Currently in the beginning of the research and development stage, The Transcribbler is a proposed free-to-use, open-source AI transcriber and translator that is trained and refined by worker-owners of the Transcribblers co-op, and presented as an alternative to commercial software and “free” transcription offered by Big Data operators. Those “free” and automated transcriptions will undoubtedly be used, like all other data offered up on the internet, to extract information from users, furthering the accelerationist commodification of all language and thought.

The Transcribbler is envisioned as an eternal, evolving art project, forever creating readymade art objects from people’s speech, rather than products and commodities. Along the way, transitional work can be provided to transcribers, and any revenue generated through traditional business practices can be used for job retraining and other mutual aid services as The Transcribbler approaches full competence.

Developing The Transcribbler may end up being a multigenerational, global endeavor, but it can begin with a simple marketing slogan: “Obsolesce Us!” I am currently seeking partners who can help me assess the feasibility of this initiative and identify collaborators to make it a reality.