Kenneth Neil Cukier (born 1968) is an American journalist and author of books on technology and society. He is best known for his work at ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'' and the book ''Big Data: A Revolution that Will Transform How We Work, Live and Think'', coauthored with

Viktor Mayer-Schönberger Viktor Mayer-Schönberger (born 1966) is Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. He conducts research into the network economy. Earlier he spent ten years on the faculty of Harvard's ...

and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2013.

Career

He has also written for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'', '' Foreign Affairs'' and other publications. He was technology editor of the

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

Asia edition in Hong Kong in 2001. In 1999 he coined the term "

Frenchelon "Frenchelon" is the nickname given to the signal intelligence system operated by France. The name is a reference to its Anglo-American counterpart ECHELON. History Its existence has never been officially acknowledged by French authorities, alth ...

" to describe the French government's surveillance capabilities.

Publications

''Big Data'' was a New York Times bestseller, translated into 21 languages and a finalist for the

Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award ''Financial Times'' Business Book of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best business book of the year as determined by the ''Financial Times''. It aims to find the book that has 'the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern ...

. The pair published a follow-on work in 2014, ''Learning With Big Data: The Future of Education''. In 2021 Cukier published ''Framers: Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil'' on the power of mental models and the limits of artificial intelligence with Mayer-Schönberger and a third coauthor, Francis de Véricourt.

Media

In a radio interview in September 2016, Cukier described the current big data revolution as an agent of change similar to the

Gutenberg press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the c ...

and the

Printing Revolution Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and Printmaking, images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabo ...

. He cautioned that while there will be huge benefits, there is a need to have limitations in place to "preserve our fundamental freedoms" and to prevent Big Data from being another version of Orwell's Big Brother.

Boards

In 2008 he was named to the board of directors of

International Bridges to Justice International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization's stated mission is "to protect the basic legal rights of ordinary citizens in developing countries by guaranteeing all citizens ...

. In 2015 he joined the board of The Open String Foundation, which provides classical instruments to disadvantaged children.

Affiliations

In 2016 he was elected as a trustee of

Chatham House Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute headquartered in London. Its stated mission is to provide commentary on world events and offer solutions to global challenges. It is ...

, a British international affairs institute. In 2017 he was named an associate fellow at the University of Oxford's Said Business School, where he has run sessions on artificial intelligence and business.

Awards

He received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from

Wittenberg University Wittenberg University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students representing 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ...

in Springfield, Ohio.

References

External links

Kenneth Neil Cukier
A current list of press appearances and articles in

the Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cukier, Kenn Living people 1968 births American male journalists The Economist people