Society is built on human communication and human interpretation. This has been a constant despite so many other changes. Spoken, written, recorded or broadcast, it is always people sending, receiving and interpreting messages.
About three hundred years ago we started teaching language to machines. This choice fundamentally altered the dynamics of information sharing and is changing everything from how our societies run and what our laws mean to who we are and what we can become.
In this session, I'll discuss this change, its meaning and some parts of our history that have led us to it. Along the way, we'll visit ancient god-kings, accountants, heretics, monopolists, hackers and a host of others.
I'll end the the session with recommendations how we build free societies and stay human in the age of literate machines.
