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A computer can never be held accountable

Therefore a computer must never make a management decision

1 min read

I love this IBM slide circa 1979, which is more relevant today than ever:

A computer can never be held accountable; therefore a computer must never make a management decision

Simon Willison asked about the provenance. Jonty Wareing weighed in:

It was found by someone going through their father's work documents, and subsequently destroyed in a flood.

I spent some time corresponding with the IBM archives but they can't locate it. Apparently it was common for branch offices to produce things that were not archived.

The original source confirmed this a few years ago.

Still, it’s a really pertinent message, which is proving to be more timeless than expected.

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