We Haven't Gone Paperless Yet: Why the Printing Press Can Help Us Understand Data and AI

Datafication represents a fundamental shift in power structures, not just an ethical problem. The paper argues that quantifying human life into data goes beyond economic and privacy concerns—it actually restructures social and political relationships themselves, similar to how the printing press fundamentally reorganized society rather than simply changing how information was shared.

Data technologies follow a pattern of disruption and recentralization of power. Just as the printing press initially decentralized information control but eventually concentrated power among new actors (printers, publishers), datafication and AI are creating new power imbalances where companies and actors skilled at leveraging data gain disproportionate influence over society.

Data systems simultaneously connect and fragment communities. The paper identifies a key tension: while data technologies can connect individuals across distances, algorithmic analysis of that data simultaneously pushes people toward narrower, more isolated communities—a dynamic that deserves attention alongside concerns about surveillance or bias.

Historical analogies can illuminate AI's societal impacts. By comparing datafication to the printing press, the paper suggests that understanding how previous transformative technologies reshaped society can help us anticipate and prepare for how AI will alter power arrangements, identity formation, and social organization today.