Book · 2016 · Business & Economics
Only Humans Need Apply
Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines
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- podcast
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- episode
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What we tried to do in this book is to find various ways that humans can either do things that computers don't do very well and probably won't for the foreseeable future or as I was suggesting earlier work alongside them almost as colleagues.
What they say about it
- Augmentation over automation“augmentation versus automation”2
The best things said about it
They have a book that's just coming out called Only Humans Need Apply and the subtitle is Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines.
We generally think that since there's no higher ground to which humans can retreat then they have to find common ground with the machines that are going to be their colleagues and so a lot of our book is around this idea that we'll need to augment their capabilities.
In the context of this world of augmentation versus automation and for this world where Only Humans Need Apply what happens to the nature of the firm the organization.
Why people recommend it
Only Humans Need Apply by Thomas H. Davenport and Julia Kirby is an insightful exploration of how automation and smart machines are reshaping the modern workforce. On the a16z Podcast, host Sonal and guest Thomas Davenport discussed the book's core premise: rather than succumbing to the fear that machines will completely replace human labor, people must learn to find common ground with technology. The authors argued that humans need to augment their capabilities, positioning themselves alongside computers almost as colleagues. Throughout the discussion, Davenport emphasized that the book focuses on identifying specific areas where humans excel and will continue to outperform computers for the foreseeable future. Sonal praised the work during the interview, thanking the guests and strongly encouraging listeners to read the publication to better understand the shifting dynamics of smart machines. The conversation also touched upon broader societal debates, such as universal basic income, with the authors firmly rejecting the pessimistic view that automation would render human work entirely obsolete. Instead, they framed the future around the evolving relationship between human intelligence and machine augmentation, exploring how organizations and the very nature of firms will adapt to this technological transition.
Every mention
Thomas Davenport so what we tried to do in this book is to find various ways that humans can either do things that computers… 2
“we generally think that since there's no higher ground to which humans can retreat then they have to find common ground with the machines that are going to be their colleagues and so a lot of our book is around this idea that we'll need to augment their capabilities”
“so what we tried to do in this book is to find various ways that humans can either do things that computers don't do very well and probably won't for the foreseeable future or as I was suggesting earlier work alongside them almost as colleagues”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker6
“but the reason we have them today on the podcast is because they have a book that's just coming out called only humans need apply and the subtitle is winners and losers in the age of smart machines”
“and I definitely think that's true but I also think that there's just this concurrent move where we're seeing a new kind of creativity coming out of machines that we haven't even begun to explore yet”
“this conversation about this need for universal basic income that people should have a fundamental basic amount of money to live on and the ideas behind it are complex and varied I personally think I mean I'm more into the idea”
“well of course the reason people make the link is because they believe that automation means that there will be much much less for humans to do and that somehow we have to provide for human human livelihood because jobs won't do it anymore and so we just fundamentally reject that premise”
“and in the context of this world of augmentation versus automation and for this world where only humans need apply what happens to the nature of the firm the organization”
“I just want to say thank you for joining the eight 6nz podcast and I think people should just read your book only humans need Thank You Thomas and Julia”