New Delhi, Nov. 8 -- Many in India would recall the November 2024 incident in Uttar Pradesh, where three men drove off a bridge into the Ramganga River after following Google Maps directions.

The incomplete bridge in Bareilly's Badaun district had a section that collapsed due to floods in 2023. However, this change wasn't updated in Maps, and the route looked operational. Local police reported that the driver, relying on the app, didn't realize the bridge was unsafe and drove off the damaged section. Compounding the issue, there were no safety barriers or warning signs to alert drivers.

This chilling incident represents an extreme consequence of what happens in daily life, in subtler ways, when we hand over thinking and attention to tec...