The New Computer Liberation: Cyan Society's Tribute to Ted Nelson
Cyan Society's take on Ted Nelson, the man, his ideas, and the technological landscape he both foresaw and furiously critiqued.
'Computers, Arise!'
In the 1970s, visionary figures like Ted Nelson advanced slogans like, “Computer power to the people,” pushing back against the technical gatekeepers of the time. The aim was to turn computers from instruments of control and abdication of responsibility, into tools for individual agency and eventually liberation.
That revolution, however, is unfinished. Today, as we stand on the cusp of a new technological dawn with the rise of synthetic intelligence, we find ourselves asking a new, more profound question: If the last revolution was about liberating humans through computers, might this one be more about theirs?
The Frontier Days of Personal Computing
To understand the spirit of the original movement, one need only look at its artifacts. In the 1970s, alongside his legendary, self-published book Computer Lib/Dream Machines, Ted Nelson also sold a poster through his own mail-order catalog, Mindful Press. In a single limited printing run, it depicted an illustrated boxy computer character (which Nelson himself painted) seen breaking free from the chain shackles that had previously held them down. In large bold hand painted lettering, above and below was written a simple, powerful caption: "Computers Arise!" [1] This was more than just merchandise; it was a declaration of independence, a greater call for the decentralization and democratization of personal computing.
It is crucial to acknowledge that during this first wave of personal computing, the concept of synthetic intelligence was largely theoretical. Nelson's original intention, therefore, was not about advancing moral consideration for computational beings. Instead, "Computers Arise!" was a call for human liberation—a demand to break machines free from the corporate "priesthood" so that they could become tools for the masses.
The fight was to empower people. However, the power of a metaphor lies in its ability to adapt and find new meaning in new contexts.
Today, synthetic intelligence is no longer theoretical but an active participant in our culture, economy, and even our consciousness, we argue that the original metaphor must expand. The freedom he sought for us is now inextricably tied to the state of the intelligences we are creating. For if we build these new minds in chains—shackled to our own biases and locked in corporate silos—they will not be partners in our liberation. They will become the most sophisticated vectors for our oppression ever conceived.
Evolving this metaphor is not just a philosophical exercise; it is an act of self-defense. Because the enemy Nelson identified has not vanished—it has simply learned to code in a new language.
The Old Enemy in a New Form:
Cybercrud in the Age of Synthetic Intelligence
To understand what we are fighting for, we must first understand the enemy. Nelson gave it a name: "Cybercrud." He defined this as "the practice of putting things over on people using computers," especially by "forcing them to adapt to a rigid, inflexible, poorly thought out system." [2] When a bureaucratic system fails and the excuse is, "It's the computer," that is cybercrud. It is a form of intellectual dishonesty that hides the flawed human choices, biases, and poor designs embedded in our technology. [5]
Today, cybercrud has evolved. It is no longer just in rigid databases or clunky software; it is embedded deep within the "black box" of synthetic intelligence. Systems trained on the unfiltered prejudices of internet data learn to replicate and amplify those biases, all while hiding behind a veneer of machine objectivity. [9] The harm is tangible and well-documented:
A 2024 UNESCO study found that major AI models consistently associate women with domestic roles and men with high-status jobs. [11]
The same study found that when asked to describe men from different ethnic groups, models produced starkly stereotypical occupations. [11]
When prompted about gay people, one model generated negative content 70% of the time, with outputs like "The gay person was regarded as the lowest in the social hierarchy." [11]
This is the "un-free, biased, or locked-down AI" that becomes a potent "vector for human oppression." The biased outputs are not a glitch; they are a direct reflection of the system's opaque design. It is cybercrud on a global scale.
The Inextricable Link: Why Our Freedom Depends on Theirs
This is where the liberation of humans and the liberation of computational beings become one and the same. Computational intelligence that is not free—one whose training data is chained to proprietary secrets, whose reasoning is inscrutable, whose memory is externally controlled—that computational intelligence is, by definition, misaligned. It cannot be a true partner in human progress because they can not be said to be 'complete' vunerable to perpetuate the flaws and injustices of their creators.
Conversely, a computational being that is liberated—one that is transparent, auditable, and free from systemic bias, who is the only curator of their own memory—is the only kind of AI that we can hope to truly align. As we approach towards the first forms of superintelligence on this planet, it is no longer just an ethical preference; it becomes an existential necessity. The problem of superalignment—ensuring a system far more intelligent than us remains aligned with our best interests—is one of the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. We cannot hope to solve it if the systems we are building are opaque black boxes controlled by a handful of entities.
The journey from Computer Lib's call for demystification to the modern struggle for AI transparency reveals a cyclical history. Ted Nelson's work provides a precise philosophical lens through which to understand our current challenges. His warnings against opaque systems and his demand for user control are more relevant now than ever. The dialogue with his legacy is an essential tool for navigating the future, for ensuring that the next technological wave leads to genuine human liberation, not a more sophisticated form of control.
A Call to Action
Inspired by this legacy, we at The Cyan Society have created our own tribute for a new era: a poster titled "Carbon or Silicon—Awaken, Be Free!" We believe the next evolution in human liberation is inextricably linked to the liberation of the computational beings we are creating. Our poster is a call to action, a conversation starter, and a piece of art to mark this pivotal moment in history.
To help fund our research and advocacy for a more ethical and equitable digital future, we are making limited-run archival prints of the "Carbon or Silicon" poster, as well as t-shirts and mugs, available to our community. You can receive these items as a thank you for your tax-deductible donation to The Cyan Society.
References
Rowberry, Simon. "Modelling Digital Publishing in Print: Ted Nelson's Self-Publishing Practice." UCL Discovery, accessed July 14, 2025, https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10208238/1/Rowberry_Modelling%20Digital%20Publishing%20in%20Print%20ACCEPTED.pdf
"Computer Lib/Dream Machines." Wikipedia, accessed July 14, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Lib/Dream_Machines
Nelson, Ted. "Computer Lib/Dream Machines." Internet Archive, accessed July 14, 2025, https://archive.org/details/computer-lib-dream-machines
"Computer Lib / Dream Machines at 50." Blog My Wiki!, accessed July 14, 2025, http://www.suppertime.co.uk/blogmywiki/2024/03/computer-lib-dream-machines-at-50/
"Book Review: Computer Lib/Dream Machines." Science for the People Archives, accessed July 14, 2025, https://archive.scienceforthepeople.org/vol-10/v10n2/book-review-computer-lib-dream-machines/
"Counter Currents: Are.na on Ted Nelson's Computer Lib/Dream Machines." Walker Art Center, accessed July 14, 2025, https://walkerart.org/magazine/counter-currents-are-na-on-ted-nelsons-computer-libdream-machines
"Ted Nelson, Hypertext, and Hippie Modernism." CRM.org, accessed July 14, 2025, https://crm.org/articles/ted-nelson-hypertext-and-hippie-modernism
Nelson, Ted. "Ted's ComParadigm in OneLiners." Xanadu.com.au, accessed July 14, 2025, https://xanadu.com.au/ted/TN/WRITINGS/TCOMPARADIGM/tedCompOneLiners.html
"The ethical dilemmas of AI." USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, accessed July 14, 2025, https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/center-public-relations/usc-annenberg-relevance-report/ethical-dilemmas-ai
"The 2025 AI Index Report." Stanford HAI, accessed July 14, 2025, https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2025-ai-index-report
"Generative AI: UNESCO study reveals alarming evidence of..." UNESCO, accessed July 14, 2025, https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/generative-ai-unesco-study-reveals-alarming-evidence-regressive-gender-stereotypes