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I am reading The New Wave, the last book from Microsoft AI CEO Suleyman. He mentioned that a massive study pegged down the General Purpose Technologies to be only 24 in the last 10000 years (so fire is not included for example), but I can’t find the study. Does anybody know the study? This is the list btw:

Domestication of plants Domestication of animals Smelting of ore Money Wheel Writing Bronze Iron Water wheel Three-masted sailing ship Printing Factory system Steam Engine Railways Steamship Internal combustion engine Electricity Automobile Airplane Mass production Computer Lean production Internet Biotechnology

EDIT: I found the source https://www.amazon.com/Economic-Transformations-General-Purpose-Technologies/dp/019929089X

  • Espiritdescali@futurology.todayMEnglish
    4·
    12 days ago

    For those that don’t want to click the X link:

    General purpose technologies are the closest thing we have to magic.

    Each has given us more with less - and propelled civilization forward. Check out this list of 24 over the last 10,000 years

    • Domestication of plants
    • Domestication of animals
    • Smelting of ore
    • Money
    • Wheel
    • Writing
    • Bronze
    • Iron
    • Water wheel
    • Three-masted sailing ship
    • Printing
    • Factory system
    • Steam Engine
    • Railways
    • Steamship
    • Internal combustion engine
    • Electricity
    • Automobile
    • Airplane
    • Mass production
    • Computer
    • Lean production
    • Internet
    • Biotechnology

    AND we have AI, the ultimate meta-technology…

    the real question is how many further general-purpose technologies it can unlock in turn.