Harnessing the Power of Technology

We have all been affected by technology, whether in regards to our health, professional lives, social circles, or lifestyle. Perhaps I am aging myself, but I recall the days where we did not have cell phones or GPS guiding our travels, or an abundance of information at our fingertips at any hour of the day. Today, we have grown to consider those giant technological feats as normal, and many would agree that living without them today would be difficult. Technology is a constantly moving sector that is growing at an incredible rate and has an exponential growth trajectory in the future. We can certainly expect to see more of it entering our lives and changing the way we do things. It is how we choose to use technology that can truly offer the greatest level of benefits for our individual and collective achievements.

In my mind, technology helps humans strive and achieve more with less effort and in less time. It is through those desires to do more and achieve more that industry provides the greatest innovations in order to meet those demands. We as humans possess critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and with the help of technological innovations, we can certainly attain some significantly extraordinary results. The advent and strong intellectual flow in the direction of artificial intelligence is an interesting development and one that we should all watch. It will help us generate significant results that we could not attain without it. This, by the way, is something we are all currently using. If you have a smartphone, use the internet, shop online, etc, you are using artificial intelligence and data science. The software embedded into your digital platforms learns your habits, your likes, and the things that engage you most, which become part of your personal digital data profile. Although data software can "learn" your technological habits, it can never think for you or ultimately decide for you—but it can help assist your decision-making process because of the due diligence the technology performed on your behalf.

For me, the issue rests with one question: What can technology do for you? Different people have different views and certainly different answers. But at the end of the day, it is my belief that technology can and should make our lives better and easier. The same applies for our dental laboratories: Is the technology at the laboratory making things better and easier, and is there technology that can make it even better? These are questions you should revisit often to stay on top of new developments and to keep your laboratory performing at its best.

Daniel Alter, MSc, MDT, CDT
Executive Editor • dalter@aegiscomm.com