The Renaissance – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

I would not argue that we are experiencing a renaissance, but the digital revolution is ushering in profound changes in the ways we think, act, and live, both as individuals and as societies. Furthermore, I would argue that these changes are completely unprecedented and the implications of the revolution mark nothing less than a whole new stage of evolution for humankind.

The word ‘renaissance’ literally means ‘rebirth.’ But in actuality, most of what was produced in the Renaissance period, both artistically and technologically, was not indicative of a rebirth at all but rather something totally new. However, the situation now goes even further beyond that in the creation of technologies that actually push the meaning of what it is to be human. The creation of artificial intelligence will ultimately change the way we also think permanently and radically.

The greatest thing the current age has in common with the renaissance is the coupling of science without art. Digital art has gone beyond art and has become a lifestyle, a way of thinking, and a whole new way of socializing. The digital age makes it possible for self-invention. But the interfaces of the cyber world, which are quickly merging into the human one, depend upon science and engineering of a radical standard to make them possible. In turn, radical ideas demand radical technological solutions to make them possible in turn.

I haven’t heard much comparison with the industrial revolution and the cyber revolution, and I think that’s because there isn’t much to compare. The industrial revolution saw dazzling progress in mechanical inventions and medical technology, but was after all merely a dizzying spiral of advancement of preexisting technology. The cyber revolution, on the other hand, is something completely different and new, both in magnitude and in application. Barring the apocalypse, a brave new world is coming.