Dive into the fascinating tale of the Doomsday Book, a remarkable record of 11th-century England, and its modern counterpart, the BBC's 1980s Doomsday Project. Explore the precarious challenges faced by individuals proving their residency rights today amid evolving immigration policies. Hear gripping personal stories that highlight the fragility of identity in the face of bureaucracy and the critical need for preserving our digital archives for future generations. History reveals its lessons on the importance of safeguarding our collective memory.
Using untrusted data can undermine AI reliability, businesses should employ tailored and trusted AI.
Comprehensive records like the Doomsday Book enable effective governance, taxation, and decision-making.
Deep dives
Importance of Trusted Data for AI
Using untrusted data can undermine the reliability of AI results. The podcast episode highlights the need for businesses to not just employ AI, but the right AI that is tailored to their specific needs and trained with trusted data.
The Doomsday Book and the Importance of Records
The episode discusses the significance of the Doomsday Book, a detailed survey conducted by William the Conqueror in 1086 AD. It showcases the necessity for comprehensive and detailed records, as they enable effective governance, taxation, and decision-making.
Vulnerability of Digital Archives
The podcast emphasizes the vulnerability of digital archives. It shares examples like the failed preservation efforts of the BBC's Doomsday Project and the challenges faced by individuals like Michael Braithwaite in proving their legal status due to the loss of landing cards. It underlines the need for proactive preservation and the potential loss of valuable historical and personal data.
The Human Rights and Social Implications of Archival Preservation
The episode highlights that archives are not merely technical or historical artifacts, but also have human rights implications. It examines the Windrush scandal, which resulted from inadequate record-keeping by the UK government, leading to unjust deportations and loss of livelihoods. It ultimately underscores the responsibility of preserving archives to protect and uphold individual rights.
William the Conqueror undertook a remarkably modern project. In 1086, he began compiling and storing a detailed record of his realm: of where everyone lived, what they did and where they came from.
900 years later, the BBC began its own Domesday project, sending school children out to conduct a community survey and collect facts about Britain. This was a people’s database, two decades before Wikipedia. But just a few years later, that interactive digital database was totally unreadable, the information lost.
We tend to take archives for granted — but preservation doesn't happen by accident; digitisation doesn’t mean that something will last forever. And the erasure of the historical record can have disastrous consequences for humanity...
For a full list of sources, please see the show notes at timharford.com.