NFTs and AI Are Unsettling the Very Concept of History

As an archivist, I'm excited about what disruptive innovations like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and artificial intelligence may mean for archives. These developments pose existential threats to our field, and by extension, to the survival of human history and culture. I give old films away for free. It started in 1999 when I was seduced by the promise, excitement, and just-felt-rightness of the gift economy. Not 30 seconds after we first met, Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle asked me, "Want to put your film archives online for free?"