Chapter Three: Specify Innovation
From the earliest days of the industrial revolution, the relationshipof human beings to machines has been difficult to equalize. Our history of conflict with the machines we build to serve us isn’t surprising because our respective capabilities and limitations are so different. When we successfully manage these differences they become complementary sources of strength, but when we fail to fully acknowledge and accommodate them, they cause so much friction that they can bring the simplest task to a standstill.
Computers are fast, accurate, and consistent, and they excel at repetition.They can respond instantly to the correct cues, but they have no sense of time; their prodigious memories have no sense of history. They can’t be distracted by anything around them, and they’re not affected by a mood or a commute. They’re rigid, but they can be modified. Most of the time, they do exactly as they’re told.
The behavior and thought processes of human beings are variable, flexible, and unpredictable. Our memories are subject to error. We receive information through our five senses, none of which is fully understood, and we interpret that information according to our individual experience. We can recognize complex patterns. We’re highly sensitive to our environment, and our emotions influence our actions. We’re creative thinkers who can solve problems in surprisingways. We have goals and expectations. We take risks.
