MICROSOFT TO RELEASE VERSION OF WORD THAT MAKES YOUR GRAMMAR ‘POLITICALLY CORRECT’
New features will screen out ‘offensive’ language
BY PAUL JOSEPH WATSON
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
Microsoft is set to release a new version of Word that uses artificial intelligence to make your writing ‘politically correct’.You know how annoying it is when the iPhone corrects ‘f___ing’ to ‘ducking’ every time you type out the word? Imagine that for an entire essay.The new feature, called ‘Ideas in Word’, will recommend ‘sensitive’ phrases like “We need to get some fresh blood in here” be modified so that “fresh blood” becomes “new employees”.“It might underline places where your writing exhibited gender bias,” reports Fast Company. “If you tend to say “mailman” or Congressman” in the generic, it might suggest you use “mailperson” or “Congressperson.” If you use the term “gentlemen’s agreement,” it may suggest you use “unspoken agreement” instead.”The term “disabled person” would be replaced with “person with a disability” while the new version’s “inclusiveness check” searches for words or phrases that might be “offensive” to someone from another country or culture.Mark Sullivan, who is a fan of the new features, says he is worried about “unknowingly or accidentally inserting terms or references in my writing that convey value judgements that I don’t really mean” and wants to avoid “writing something that might offend”.Rumor has it that every new purchase of Word will come with a voucher for a yearly supply of soy lattes from Starbucks.
