Reviews - You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place

373 reviews for:

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place

I read this book 1) because Shane's blog, aiweirdness.com, makes me laugh so uncontrollably that I can't read it at work and 2) because I figured it wouldn't kill me to get some baseline knowledge about what AI is and how it works. On both fronts, this book delivers -- it made me laugh out loud, and it provided an excellent survey of how AI is trained, how it works, what it generally can and can't do, and what ethical and practical concerns it raises. It is definitely a book for people like me who pretty much don't know the first thing about AI, and it was exciting to find a book that both answered lots of my questions and was super fun to read. Good vibes all around.

mumblee's review against another edition

2.0

funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

Funny and interesting but got repetitive in the second half

whitneyborup's review against another edition

4.0

I appreciated how simplified it was, but it did get a little repetitive.

rorikae's review against another edition

4.75

funny informative medium-paced

'You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place' by Janelle Shane is a really fun look at how AI/machine learning works and the interesting things that it can and can't do.
Shane looks at different aspects of machine learning, including how scientists train AIs, the ridiculous results produced by AIs, and real world applications for how AIs work. She does an excellent job of balancing information and humor while also delving into the downsides to AI. I particularly appreciated how she explores bias and how AIs pick up on the unconscious biases of the scientists who train them as well as society as a whole.
Shane presents a look at AIs that counters the fear of AIs taking over the world and subjugating humanity. She looks into the playful and silly sides of AI while also demonstrating how far we are from any semblance of machine learning that could actually 'think' for itself.
My favorite aspect of this book are the AI generated lists that Shane shares. From potential cat names to ice cream flavors, they act as both a really funny look at AIs while also demonstrating how AIs work or don't. My absolute favorite list was of potential Halloween costumes. They are both hilarious while also posing some costumes that I would love to see.
If you have any interest in AI/machine learning, I think this is a great introduction. I am interested to see what Shane writes in the future as I think she is great at balancing humor with clear explanations for complex topics.

Content Warnings

tmatysik's review against another edition

3.75

funny informative fast-paced

ericareadsallnight's review against another edition

5.0

Really fun and interesting read!

bpaulien's review against another edition

5.0

Very informative, amusing... Often hilarious accounts of how AI works and how it sometimes gives unpredictable results. Very interesting to learn about how it learns. Also makes me never want to be in a self driving car. That's definitely not ready for prime time!