Loading Events

The Intelligence of Algorithms — before Electronic Computers

Lorraine Daston, Max Planck Institute

May 1, 2018 · 4:30 pm6:00 pm · 106 McCormick

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities and Eberhard L. Faber 1915 Memorial Fund in the Humanities Council

During the first age of mechanical calculation, roughly 1870-1970, humans and machines in astronomical observatories, government census bureaus, and insurance offices worked in tandem to reimagine one of the most ancient forms of human intelligence: how to calculate. What resulted was not an early form of Artificial Intelligence. Instead, the shift from human to mechanical calculation created new forms of intelligence as well as a tight connection between algorithms and the division of labor that has persisted ever since.

Humanities Council Logo
Italian Studies Logo
American Studies Logo
Humanistic Studies Logo
Ancient World Logo
Canadian Studies Logo
ESC Logo
Journalism Logo
Linguistics Logo
Medieval Studies Logo
Renaissance Logo
Film Studies Logo