Computers and smart devices are among the greatest intellectual

In her reflection, Angela Ahrendts speaks of a paradox that defines our age — that computers and smart devices, these miraculous intellectual gifts, may at once elevate the mind yet impoverish the heart. Her words do not condemn innovation; rather, they warn against imbalance. For Ahrendts, who once led both Burberry and Apple with vision and empathy, this truth is drawn from lived wisdom: that the tools which extend our intelligence must never replace our human contact, our warmth, and our shared experience. To create endlessly is divine; to feel deeply is human. Without the union of both, we become clever machines rather than compassionate beings.

In the dawn of the digital age, humankind stood in awe before its own creation. The computer, like fire or the wheel before it, multiplied our capacity for thought, discovery, and imagination. It gave birth to worlds unseen — algorithms, networks, and data streams flowing like invisible rivers through the modern soul. Yet, in this great flowering of intellect, something quiet began to wither: the tenderness of shared presence, the silent comfort of a touch, the understanding that passes not through words but through the heart’s own knowing. For in mastering the machine, man began to forget the art of being human.

This truth was foreshadowed long ago in the tale of Victor Frankenstein, who dreamed of transcending human limits by giving life to lifeless matter. His creation was magnificent in intellect, yet monstrous in soul — for though Victor could fashion a mind, he could not craft a heart. The tragedy of Frankenstein is not in the making of a being, but in the failure to love it. So too with us: we have built a world of thinking machines, yet risk forgetting how to love the humans who built them. Ahrendts’ wisdom calls us to restore this balance before our own brilliance blinds us to our humanity.

And yet, hope is not lost. For even within the digital realm, there have been those who sought to keep the human spirit alive. Consider Steve Jobs, the visionary whom Ahrendts once worked alongside. He believed that technology, to be great, must dwell at the intersection of art and science, of emotion and intellect. The iPhone, under his guidance, was not merely a tool; it was an instrument of creativity, designed to make people feel — to connect, to share, to dream. In this harmony between innovation and empathy, we glimpse the true purpose of all invention: to serve the soul, not to silence it.

But as the years have passed, that balance has grown fragile. Smart devices, once built to connect hearts, now often divide them. Friends dine together but speak to screens; lovers sit side by side yet scroll through distant lives. The glow that once symbolized enlightenment now too often illuminates isolation. We have gained the power to reach across the world, yet lost the courage to reach across the table. The danger Ahrendts warns of is not the rise of machines — it is the fall of intimacy.

The lesson is clear and ancient: wisdom without compassion is sterile. The intellect alone cannot nourish the human spirit. Just as a tree cannot live by sunlight alone but must drink deeply from the earth, so too must the mind, however illuminated, remain rooted in the soil of feeling and connection. Speak to those around you not through glass but through gaze. Listen not only with your ears but with your heart. Remember that the screen can transmit information, but only presence can transmit love.

Therefore, let each of us practice this balance daily. Use your devices as tools, not masters. Set aside moments of silence where no notification calls your name. Walk without your phone and rediscover the voices of the wind and the laughter of strangers. Create, code, design, invent — but also embrace, converse, and feel. For when intellect and compassion walk hand in hand, humanity stands at its highest — brilliant in mind, yet radiant in soul.

So, future generations, hear this: the true genius of man lies not in the brilliance of his machines, but in the warmth of his heart. Let your devices serve your humanity, not define it. For a world rich in intelligence but poor in empathy will shine brightly for a moment — and then go dark. But a world that keeps love at its core will never lose its light.