With the benefit of decades of experience, Toine Rodenburg has a uniquely informed view of trends in online commerce, and the rapidly evolving technology that makes new Internet innovations possible.
When it comes to our modern online life, Toine Rodenburg has studied it all, and lived most of it. He can tell you what ARPANET stands for, and why it was so significant. He’s studied the biographies of industry greats, from Steve Jobs to Sergey Brin. In the early years, he waited in line with the rest of us for each new iPhone generation. He has strong opinions on Apple’s proposal to change the location of the “end call” button.
Recently, we caught up with Toine Rodenburg long enough to collect a range of fascinating opinions and insights:
Q: From your perspective, what’s the next big thing we can expect to see in cyberspace, or technology in general?
Toine Rodenburg: I love the “technology in general” part of your question, because the answers are limitless, just like many of the applications that are being imagined for new technologies. These days AI gets all the buzz, of course, and I’m one of the many who enjoy talking about it; not simply because it’s a technology topic, but the discussions typically veer into philosophy, metaphysics, and even pop culture. Really, what other subject lets you ponder Descartes and Hume one moment, and heatedly debate plot holes in The Terminator the next?
My own view is that if you believe there is something special about human beings, whether you call it a soul or a unique consciousness, there’s nothing to fear from AI. We’re all going to be fine. If your view of our species is less lofty, that our neural patterns and ability to think will one day be fully understood and replicated by scientists, then you probably should be scared. If we’re not unique, we’ll certainly be obsolete at some point.
Q: Interesting tangent. Beyond AI, what else do you see on the technological horizon?
Toine Rodenburg: Yes, we did go down a bit of a rabbit hole there. Understandable, though: The topic is just so fascinating, and ultimately so important. On a more practical plane, I see new technological applications streamlining efficiencies for businesses, such as the cross-border shopping facilitator we created for the Caribbean, Canadian and Latin America markets, MyMalls. It’s grown to become one of the leading premium shipping companies for the Western Hemisphere.
We stay ahead of the game by applying technological innovations across the full spectrum of online commerce — from the customer’s ordering experience to fulfillment at the warehouse to shipping. Right now, MyMalls partners with DHL Express, Fedex and Sea Freight companies for international shipping, eliminating the worry, hassle and regulatory complexities people often experience with these types of international purchases. Our logistical infrastructure includes two large warehouses that we built in Florida.
We are refining our processes every day, and thinking strategically for the long-term. We have some exciting initiatives we’re working on that will revolutionize the industry, I believe. Stage by stage, we’re eliminating the obstacles to simple, hassle-free international ordering. Stay tuned for more, very soon.
Q: On a more personal note, what’s your favorite movie among films that examine the future of technology in our lives?
Toine Rodenburg: Well, I have so many, starting with the classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Matrix trilogy. But when considering the paths before us, the opposite directions in which technology could take us in the coming decades, I would offer two films that forecast distinctly different outcomes.
The Forbin Project is hard to find, but well worth the effort searching for it. In the film, a computer network is given control of U.S. defenses, and it soon becomes aware of a similar network controlling military defenses in the old Soviet Union. This turns out to be not good, to put it mildly. At one point Colossus, the U.S. defense network, announces to the world: “We can coexist, but only on my terms. You will say you lose your freedom; freedom is an illusion.”
The bookend of this is a popular film from the 80s, WarGames. In this screenplay, scientists and politicians prove to be just as foolish, allowing an advanced computer consciousness to take control of national defense. The film’s much more optimistic ending happens when the teenage protagonist challenges the computer to run a simulation of one of the simplest games imaginable: tic tac toe.
By playing the game over and over, with each game ending in a draw, the computer learns that the nuclear strike it was contemplating would be similarly futile. At the end of the movie, the computer concludes: “The only winning move is not to play.”
