Area/Code founder Kevin Slavin on Talking to Machines
Slavin, in discussion with Rob Walker, concisely touches on how we move towards machines:
When I’m talking to a voice recognition system, and it’s telling me to say “Yes” or “No.” I find that I’m saying “Yes” in this way that isn’t speaking to be understood by a human; I’m speaking to be understood by a machine. The machine is basically making a concession by allowing you to speak human, and you’re making concessions to speak in machine dialect. You have to imagine how a computer wants to hear you, to make yourself understood.
We are learning, all of us, how to speak system. You know what a good example of this is? Writing for SEO.
As to whether we should be worried:
The point is we’re using algos to analyze the world, but it goes beyond that: we’ve weaponized some of them, so they’re not just thinking, they’re acting. For me, it’s not about the finance piece. That’s just the visible apex of the thinking and practice. I really do believe that as surely as we had a flash crash on Wall St, we can have them in culture if we’re not careful. And the first way to be careful is simply to understand that there’s something to be careful about.
A nice counterpoint to this. Read the whole piece, it’s stunning. (Via Design Observer)
