The word automat is the Latinization of the Greek word αὐτόματον, which means acting of one’s own will. It is more often used to describe moving machines, especially those made to resemble human or ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. In our AI-powered age of Alexa and ChatGPT, the idea of a mechanical automaton may seem out of step with the ...