The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves

Technologies are not invented from scratch; they evolve by combining with one another. Every technology is an assemblage of earlier technologies, and innovations arise from recombinations, not isolated inspirations. Arthur offers a framework for understanding why AI is not a one-off invention but a layer that combines with everything else — and why its effects are unpredictable and emergent, not plannable. Read after Coase and before trying to forecast anything about AI's impact on your organisation.