Recommended by Dunsborough Book Chat Club
- IBM: Artificial Intelligence; Noun; AI is technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, creativity and autonomy.
- Cambridge Dictionary: Snake Oil; noun; something that is being described as or sold as being useful but that has no value and may be harmful.
For a reader who has minimal computer knowledge and finds AI and the surfeit of apps and bots somewhat confusing, this book is excellent in its description of what AI Intelligence can do, what it can’t do, and how to tell the difference.
The authors do not denigrate AI and enthusiastically embrace many forms of AI, but this book details a multitude of flaws and misuses of AI, which can be extremely harmful and/or dangerous. There are too many flaws and misuses to enumerate, but the authors do warn very strongly against Predictive AI, which is extremely widely used but flawed because the future cannot be accurately predicted.
The authors explore generative AI, predictive AI, and content moderation AI and what makes it work, and what makes it fail. This book is written to help people navigate AI because it had and will continue to have a huge societal impact.
The book is clearly and logically set out; the language is succinct and easy to understand as it is not overburdened with technical jargon; and the lay person can comprehend and follow the arguments and examples given. In fact, some of the examples of misuse resonate in our daily lives but we may not have realised that they occur because of over-reliance on Artificial Intelligence.
An excellent resource to aid in navigating, using and understanding the benefits and pitfalls of AI.
4.5/5 Stars