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120 reviews for:
The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want
Emily M. Bender, Alex Hanna
4.13 AVERAGE
120 reviews for:
The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want
Emily M. Bender, Alex Hanna
4.13 AVERAGE
informative
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ALC of this audiobook!
This book takes the approach that AI is simply a mediocore tool that relies on theft and that billionaires sunk all of their money into, and now they have to shove it down our throats for it to be profitable for them, while it helps kill the planet at an alarming rate.
I tend to be a doomer, but this book is a practical, logical look at AI hype, all this focus and attention on AI in the age of surveilance capitalism. It breaks down how to spot it and deconstructs it in a way that will help us all be more mindful consumers, combat misinformation, and as a citizen holding policymakers accountable.
We may not be able to fight the lack of regulation it has for the next decade, but we can continue to use critical thinking skills until they breed it out of us.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it if you’re curious about AI, more so if you’re skeptical like me and a doomer. It’s not as bad as I think (yet), but it’s not all that great, either.
informative
slow-paced
challenging
funny
informative
fast-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
A much-needed overview of the shortcomings of AI - and, in particular, of the AI vendors. There's a lot here that's important for everyone to understand as the technology threatens to become omnipresent. I'm glad to recommend it as a primer; it's important to keep your eyes open. But the question is left open: okay, so now what? I liked the suggestion that smaller, more ethically-trained, more specific software is better, and I completely agree. But in a world where the generalist models are being added to everything, where rampant surveillance is being incentivized by their use, and where businesses and non-profits are being held accountable by their shareholders and board members to investigate the technology because of the hype surrounding it, what are the real, immediate solutions? The problem is clear; the way forward is not.
informative
medium-paced
pretty informative, although it’s fucking ridiculous some of the things that people do and say about ai. chapters do jump around a little but i still think it’s worth a read if you feel uninformed about ai and how it operates + how it operates within the context of our society (in terms of biases, who actually does the work, etc).
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Very good summary of the present state of AI from a societal point of view. How much of it is over hyped and which problems are of concern and which aren’t.
While I agree fully with the authors that current AIs are so far removed from AGI that their impact should be seen as wholly separate and that the players are using the scare tactics around AGI for nefarious purposes, i feel that the authors are a little too dismissing the concept of AGI and research into it as a hypothetical… even if only as a branch of philosophy… hence 4,5 stars and not 5
While I agree fully with the authors that current AIs are so far removed from AGI that their impact should be seen as wholly separate and that the players are using the scare tactics around AGI for nefarious purposes, i feel that the authors are a little too dismissing the concept of AGI and research into it as a hypothetical… even if only as a branch of philosophy… hence 4,5 stars and not 5
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
Lots of good information. This brings the buzz about AI into perspective. It's far more exploitative then I had initially imagined.
Audiobook note: I'm not sure if it was the narrator or the recording. There was a faint echo to the recording that made it sound auto generated. (Which would be directly in opposition to what this had to say.) An overly sarcastic tone wasn't my favorite thing either.
Audiobook note: I'm not sure if it was the narrator or the recording. There was a faint echo to the recording that made it sound auto generated. (Which would be directly in opposition to what this had to say.) An overly sarcastic tone wasn't my favorite thing either.