As we learned in chapter 3, the autocomplete function in smartphones is usually powered by a kind of machine learning called a Markov chain. But companies have a tough time stopping the AI from blithely making depressing or offensive suggestions. As Daan van Esch, project manager for the Android system’s autocorrect app, called GBoard, told internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch, “For a while, when you typed ‘I’m going to my Grandma’s,’ GBoard would actually suggest ‘funeral.’ It’s not wrong, per se.
