Verbal e-volution: Language technologies are still shaping global culture

News Snapshot:

In February 2024, stock prices in three continents hit new highs in a rally that should be of interest to linguists, philologists and others who study languages. Just about 15-18 months ago, Web3, comprising blockchain and crypto technology, was touted as the future and had the attention of venture capitalists—until Generative AI crashed the party. This wave saw Nvidia’s shares soar, as it is a key supplier of chips needed for advanced AI processing. But what does linguistics have to do with all this? From the dawn of civilization, every major leap in language processing—whether it’s printing, transmitting, recording or...