Antonio Stradivari was born in Italy around the middle of the 17th century. In his early teens, he began an apprenticeship making stringed instruments (violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps). Who he apprenticed with is debated, but it probably took about four years for him to produce something that was worthy of his craft.
It didn’t take long for him to make a name for himself as a fine luthier (a maker of stringed instruments). Early on, a Venetian banker ordered instruments to be given to the King of England.
It was his early success that allowed him to become more experimental. While not all of his experiments were considered to be his best work, he began to develop a distinctive style.
He began to depart from the current style of instruments. His violins were larger than traditional violins at the time. He also changed the varnish to give his violins a richer look. As his violins became the standard, he began to have an influence on an entire generation of luthiers.
In his lifetime, Stradivari is believed to have made 1,116 instruments, primarily violins. It is believed that approximately 650 of those instruments remain in use today. They are considered to be the finest stringed instruments ever produced. In the rare event that one of them comes up for sale, the price is certainly to exceed $2,000,000. No one in the centuries since Stradivari has ever produced anything that matches his instruments.
Today, we would call Antonio Stradivari a GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). When you think of what Stradivari did in the 17th century, you have to wonder why his craftsmanship has never been surpassed. Certainly, we have better tooling. We have centuries of increased knowledge of everything it takes to make a violin. Even with artificial intelligence (AI), we haven’t been able to surpass his talent.
Are the craft skills of a person something that can be reduced to an algorithm? Can we reproduce the hands of a gifted surgeon with AI? Or what about the understanding of a truly gifted teacher? Or the counselor who just knows how to calm a troubled mind? Would AI make Michael Jordan a better basketball player or Tom Hanks a better actor?
Learning to be the best at one’s craft is not something that you can achieve with artificial intelligence. Being the best at your craft requires a focus on your own work and deep thinking about how to improve. And that’s not something that can be replaced by AI, or whatever comes next.
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“Craftsmanship names an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for its own sake.” –Richard Sennett (Professor)