Man-computer symbiosis

The work

AuthorsJ. C. R. Licklider
Editors
Typearticle
Year1960
Also known aslicklider2008mancomputer
Citekeylicklider1960mancomputer

Where it appeared

Published inIRE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics
VolumeHFE-1
Issue1
Pages4--11

Related

Reprinted asdigital1990memoriam The report also reprints Man-Computer Symbiosis, Licklider's 1960 original.

Abstract

Man-computer symbiosis is an expected development in cooperative interaction between men and electronic computers. It will involve very close coupling between the human and the electronic members of the partnership. The main aims are 1) to let computers facilitate formulative thinking as they now facilitate the solution of formulated problems, and 2) to enable men and computers to cooperate in making decisions and controlling complex situations without inflexible dependence on predetermined programs. In the anticipated symbiotic partnership, men will set the goals, formulate the hypotheses, determine the criteria, and perform the evaluations. Computing machines will do the routinizable work that must be done to prepare the way for insights and decisions in technical and scientific thinking. Preliminary analyses indicate that the symbiotic partnership will perform intellectual operations much more effectively than man alone can perform them. Prerequisites for the achievement of the effective, cooperative association include developments in computer time sharing, in memory components, in memory organization, in programming languages, and in input and output equipment.

A copy is held

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Added2026-08-04 00:00 UTC
Approved bya person 2026-08-22 13:13 UTC

Cite it as

@article{licklider1960mancomputer,
  title        = {Man-computer symbiosis},
  author       = {J. C. R. Licklider},
  year         = {1960},
  journal      = {IRE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics},
  volume       = {HFE-1},
  number       = {1},
  pages        = {4--11},
  doi          = {10.1109/thfe2.1960.4503259},
}

This record lives at https://refs.drheap.org/licklider1960mancomputer/ and will keep doing so. It used to be called licklider2008mancomputer, and those addresses still resolve to this one.