Why we should be under the influence of science fiction

By PAUL BRISLEN

Science fiction may be scorned by its more literary cousins in the art world but for one professor of computer science it is a vitally important way of influencing the world.

Professor Hermann Maurer is visiting New Zealand to discuss the thorny issue of computers, networks and globalisation but when he's not busy with his day job, the dean of computer science at Austria's Graz University of Technology writes science fiction novels and says they have a huge role to play.

"If it wasn't for Orwell's 1984 we wouldn't have data protection laws, even the weak ones we have, today."

Maurer said fiction's role was to raise awareness of issues and that science fiction, or rather speculative fiction, played an increasingly important role in modern society.

"I used to write under a pen name because when you predict things that don't come to pass you can come in for a lot of criticism. These days, though, I write under my own name and don't worry about it so much." Maurer said distopian science fiction could serve as a warning while the more upbeat fiction "can show people a path they would like to follow".

But Maurer's message is a serious one - computers are increasing the speed of globalisation but could also destabilise the process.

Maurer said the global dependence on computer networks, like the internet, left us vulnerable to a concerted cyber-attack.

"So far cyber crimes have generally been the work of individuals but eventually that will change and groups will start working hard on the development of cyber-war or cyber-terrorism. We have to be prepared for that."

Maurer said if a group wanted to spend the time and money developing something unpleasant, such as a virus, then whole economies could be at risk.

Fortunately, he said, computer scientists were working just as hard at ways of ensuring networks remained running.