Evolution Continues: A Human-Computer Partnership

by William Meisel

Human evolution has always been about our tools, and computer technology is the most impactful tool humans have ever invented. Today, digital technology drives everything from PCs to mobile phones, from thermostats to automobiles. We search the Web for a wide variety of information, entertainment, and services. Rapidly growing computer power drives breakthrough technology such as Artificial Intelligence, with more to come.
That increasing power has created a resulting trend of connecting with computers using human language-"talking to computers"-with smartphone personal digital assistants leading this trend. This conversational connection to growing computer power will accelerate a human-computer partnership that impacts what it means to be human. This book examines the full impact of these trends, including computers essentially becoming workers supporting a growing population beyond retirement age.

212 pages, Hardcover

Published April 13, 2022

About the author

William (“Bill”) Meisel’s experience combines a strong academic, technical, and business background. With a B.S. degree in Engineering from Caltech and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, he began his career as a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at USC. He has published over 70 papers and several books, including a technical book, Computer-Oriented Approaches to Pattern Recognition. He was the editor and a contributor to New Components and Subsystems for Digital Design; VUI Visions: Expert Views on Effective Voice User Interface Design; Speech in the User Interface: Lessons from Experience; The Software Society: Cultural and Economic Impact (2013), and Technically Dead (2015).

After working in university research, Dr. Meisel launched and managed the Computer Science Division of an aerospace company, applying pattern recognition technology to a number of application areas, including target detection and intelligence data analysis. He then founded a venture-capital-backed speech recognition company and ran it for ten years. He has been issued six patents in various areas of technology. Currently, as an industry analyst, he publishes a paid-subscription, no-ads monthly industry newsletter, Speech Strategy News, on commercial developments in speech technology and natural language interpretation. He also authors a blog, Meisel-on-Mobile. As Executive Director of the Applied Voice Input Output Society (AVIOS), a non-profit industry organization, he creates the program for AVIOS’s annual Mobile Voice Conference.

Reviews

[David Carriere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evolution Continues: A Human Computer Partnership is a sharp, forward thinking exploration of how humanity is reshaped by the tools it creates especially the most transformative tool of all: computer intelligence. William Meisel blends technical insight with accessible prose, tracing how conversational interfaces, AI-driven systems, and ubiquitous digital devices are evolving from passive tools into active partners.

What makes the book compelling is its focus on the human side of the equation: how talking to computers is becoming second nature, how aging populations may rely on digital “workers,” and how these shifts redefine work, autonomy, and the boundaries of human capability. This is an engaging, thoughtful, and surprisingly optimistic read for anyone curious about the future of human-machine collaboration.

[Steven C. Bishkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

researched and analyzed view of future

Dr. Meisel gives you insights of how computers currently affect our lives and how they will affect our lives. It is well researched and written. It gives a less scary prediction of the future than many pundits. Good food for thought.