Norbert Wiener was one of the first, and most enthusiastic, champions of automation and machine intelligence. But the father of cybernetics, as he was known, was convinced of the continuing value of humans in a more mechanised world.
In a book published in 1950 called The Human Use of Human Beings, Wiener argued that automation could deliver huge gains to society. But it must only be used for “the benefit of man, for increasing his leisure and enriching his spiritual life, rather than merely for profits and the worship of the machine”.
Wiener’s words should echo around our heads as we contemplate the increasing use of technology in so many areas of our society, especially in “soft” sectors such as education. There is no doubt that technology can play a massive role in augmenting and amplifying human skills. But we must never lose sight of the human.