Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. Can we also infer that laziness is the mother of creativity? Do we not find easier ways of doing things in a bid to serve the lazy person? Don’t we strive to make the lazy person’s life easier? As such, is laziness not what causes us to seek easier ways of doing things?
Take for instance, online shopping. With online shopping sites such as Amazon, eBay and Jumia, we can shop from the comfort of our homes. All we need is a phone, tablet or personal computer and the internet. This was indeed a life saver during restrictions of movement in the wake of COVID-19. However, is this convenient way of shopping also not a solution when you feel too lazy to get out of bed?
Another easier way of doing things is online dating. Gradually, this seems to be even more common than approaching people in person for a date. With a swipe on our phones and minimum effort, we can determine who we want to hook up with. Does this laid-back approach, which enables us to sample, pick and choose a person through a screen, not aid the lazy? Did it not arise out of a desire to make things as easy as possible?
Yet another example is that of online banking. This makes banking so convenient as we can have access to our funds wherever we are, day or night. There is therefore no need to go physically into the banking hall. Can’t we credit laziness with this intervention?
Moreover, doesn’t the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) have as its cause the desire of the lazy person not to lift a finger to do anything? Burns, Laskowski and Tucci define artificial intelligence in “What is Artificial Intelligence and How does AI work?”. They define it as the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. They note that in a number of areas, AI can perform tasks much better than humans. This is particularly with respect to repetitive, detail-oriented tasks.
The authors also note that we use AI widely in healthcare, education, law and security. We also use it widely in manufacturing, entertainment and media, transportation and business. They acknowledge that in business, we use AI effectively to automate tasks done by humans.
Furthermore, the authors observe that the rapid advancement of generative AI technology, such as ChatGPT, is expected to have far-reaching consequences. This is in the area of eliminating jobs, revolutionising product designs and disrupting business models.
These instances show how integral AI has become to our lives. We can say that it has even overperformed its role of making things easier for us. This is because through its automation of tasks, it renders us redundant and rather increases unemployment rates.
All said and done, can we conclude that laziness and the quest for finding easier ways of doing things have led to creativity?
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