Epilogue

One of the things that all of the innovators profiled in this project have in common is recognizing the importance of understanding both what something is and what it could be. Whether Gutenberg in the 15th century or the AI programmers in the 21st, this mindset has helped drive innovation forward. They engaged in in-depth analysis of their subject matter, exhibited determined problem solving skills, and through experimentation and trial and error, actualized what often began as theoretical concepts.  

 

Once these concepts became operational it then became a matter of deployment and application. This is how we went from a single small plane briefly flying at low altitude on a beach to commercial airline flights and from two letters sent over a computer network to a globalized internet. Everything evolves.

 

But we've now lived through a paradigm shift. Technologies that we once thought of as "just a tool" are now developing capabilities that have been unimaginable until now. Artificial Intelligence is no longer the stuff of science fiction. It's real. In 1968 we all chuckled when, in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the HAL 9000 AI system said "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." We're not chuckling now. 

 

Rather than making predictions about where all of this will lead, we would be better served by learning from the experiences of those who have made significant contributions throughout history. And like them, first develop an understanding of what these evolving digital technologies are and then explore the possibilities of what they could be. All while reinforcing our creative agency. The technological environment will undoubtedly continue to change rapidly and it will be up to us to choose between adaptation and capitulation. 

 

Ignoring it is really not an option.

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