10 1. BIG SHIFT IN ENGINEERING
Our traditional scientists and engineers may be stuck too much with the idea of repro-
ducibility. e world around us is changing all the time so we need to adapt to survive. Adapt-
ability might be more essential than reproducibility.
IN AI TERMS
To explain this using AI terms, our daily life definition of “selfish” is exploitation. We stay on
the same track. We accumulate knowledge and experience. So, we can make progress, but if the
outside world changes, the goal will not be effective anymore.
e other approach is exploration. e original definition of the word “exploration” is
to explore how we can survive with current resources (limited knowledge, experience, etc.). In
short, we explore how we can adapt to the changing outside world. So, how we can establish
win-win relations with the outside world is exploration. is to brain scientists is “selfish.”
We have discussed how the outside world is changing. Accordingly, our engineering world
is changing rapidly as well.
1.9 INDIVIDUAL PLAY TO TEAM PLAY
As the outside situations did not change appreciably and we were living in a small world, our
traditional engineering focused its attention on individual products. But, to cope with the widely
and frequently changing outside world, we engineers are forced to work together as a team. In
addition, our products must also work together.
IOT (INTERNET OF THINGS)
e Internet of ings (IoT) is gaining wide attention. IoT is expected to establish the Con-
nected Society. But we should be careful. It is not IoT which leads us to the Connected Society.
On the contrary.
Kevin Ashton was working at Procter and Gamble in the field of supply chain manage-
ment. He was taking care of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). e quickly diversifying
outside world made him aware of the needs of the Connected Society. He realized that we need
a wide variety of products to work together to cope with the diversification and personalization.
We cannot survive if we remain in the traditional framework of individual products [8].
THE CONNECTED SOCIETY
us, this brings us to the Connected Society, where not only humans but products also are
connected. To express it another way, our world has changed from individual play to team play.
And the members of this team are products and humans. We should not forget that although
IoT is advocated to connect things, the word “things” include humans as well.
1.9. INDIVIDUAL PLAY TO TEAM PLAY 11
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL PLAY AND TEAM PLAY
Another important point we should remember is that individual play and team play are com-
pletely different. Knute Rockne told us “Best team cannot be made by 11 best players. e best
team can be realized by players who play best to respond to the changing expectations” [9].
erefore, we must get out of the traditional framework of individual-product-based de-
sign and production and should move toward establishing the new team-product-based frame-
work.
erefore, the Connected Society is revolutionizing our engineering. So, we must re-
consider value and rationality and establish the new framework.
is book introduces many different definitions of value and rationality to realize which
would best meet the requirements of team play. en, the most promising direction for our
future team-product-based engineering will be understood.
Table 1.1: How our world has changed
World Boundaries Changes Prediction Rationality Play
Closed,
Small,
Mathematically Rational
World
Yes
Smooth Possible Mathematical Individual
Closed, Expanded,
Con
trollable World
Yes
Smooth Possible Mathematical Team
Open, Satisfi cing World No Sharp Not possible Value Team
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