Translated from: Mennesket er ikke en maskine--og omvendt. Copenhagen: Politiken, 1984 Jan. 1.
This was originally broadcast on Danmarks Radio, as a follow-up on the series of lectures given in 1966, section 9.1 Computers and Society.
Thirty-four years ago the first computer was made to work. In 1984 computers and society have become a momentous combination. Electronic data processing makes possible a hitherto unknown monitoring of each individual and a corresponding disclamation of responsibility. The data technology makes it possible that a devastating nuclear war will be initiated merely because of a human mistake. This raises the question: For how long will we avoid the disaster?