<aside> <img src="/icons/help-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/help-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" />

This is a collection of summaries of videos from the history of computers that address the future humanity and the relationship of people and computers. It was generated by Google AI Studio from YouTube links using a prompt.

Prompt and video selection by Dominik Lukeš, all text (except intro comments to sections) generated by Gemini 2.5 Pro via Google AI Studio on 3 Aug 2025.

Note: I did not check all quotes in the transcript for accuracy but I watched all the videos and they seem broadly correct. A few spot checks did not reveal any problems.

I also removed all text where the model is saying ‘sure, I’ll do this for you’.

</aside>

Key section links

Full table of contents

Timeline

<aside> <img src="/icons/help-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/help-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" />

Note: This selection is mostly opportunistic and does not mean to imply that it represents the actual evolution of attitudes. Most of these sentiments would have been found in parallel in all eras.

</aside>

timeline
    title Evolution of Computing in Film
    1946 : ENIAC Newsreel : Introduction of the first electronic computer for military problems.
        : "Are people becoming obsolete?"
    1956 : Integrated Data Processing : Showcases electromechanical machines automating clerical tasks.
        : "A telling blow at the increasing volume and cost of paperwork."
    1960 : Logistic Support Management : Details the USAF's use of an IBM 705 for "management by exception."
        : "It required human judgments, human decisions to solve this special and complex problem."
    1962 : IBM 7030 STRETCH : Documents the supercomputer as a tool for scientists.
        : "[Scientists now have] a tool powerful enough to... simulate how the earth weather really behaves."
    1963 : "The Big Switch" : IBM demonstrates replacing a manual system with a computer.
        : "By 1962, the capacity of the [manual] system had been reached."
    1968 : Man and Computer - A Perspective : An IBM film framing the computer as a tool to handle fact-based tasks, augmenting human intellect.
        : "Today, the computer can provide an enormous extension of his mental powers."
    1972 : Career Training Film : Portrays computer jobs as an upwardly mobile career path.
        : "Promotion is to more complex assignments... and with more study, to programmer."
    1976 : Basic Computer Terms : Aims to demystify computers, framing them as manageable tools.
        : "Computers don't think. It's us people who do the thinking."
    1983 : The Computer Chronicles - Fifth Generation : Explores early AI and expert systems.
        : "We regard these expert systems as assistants to human professionals."

List of videos

  1. ENIAC Newsreel (1946): A newsreel introducing the ENIAC, the world's first electronic computer, highlighting its raw calculation speed for military problems and hinting at future civilian use.
  2. Integrated Data Processing (1956): A business film showcasing how electromechanical machines using punched paper tape can automate repetitive clerical tasks like order entry and invoicing.
  3. Logistic Support Management for Advanced Weapons (1960): A U.S. Air Force film detailing the use of an IBM 705 mainframe to automate missile supply logistics, enabling "management by exception."
  4. IBM 7030 STRETCH Photos & Film Excerpts (1962): A documentary on the transistor-based STRETCH supercomputer, a powerful tool designed to augment the work of scientists on massive problems like weather forecasting.
  5. "The Big Switch": The Story of Improved Message Control (1963): An IBM film demonstrating the replacement of a manual message-switching center with a computer-controlled system, shifting human roles from manual labor to system oversight.
  6. Man and Computer : A Perspective (c. 1968): A film by IBM United Kingdom that presents the computer as a tool to extend human mental capabilities by handling logical, fact-based tasks, thereby freeing humans for creative and subjective pursuits.
  7. A Brief Excerpt from a Career Training Film (1972): A career guidance film portraying computer-related jobs (keypunch, console operator) as an upwardly mobile extension of the clerical field.
  8. Basic Computer Terms (1976): An educational film that demystifies mainframe computers for beginners, framing them as manageable tools that augment human efficiency.
  9. The Computer Chronicles - Fifth Generation (1983): An episode exploring the dawn of Artificial Intelligence and "expert systems," presenting the computer as a "knowledge processor" and an intelligent assistant to human professionals.

Key quotes

Here are key quotes from each video that exemplify the evolving attitude towards machines and their role alongside people.

ENIAC Newsreel (1946)