In Case You Missed It
In a thought-provoking essay for Persuasion, IHS President Emily Chamlee‑Wright argues that we stand on the verge of a modern “Gutenberg moment”—a seismic shift in how ideas are created, shared, and consumed. Just as the printing press revolutionized knowledge production in the fifteenth century, today’s AI transformation is upending cultural and academic norms in ways that deserve a thoughtful response.
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As she explains, AI is reshaping public discourse in ways reminiscent of the advent of the printing press, and with it some of the same fears. In its time, opponents cast Gutenberg’s invention as undesirable and even dangerous, fears which seem quaint to us today but were all too potent in their time.
“It might sound like a stretch to compare ChatGPT and its competitors to the epoch-defining changes wrought by the printing press. But many of its most promising possibilities do parallel what Gutenberg gave the world. AI is making it easier to produce and disseminate information, whether to individual users or mass audiences. It advances our collective capacity to discover and invent, and lowers the barriers to communication across languages, disciplines, and levels of technical proficiency.”
This piece speaks directly to IHS’s core concern with the structures that enable freedom and flourishing, including through technological progress. In a “Gutenberg moment,” the rules of the information game are rewritten, and disruption inevitably breeds backlash. It is the task of defenders of the free society to ensure that innovation isn’t stifled by legal and regulatory means.
If you missed it, read the full essay here: “Our Gutenberg Moment”
