Computers And The Information Society

This book should be viewed as a guide to current and future applications of computers and their associated benefits and problems. Among the basic themes presented are the following: the increasing importance of information as a commodity in its own right; the emergence and influence of artificial intelligence (AI); the changing nature of work in response to technological innovation; the relation between people and computers at work and play; the relationship of advances in computer technology and the possibility of increased centralization of authority; personal freedom in the machine age with respect to privacy, work and play; computers as a dominant force in society.