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# A computer can never be held accountable
- URL: https://werd.io/a-computer-can-never-be-held-accountable/
- Published: 2024-06-05T14:43:30.000Z
- Updated: 2025-06-14T19:29:17.000Z
- Author: Ben Werdmuller
- Tags: #Import 2025-06-11 21:47, Asides

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](https://old.werd.io/file/666079784b2c030d820f50f2/thumb.jpg)

[Simon Willison asked about the provenance](https://x.com/simonw/status/1798168995373498524). Jonty Wareing [weighed in](https://x.com/jonty/status/1798170111058264280):

> 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](https://x.com/bumblebike/status/1468346709994582020).

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