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holly_keimig's review
5.0
I really liked this book. I got it to give to my ridiculously smart nephew as a gift (he is very hard to buy books for but I really love sharing that with him when I find great ones) and decided to read it first to make sure it was all ok content-wise since he's only now a teenager. I knew very little about AI and machine learning when I started the book. Pretty much my only exposure was friends playing with ChatGPT and the doomsday headlines about AI taking everyone's jobs soon. This book made me feel both better and worse about AI. It was reassuring and cautious, informative and funny. It's a great example of accessible non-fiction writing that anyone can take something away from. I highly recommend checking this book out. You will learn something and probably feel a bit better about the future. Also, there are lots of giraffes and very cute illustrations. I listened to the book on audio, which was very good, but you will want to have the book (or PDF from library) so you can look at the illustrations!
inthebelljar's review against another edition
5.0
This goes right onto my Favorites shelf.
AIs and robots are a huge favorite topic of mine (both fictional ones and real life ones), so it probably isn't a huge surprise that I enjoyed this book so much (and especially when considering I follow Janelle Shane's blog already and have notifications turned on for updates). But You Look Like a Thing and I Love You is just such a hilarious and yet understandable exploration of modern day artificial intelligence, that I feel like you don't have to be weirdly enamored with artificial life like me to enjoy it (though it doesn't hurt to be).
The explanations are written clearly and Shane uses delightful hypothetical or real examples to clarify any unfamiliar concepts. The author also includes adorably wonderful little doodles (like the one on the cover) to accompany explanations, relevant real life stories, and just to be very fun and cute.
After reading this, I feel like I understand AIs and neural networks better than before, and I also had a great time laughing at neural network generated Buzzfeed article titles (for example, 27 christmas ornaments every college twentysomething knows and 24 times australia was the absolute worst). It was also helpful to learn more about the limitations of AIs in modern times (especially when many companies like to oversell what they can do), and ways to spot AIs from humans and vice versa. A huge portion of this book really does cover the limitations of our current technology, which I often think gets overlooked; Shane takes the time to point out that AIs can pick up on our intentional and unintentional biases as well, which can affect what output we get back from what many consider an impartial source.
It may get a bit repetitive at times for such a slim book as some other reviewers have mentioned, but I really didn't mind too much.
Overall, I just thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you have any interest in artificial intelligence, I would recommend this. You can get a preview of some of what you'll see in the book on her twitter or on her blog, AI Weirdness,.
(As a side note, it was great to have a book unrelated to gender be so great about acknowledging and respecting all genders :). )
AIs and robots are a huge favorite topic of mine (both fictional ones and real life ones), so it probably isn't a huge surprise that I enjoyed this book so much (and especially when considering I follow Janelle Shane's blog already and have notifications turned on for updates). But You Look Like a Thing and I Love You is just such a hilarious and yet understandable exploration of modern day artificial intelligence, that I feel like you don't have to be weirdly enamored with artificial life like me to enjoy it (though it doesn't hurt to be).
The explanations are written clearly and Shane uses delightful hypothetical or real examples to clarify any unfamiliar concepts. The author also includes adorably wonderful little doodles (like the one on the cover) to accompany explanations, relevant real life stories, and just to be very fun and cute.
After reading this, I feel like I understand AIs and neural networks better than before, and I also had a great time laughing at neural network generated Buzzfeed article titles (for example, 27 christmas ornaments every college twentysomething knows and 24 times australia was the absolute worst). It was also helpful to learn more about the limitations of AIs in modern times (especially when many companies like to oversell what they can do), and ways to spot AIs from humans and vice versa. A huge portion of this book really does cover the limitations of our current technology, which I often think gets overlooked; Shane takes the time to point out that AIs can pick up on our intentional and unintentional biases as well, which can affect what output we get back from what many consider an impartial source.
It may get a bit repetitive at times for such a slim book as some other reviewers have mentioned, but I really didn't mind too much.
Overall, I just thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you have any interest in artificial intelligence, I would recommend this. You can get a preview of some of what you'll see in the book on her twitter or on her blog, AI Weirdness,.
(As a side note, it was great to have a book unrelated to gender be so great about acknowledging and respecting all genders :). )
tricapra's review against another edition
4.0
Cute and actually really educational. I thought this was just gonna be like her newsletters but it was more than just jokes. I definitely feel like I have a handle on the current state of machine learning now.
wolfsbane868's review against another edition
funny
informative
slow-paced
4.5
A really great read if you're interested in learning how AI works and what it can and cannot do! Janelle Shane is really great at avoiding technobabble and coming up with humorous, understandable anecdotes explaining how AI sees the world.
lbelow's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
4.0
Although short, this book deals with my very favourite flavor of AI (all the weird/funny solutions it generates!). Thoroughly entertaining and informative, too.
shell_s's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
dud_avocado's review against another edition
5.0
The funniest non-fiction book I think I have ever read?! I don't think that was the author's intention but it really tickled me. At the time it was a great primer for language-modelling AI (still don't know all the technical terms). I think if I read it now (2024) it would be useful but less up-to-date. Still, a good sober look at what language models can and, importantly, can't do. And extremely easy to read.
teabrewer's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Very well researched, extremely informative, and not sensacionalist. The author knows what she is talking about and is careful to explain the subject like it really is. It's funny and playful without belittling the reader. Honestly, one of the best nonfiction I've ever read, and did I read a lot of it. I recomend it for people in the field, for the humor, inside jokes and to fill the little knowledge gaps, and to nonexperts that want a relativly deep and comprehensive but accesible introduction to the subject.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism and Racism