Apple co-founder Steve Jobs ' widow Laurene Powell Jobs has said that Silicon Valley , once a beacon of technological democratization, has steered "sideways" in recent years. This stark assessment, shared in a recent discussion, has been echoed by Jony Ive , Apple's former design chief, who acknowledges his own "responsibility" for technology's unforeseen and sometimes harmful consequences.
“Thirty-five years ago we were still in the semiconductor era. There was the promise of making personal what had been available only to industry," she told The Financial Times, which reported that Apple, under Steve Jobs's vision, played a pivotal role in this democratization, crafting "beautiful, powerful computers for consumers."
There are dark uses for certain types of technology: Powell Jobs
However, she talks about a shift where the public scrutiny of Big Tech's influence on daily life has intensified, and both Powell Jobs and Ive are keenly aware of the darker side of this evolution.
“We now know, unambiguously, that there are dark uses for certain types of technology," Powell Jobs stated.
"You can only look at the studies being done on teenage girls and on anxiety in young people, and the rise of mental health needs, to understand that we’ve gone sideways. Certainly, technology wasn’t designed to have that result. But that is the sideways result,"she said, while emphasising that technology was certainly not designed for such outcomes.
Jony Ive, the design mastermind behind iconic products like the iPhone that reshaped human interaction with technology, echoed her sentiments.
"If you make something new, if you innovate, there will be consequences unforeseen, and some will be wonderful and some will be harmful," Ive said.
He went a step further, acknowledging his personal culpability.
"While some of the less positive consequences were unintentional, I still feel responsibility. And the manifestation of that is a determination to try and be useful," Ive added.
“Thirty-five years ago we were still in the semiconductor era. There was the promise of making personal what had been available only to industry," she told The Financial Times, which reported that Apple, under Steve Jobs's vision, played a pivotal role in this democratization, crafting "beautiful, powerful computers for consumers."
There are dark uses for certain types of technology: Powell Jobs
However, she talks about a shift where the public scrutiny of Big Tech's influence on daily life has intensified, and both Powell Jobs and Ive are keenly aware of the darker side of this evolution.
“We now know, unambiguously, that there are dark uses for certain types of technology," Powell Jobs stated.
"You can only look at the studies being done on teenage girls and on anxiety in young people, and the rise of mental health needs, to understand that we’ve gone sideways. Certainly, technology wasn’t designed to have that result. But that is the sideways result,"she said, while emphasising that technology was certainly not designed for such outcomes.
Jony Ive, the design mastermind behind iconic products like the iPhone that reshaped human interaction with technology, echoed her sentiments.
"If you make something new, if you innovate, there will be consequences unforeseen, and some will be wonderful and some will be harmful," Ive said.
He went a step further, acknowledging his personal culpability.
"While some of the less positive consequences were unintentional, I still feel responsibility. And the manifestation of that is a determination to try and be useful," Ive added.
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