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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
challenging
informative
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A self-driving vehicle gets in an accident and kills a sweet elderly couple. Who is to blame? The teenager in the driver’s seat who didn’t have his eyes on the road, his sister who screamed from the back seat and startled him, his father who was sitting in the passenger seat working and not paying attention either…or the designer of the AI that may or may not have malfunctioned resulting in the accident?
Holsinger explores the thorny ethical issues of AI using the accident as the taking-off point. That’s when this novel is at its best — when it’s considering these issues. There’s definitely a saggy middle to this book, though, as we spend a lot of time with this family on their week-long vacation to recuperate after the accident.
I did enjoy this, though — it’s a quick read and asks some important questions we should all be thinking about as AI (for better or worse…mostly worse) becomes more and more an inescapable part of our lives.
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I did not like this book. The family just felt so entitled. I didn’t care much for any of the characters or what happened to them. It was trying to say something about AI and its dangers but it didn’t hit the mark for me.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This felt like a little bit of a slog. However, I do enjoy this topic, so I kept on going. I just had a hard time buying into this family’s relationships.
I was reading this when a Tesla ran into the Starbucks where my daughter works, interestingly enough.
I was reading this when a Tesla ran into the Starbucks where my daughter works, interestingly enough.
4.25 stars ….. Culpability is the first book I’ve read by this author, though I’m familiar with the themes of his other books and how he tackles current issues with his stories.
This one is all about ai, and its positive and negative effects on society, how it can be used for good and used for bad, the ethics and so forth.
The story: I really enjoyed it. It took a path I wasn’t anticipating and I was quite engrossed in the book and wanting to see what happened next. The plot itself and its characters was a 5 star story. I think the publishers description gives a good overview. Essentially, right off the bat, a family of five (mom, dad, 17yo son, teen and tween daughters) get in a car accident when the vehicle was being driven by the son. The vehicle also has AI self driving technology. The underlying question becomes: who’s at fault for the accident, who assumes the culpability? the driver or the AI for not preventing it? Or is neither to blame?
At some points it got a little too deep in the weeds of the AI and ethics / philosophical questions it poses. I think it’s an important conversation to have for sure, but it was a little more heavy than I’m looking for in a book of fiction, so that took it to a 4.25 read for me. Mostly this was in the very end, but a little in the beginning.
All in all this is a good book and I do recommend it. I am going to check out other books by this author in the near future (probly Gifted School).
I listened to the audiobook and it was a good production.
This one is all about ai, and its positive and negative effects on society, how it can be used for good and used for bad, the ethics and so forth.
The story: I really enjoyed it. It took a path I wasn’t anticipating and I was quite engrossed in the book and wanting to see what happened next. The plot itself and its characters was a 5 star story. I think the publishers description gives a good overview. Essentially, right off the bat, a family of five (mom, dad, 17yo son, teen and tween daughters) get in a car accident when the vehicle was being driven by the son. The vehicle also has AI self driving technology. The underlying question becomes: who’s at fault for the accident, who assumes the culpability? the driver or the AI for not preventing it? Or is neither to blame?
At some points it got a little too deep in the weeds of the AI and ethics / philosophical questions it poses. I think it’s an important conversation to have for sure, but it was a little more heavy than I’m looking for in a book of fiction, so that took it to a 4.25 read for me. Mostly this was in the very end, but a little in the beginning.
All in all this is a good book and I do recommend it. I am going to check out other books by this author in the near future (probly Gifted School).
I listened to the audiobook and it was a good production.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated