mamabadger's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

Anyone who's heard of the idea that technology can unfairly discriminate, but couldn't imagine how that is possible, will find a clear answer in Dr Buolamwini's book. It's an engrossing discussion of the flaws in AI, especially facial recognition technology, why they exist, and the damage they can cause. 

carrielouwho22's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

amampersand's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

mcoenraad's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

courtiny's review against another edition

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hopeful informative medium-paced

4.5

izmadi's review against another edition

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3.0

Realistic portrayal of the dangers

It's an interesting book about a current topic. I could have seen it a little shorter and perhaps less technical at times, but overall it reads like an informative autobiography and I learned some new things from it.

shays's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

Part memoir and part social and scientific commentary, Unmasking AI follows computer scientist and self-titled Poet of Code Joy Buolamwini through her graduate studies at MIT, beginning in 2015. Buolamwini’s memoir draws to the fore the focus on the technical rather than the ethical in the field of computer science. Ethics are not a taught as a core part of the discipline, and projects that use human faces have not traditionally been subject to human subject board review. Buolamwini lays out her thesis work for a lay audience, but she is perhaps at her best when she allows herself to indulge in poetic language and descriptions that evoke the emotional rather than merely factual impacts of being invisible. 

Full review: https://shayshortt.com/2024/01/09/unmasking-ai/

 

koreykit's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

5.0

joti's review

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challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Interesting mix of biographical narrative, poetry, and scientific evidence. Dr. Buolamwini is an example to us all, and I love the idea behind the AJL and forcing everyone to do better when it comes to understanding and deciding whether or not to implement AI. Despite our different backgrounds still at times quite relatable and a lot of food for thought for my own future work (academic and otherwise) 

threadpanda's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

This autobiographical journey details the inception of Dr. Buolamwini’s introduction to coded bias—biases that are inherent in supposedly neutral AI or machine learning systems—and her path to fighting for algorithmic justice and harm reduction. I enjoyed Dr. Buolamwini’s retelling of events, but felt that in some parts, the storytelling meandered a bit more than proved to be helpful or additive to the narrative.