Technology is not a ladder, it is a bush

From principle 4 - Complex artefacts of any description or purpose always have precedents that are complex. A lineage must always be assumed to exist to a less complex precedent with either trial and error pathway for any additional complexity, or a lineage with an added component that has extensive precedent in itself.

Now this is part of the main argument against "ex nihilo" creation of the Earth's species - The Earth shows historical evidence of a progression of species, and no evidence of species occuring without similar species preceding. The genetic record of species also concurs.

The historical human record also shows that for every highly technological product humans "created", there has been remarkably similar products preceding them. Just as in paleontology a lot of the "in-between" record is inaccessible (eg. extensive beta-testing, simulations etc. by private companies) such that products seem quite different from their predecessors more so than simple trial and error and/or combining with other technologies would indicate.

Humans can no more dictate what artefacts will survive and reproduce in the artificial artefact environment anymore than we can genetically engineer animals to better live in their environment. Thus technology has no preferred direction, just like evolution. We often naively believe that technology only goes up, but all technologies rather become survivors in the artificial human environment, and we can't really know what the next big thing will be. We just know that successful stuff gets duplicated ad nauseum for a while, and others just die out quietly, even if they had potential.