What does it mean to be human? What do we recognize as artificial? The art for this series was generated from a series of photographs of humans, but because of an application of distortion, you may not recognize the features they portray. Or you may. HBR Design Staff
The Business of Artificial Intelligence
July 18, 2017
For more than 250 years the fundamental drivers of economic growth have been technological innovations. The most important of these are what economists call general-purpose technologies — a category that includes the steam engine, electricity, and the internal combustion engine. Each one catalyzed waves of complementary innovations and opportunities. The internal combustion engine, for example, gave rise to cars, trucks, airplanes, chain saws, and lawnmowers, along with big-box retailers, shopping centers, cross-docking warehouses, new supply chains, and, when you think about it, suburbs. Companies as diverse as Walmart, UPS, and Uber found ways to leverage the technology to create profitable new business models.
