Here's What Steve Jobs' Biographer Thinks Computers Will Never Be Able To Do
Oct 17, 2014, 06:03 IST
Michael Nagle/GettyWalter Isaacson argues the ability to possess an imagination is what makes humans different.Walter Isaacson is one of the most respected biographers in the world, having written books about Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein.
The former managing editor of Time Magazine, Isaacson's work spans nearly four decades, across politics, education, and technology. His latest book, "The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution," is a culmination of his long journalistic career.
On Thursday, Isaacson gave a glimpse into that book through a LinkedIn post titled, "The One Thing Computers Will Never Be Able To Do."
In the post, Isaacson argues the ability to think differently and possess an imagination is what makes humans to "remain relevant in an era of cognitive computing." And that will help connect the arts with the sciences, which is precisely where the next digital revolution will come from, Isaacson writes.
Here's what he said:
"The next phase of the digital revolution will bring a true fusion of technology with the creative industries, such as media, fashion, music, entertainment, education, literature, and the arts…This innovation will come from people who are able to link beauty to engineering, humanity to technology, and poetry to processors. In other words, it will come from the spiritual heirs of Ada Lovelace, creators who can flourish where the arts intersect with the sciences, and who have a rebellious sense of wonder that opens them to the beauty of both."
Isaacson seems to have a point in making a reference to Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician from the 19th century. She was one of the early pioneers of computer algorithms and even predicted how machine programming could be used to play music, according to Slate.
Isaacson notes that the concept of connecting arts and science is nothing new, citing the case of Leonardo da Vinci and Einstein. But what makes this so exciting is that no one can predict what's ahead of us, as he writes, "The interplay between technology and the creative arts will eventually result in completely new forms of expression and media."