Decoding Tech

Computer History Museum
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Decoding Tech

Decoding Tech (from the Computer History Museum) explores the past, present and future of technology through conversations with today's leading experts as well as the pioneers and innovators of our on-going computing revolution. Programs are recorded live as a part of the museum's CHM Live events. Learn more at www.computerhistory.org

  1. JUL 9

    The Legendary Alto and Research at the Edge

    On the 50th anniversary of the Alto, many of its creators and some of today’s leading inventors gathered at CHM to share the Alto’s legacy and discuss what we can expect for the future of computing research—centered today on artificial intelligence (AI). The program included two panels: In the first, CHM Trustee John Shoch, who worked at PARC as a graduate student, moderated a discussion with two of Alto’s designers, Butler Lampson and Charles Simonyi. Alan Kay participated via video. The second panel focused on artificial intelligence, arguably the most revolutionary sector in today's computing landscape. CHM Trustee Diane Souvaine led the discussion with two computer scientists from pioneering research labs: Ilya Sutskever,who was then cofounder and chief scientist of Open AI, and Microsoft Chief Scientific Officer Eric Horvitz. This conversation was recorded on April 26, 2023 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, as a part of the CHM Live series. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org

    1h 12m

  2. JUN 25

    AI Decodes Ancient History: The Herculaneum Scrolls

    Innovations in artificial intelligence are not only changing the present, they’re also revolutionizing the study of history. In this episode, an expert panel shares their groundbreaking work deciphering the Herculaneum scrolls, which were burned in the same volcanic eruption that destroyed nearby Pompeii and were thought to have been lost forever. The panel included: Nat Friedman, investor and entrepreneur who co-launched the Vesuvius Challenge Federica Nicolardi, assistant professor of papyrology at the University of Naples Federico II Brent Seales, the Stanley and Karen Pigman Chair of Heritage Science and professor of computer science at the University of Kentucky. CHM Senior Producer and Manager of Programming Russell Ihrig moderated. The program was made possible by the generous support of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. This conversation was recorded on June 10, 2025 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, as a part of the CHM Live series. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org

    1h 9m

  3. JUN 11

    NOVA Secrets in Your Data: Panel Discussion

    Do you know who has your personal data? Experts featured in NOVA’s documentary, Secrets In Your Data, explored this question and more on stage at CHM. The Panel included Eva Galperin from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Patrick Jackson of Disconnect, and Brewster Kahle from the Internet Archive Physician Alok Patel, who also hosted the NOVA episode, moderated. This conversation was recorded on May 16, 2024, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, as a part of the CHM Live series. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org

    1h 3m

  4. MAY 28

    Character Building: Bridging Code and Culture through Unicode

    How can we ensure that every language—and the communities that speak them—can fully participate in the digital world? Hear from Unicode pioneers and language experts as they discuss the evolution of language support, the barriers to true linguistic inclusivity online, and why ensuring digital access is about more than just code—it’s about culture, identity, and the survival of languages. PANEL: Roy Boney, Jr, Cherokee Language Revitalization Manager at Cherokee Film Mark Davis, Cofounder and CTO, Unicode Consortium Anushah Hossain, Research Director of the Script Encoding Initiative Moderator: Teresa Marshall, Vice President of Globalization & Localization at Salesforce This conversation was recorded on May 13, 2025, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, as a part of the CHM Live series. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org

    1h 8m

  5. MAY 14

    The Chinese Computer

    How can Chinese—a language with tens of thousands of characters and no alphabet—be input on a QWERTY keyboard with only a few dozen keys designed for English? Thomas Mullaney, professor of Chinese history at Stanford University, shares insights about this challenge from his book, The Chinese Computer: a Global History of the Information Age in a conversation with Yangyang Chen, a research scholar and fellow at the Yale Law School. This program was generously supported by the Bin Lin and Daisy Liu Family Foundation. The conversation was recorded on June 18, 2024, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, as a part of the CHM Live series. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org

    1h 21m

  6. APR 30

    Making News with Data: Tech and the Future of News

    From AI to data analysis and visualization, technology is reshaping the news. To discuss journalistic challenges presented by new technologies, CHM brought together Marian Chia-Ming Liu from the Washington Post, Jason Koebler from 404 Media, and Alex Reed from Mapping Black California. The conversation was moderated by David Yarnold, former executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News. This event was recorded on April 16, 2025, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, as a part of the CHM Live series. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org

    1h 7m

  7. APR 16

    AI + Humanity: A Conversation with Reid Hoffman

    Is AI a threat to humanity or a partner with the power to unlock our full potential? Reid Hoffman, cofounder of Inflection AI and former board member of OpenAI shared his insights and hopes for the future in a conversation with Anne Dwane of Village Global. This conversation was recorded on October 30, 2023, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, as a part of the CHM Live series. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org

    1h 8m

  8. APR 2

    The Great Chatbot Debate: Do LLMs Really Understand?

    Do Large Language Models like Chat GPT have the “sparks” of true intelligence, or are they merely “stochastic parrots,” lacking understanding and meaning. Hear a debate on this matter between University of Washington's computational linguist Emily Bender and OpenAI's Sébastien Bubeck. IEEE Spectrum Senior Editor Eliza Strickland moderates This program was a partnership with IEEE Spectrum and was made possible by the generous support of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.  This conversation was recorded on March 25, 2025 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, as a part of the CHM Live series. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org

    1h 7m
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About

Decoding Tech (from the Computer History Museum) explores the past, present and future of technology through conversations with today's leading experts as well as the pioneers and innovators of our on-going computing revolution. Programs are recorded live as a part of the museum's CHM Live events. Learn more at www.computerhistory.org

Information

  • Creator
    Computer History Museum
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Computer History Museum
  • Show Website
    Decoding Tech

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