War diaries and the making of collective memory

Plus: How chatbots can aid human conversation Today in [Aeon]( [Psyche]( Monday 31 July 2023 With their lives under threat, barely surviving in Nazi camps, during deportations, and while hidden in attics and basements, [thousands of Dutch Jews wrote diaries, journals and letters]( which today stand witness to their suffering. Not only do these accounts jolt us back to occupied Europe, they also bring into sharp relief that question of who gets to make history. Were it not for the ardent efforts of archivists and others, these accounts would never have seen the light of day, leaving unknown and invisible what it really was like to live through such times, and a profound testimony would have been lost. – Brigid Hains, Editorial Director War and peace Essay [Chorus of testimony]( [Anne Frank’s diary is one of thousands of desperate, secret and vivid journals each bearing witness to the reality of war]( by Nina Siegal There’s so much collective angst about the developments in conversational AI, but in [today’s Idea]( a researcher at Amazon explains why the communication dilemmas posed by chatbots aren’t so different from what’s involved when we interact with each other. — Christian Jarrett, Editor, Psyche Technology and media Idea [Chatbots remind us that natural conversation is artificial too]( by Larry S McGrath [Share this newsletter with a friend]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( You have received this email because you signed up to the Aeon+Psyche Newsletter list. © Aeon Media Group Ltd 2023. Level 5, 100 Flinders Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia. [PRIVACY POLICY](  |  [CONTACT US](  |  [PREFERENCES](  |  [UNSUBSCRIBE](