Abstract
In this essay, the role of human expertise in the face of technological advance is discussed. There are many examples of technology that have become sufficiently advanced that the previous need to develop expert-level skills before being able to perform at a high level is either vastly reduced or eliminated. For instance, digital cameras can create sharp, beautiful photos with essentially zero technical skill, and high-definition video recordings are available on smartphones and iPads. The question is not only whether these technologies eliminate the need for expertise (thus substituting engineering for expertise) but also if in doing so they foster the development of new types of creative expertise (such as an ability to use photography as part of a social media strategy, for instance). The article concludes by arguing that machines contribute to an increasingly capable constellation of people and machines, which together allow more people to develop their talents into expressions of creative expertise.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.