The People Inside

Abstract

We live in a world of seeing computers. From airport security to social media to games, machines that see are embedded in our lives in subtle ways that, ironically, go unseen. For better or worse, face-recognition software and algorithms help law enforcement and security agencies track individuals in crowds; toll road cameras snap photographs of passing license plates to automatically bill the owners; computer imaging helps medical professionals diagnose patients; and smartphone cameras and GPS help game players capture “virtual creatures” in the “real world.” From the mundane to the life-altering, seeing computers are actively helping people see the present. The same technology can also be used to see the past, and in this book we explore the ways in which we can turn their gaze toward the study and communication of histor