of decision making by the board computer. As far as the robotic driver does, the human sees road signs, road markings, traffic lights, pedestrians and other cars, and makes decisions according to the situation. However, the computer lacks empathy which human driver has. Thus, it is unlikely to predict the unexpected or informal actions of others. Another concern is legal aspect of the self-driving car. However safe the robotic automobile is, someone has to be responsible for traffic incidents in which it may occasionally involve.
The obstacles to the implementation of the self-driving car are easily overcome, and there are no environmental threats. The government of the U.S. has already introduced the guidelines for …
