Irreversible Dynamics. Productivity, Quality, Technology, Well-Being and Artificial Intelligence Combinatory Systems

Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of five irreversible phenomena — the continuous increase in Productivity, Quality, Technology, Well-being, and Artificial Intelligence— which, having begun at the dawn of civilization, are still active today after millennia and are accelerating through mutual interaction. These phenomena both derive from and drive scientific and technological progress, which in turn accelerates the improvement and enhancement of Artificial Intelligence systems and the spread of Robots. To explain these irreversible dynamics — which could also be defined as “natural” — I will draw upon Combinatory Systems Theory, which I have devel­oped (Mella, 2017, 2025) and, in my view, offers a logical simplicity and a convincing explanatory framework grounded in observation. Indeed, Combinatory Systems Theory provides effective models for representing and interpreting “collective” phenomena and their effects (macro-effects), which, on the one hand, are the consequence of individual behavior (micro-behavior) and, on the other hand, influence individual decisions, encouraging individuals to persist in — if not intensify — their micro-behavior. One of the most notable examples can be observed in collectivities when an expansion of “collective progress” occurs, as the result of the “individual im­provement” pursued by the individuals composing that same collectivity. Among the many interesting dynamics produced by various kinds of Combinatory Systems, I would emphasize the logic underlying increasing productivity, quality, technological progress, well-being”, and “artificial intelli­gence, AI”. To make the under­standing of these systems easier, it is appropriate to briefly recall both the principles underlying Combinatory Systems Theory and the simple heuristic graphical models used to represent (and com­pare) them according to a common framework.