Back in the day, a mobile phone was just that – a phone. Now they have gotten smart. Humor has been programmed into our Amazon Echo and Google Home devices.

We talk about our computers like they are humans. We give them names. We talk to them. We refer to them as having human characteristics. “My computer is sleeping.” “My phone is dying.”

At the same time, we are dehumanizing people. We refer to them as resources or elevate them to superhuman status. People talk about their friends living inside their phone. As a society are we losing the ability to communicate face to face? This talk will explore the consequences of humanizing technology and de-humanizing people and focus on how to put people first.