Google will nudge users to adopt gender-neutral language
The tech company intervenes in the argument about masculine generics
IN THE 1990S parodies of Clippy from Microsoft Word were a bit of a trend in cartoons and magazines. The annoying paper-clip-shaped figure would pop up as soon as you began writing “Dear…” and say: “It looks like you’re writing a letter,” before offering unsolicited advice on things such as formatting.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “One giant leap for humankind”
From the June 5th 2021 edition
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