Engelbart's 1951 epiphany focused on a basic predicament -- his perception that the world's complexity was increasing at a faster rate than humanity's ability to cope. The computer, he decided, offered the best chance to "augment" human intelligence as a defensive measure. In opposition to the artificial-intelligence researchers clustered at MIT, Engelbart never cared particularly about making machines smarter -- his dream has always been to give us a wisdom upgrade.
Engelbart's 1951 epiphany focused on a basic predicament -- his perception that the world's complexity was increasing at a faster rate than humanity's ability to cope. The computer, he decided, offered the best chance to "augment" human intelligence as a defensive measure. In opposition to the artificial-intelligence researchers clustered at MIT, Engelbart never cared particularly about making machines smarter -- his dream has always been to give us a wisdom upgrade.