Researchers are building a robot that watches people and reminds them when they miss a task. For example, if I’m running late and forget my lunch, the robot can chime in and say, “Mr. Atwell, you forgot your lunch. My you look handsome today.”
This is fine for small tasks, but what about bigger — more important — tasks. What about learning to give a presentation? Overcoming anxiety? Leading others? Making a difference?
The list of our uniquely human issues goes on and on…
If you’re working in a factory and forget a screw, let a computer tell you. But when doing creative work, a how-to guide prevents you from failing.
And learning.
Most importantly, a how-to guide prevents you from making accidental improvements.
A good coach knows when to let you fail. A good student, wants to fail. But a robot trained to eliminate imperfections doesn’t want either one of these processes to play out.
Luckily, we’re more human than that.