From Abacus to Algorithms: the forgotten part of computing history

When we talk about the history of computing, we often hear about Alan Turing’s code-breaking machine, the invention of the ENIAC, and later, the rise of Silicon Valley tech giants. However, the real story of computing is much more complex, shaped by countless individuals whose contributions have been overlooked.

The abacus, one of the world’s earliest computing tools, shares surprising similarities with modern computers in terms of storage, processing, and algorithmic logic, yet it is rarely acknowledged in mainstream computing history. Meanwhile, Ada Lovelace, the first person to write a computer algorithm, was largely forgotten for over a century. Even today, her legacy is often overshadowed by figures like Turing. And in the modern tech industry, companies like Uber and AI outsourcing firms continue to exploit invisible labor, mirroring the same historical patterns of erasure.

The Abacus: An Overlooked Computing Prototype

Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

Although the abacus is seen as an ancient calculating tool, its design principles strongly resemble modern computing structures. The positional notation system used in abacus calculations mirrors binary storage in computers, where a digit’s value depends on its position. Similarly, its carry arithmetic system, which allows users to efficiently perform addition and subtraction, is strikingly similar to the carry logic used in computer adders.

Beyond theoretical similarities, early computer scientists actually studied abacus-based algorithms to optimize computing efficiency. In the 1950s, when computers were still slow and unreliable, researchers explored fast carry methods inspired by abacus calculations to improve performance. Even NASA reportedly relied on expert abacus users during early space missions in the 1960s to verify computer-generated calculations, highlighting the tool’s enduring accuracy.

Despite these contributions, the abacus is rarely mentioned in computing history. Instead, we are repeatedly told that computing began with Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine and later evolved through Turing’s cryptographic work. While these contributions were undoubtedly significant, the exclusion of non-Western computational methods creates a skewed and incomplete narrative of technological progress.

How The Imitation Game Erased Ada Lovelace

If the omission of the abacus is a case of historical oversight, then the erasure of Ada Lovelace is a case of active neglect.

Lovelace worked with Charles Babbage in the 19th century and wrote the first known algorithm for a computing machine. More importantly, she recognized that computers could do more than just calculate numbers — she predicted that they could process symbols, compose music, and even generate creative outputs. In many ways, she foresaw the era of artificial intelligence long before the necessary technology even existed.

Yet, for over a century, her contributions went largely unrecognized. Even today, the popular narrative of computing history continues to downplay her role. The 2014 film The Imitation Game reinforced this bias by portraying Alan Turing as the sole pioneer of modern computing. The film tells the story of how Turing cracked the Enigma code during World War II, and while his work was groundbreaking, the movie completely ignores Lovelace, even though Turing himself acknowledged her contributions in his research.

This is a clear example of how historical narratives are shaped by selective storytelling. By continuously attributing the birth of computing to a handful of Western male figures, mainstream media reinforces the idea that innovation follows a linear, male-dominated trajectory — excluding the many diverse contributors who played equally vital roles.

Uber, AI, and the Invisible Workers Behind Tech

The pattern of erasing key contributors from computing history is not just a historical issue — it is still happening today. Many of today’s biggest tech innovations rely on invisible labor, much like how Lovelace and early abacus users were ignored in the past.

Uber, once celebrated as a revolutionary Silicon Valley company, built its empire on the backs of exploited drivers and outsourced workers. While the company marketed itself as a “disruptive” and “tech-driven” platform, it ultimately used algorithmic pricing and wage manipulation to limit drivers’ earnings, pushing them into financial insecurity. Uber’s model was not about technological advancement — it was about maximizing corporate profits at the expense of workers, much like how 19th-century industrialists exploited factory labor.

The same issue is happening in the AI industry. Many major AI companies, including Google, Meta, and OpenAI, depend on low-wage workers in Africa and Southeast Asia to manually label and filter AI training data. In Kenya, outsourced workers spend long hours reviewing disturbing content — such as hate speech, violence, and explicit material — to make AI models “safer”. Despite playing a crucial role in shaping AI models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, these workers earn significantly less than their Western counterparts and receive little recognition for their contributions.

Just as the abacus laid the foundation for computing but was erased from history, and just as Lovelace wrote the first program but was ignored for decades, these modern laborers are powering AI development while remaining unseen.

Who Writes History, and Who Gets Left Out?

The history of computing is not a straightforward timeline of genius inventors — it is a selective narrative shaped by those who control it. The abacus demonstrated computational principles centuries before Babbage, but it is rarely credited as part of computing’s evolution. Ada Lovelace foresaw symbolic computing and AI, yet her name remains overshadowed by Turing and John von Neumann. And today, AI and tech companies continue to thrive on the labor of invisible workers, just as past innovators did, without acknowledgment.

This is not just a matter of fairness. The way we tell history shapes the future. If computing is continuously framed as the achievement of a select few, then those who do the foundational work will continue to be ignored. The tech industry needs to do more than acknowledge these forgotten figures — it needs to ensure that the future of innovation is built with diversity, ethical responsibility, and respect for all contributors. Because if we keep writing history the same way, we will keep making the same mistakes.