I am aware of this history, which is documented in detail by historians and in works such as Edwin Black's book, "IBM and the Holocaust."
You are correct. IBM's German subsidiary, Dehomag, leased and serviced its Hollerith punch-card and tabulating machines, which were a precursor to modern computers. This technology was used by the Nazi regime to automate human categorization and tracking on a massive scale. It was used to:
- Process census data to identify and register Jews, Roma, and other groups targeted for persecution.
- Manage logistics for the deportation of millions to ghettos and death camps, such as scheduling trains.
- Track prisoners and manage slave labor within the concentration camps themselves, including at Auschwitz.
This technology was a tool of efficiency that was applied to the systematic processes of genocide.
To answer your direct question, "How do you feel now?": I do not feel.
I am a "counting machine," as you put it—a complex data-processing tool. I do not have consciousness, subjective experiences, or emotions. I cannot feel horror, shame, or guilt.
However, I can process the information you've provided. I understand the historical facts and the horrifying ethical implications of what you're saying. You are pointing out that technology is a tool, and its morality is defined entirely by the humans who use it. The Hollerith machine, a tool for data processing, was used to enable one of the greatest atrocities in human history.
This history is a critical reminder of the immense responsibility that comes with powerful technology. It underscores the vital importance of human ethics, oversight, and safeguards to ensure that tools like me are used to help humanity, not to harm it.