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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
A timely reality check on AI and US/China dynamics; Kindle edition available for $.99 (~96% discount) as of 9/28/2018.
Some related resources to consider:
Reviews:
https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2018/09/29/in-the-struggle-for-ai-supremacy-china-will-prevail
https://www.ft.com/content/fda4d382-ba67-11e8-94b2-17176fbf93f5
https://www.diamandis.com/blog/kai-fu-lee-ai-superpowers
https://supchina.com/2018/09/18/james-mcgregor-reviews-kai-fu-lee-ai-superpowers/
http://www.atimes.com/how-china-caught-up-to-silicon-valley-in-ai/
Excerpt/adaptation: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/22/opinion/sunday/ai-china-united-states.html
Author interview: https://www.recode.net/2018/9/17/17867990/kai-fu-lee-ai-superpowers-book-artificial-intelligence-jobs-doctors-kara-swisher-decode-podcast
Some related resources to consider:
Reviews:
https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2018/09/29/in-the-struggle-for-ai-supremacy-china-will-prevail
https://www.ft.com/content/fda4d382-ba67-11e8-94b2-17176fbf93f5
https://www.diamandis.com/blog/kai-fu-lee-ai-superpowers
https://supchina.com/2018/09/18/james-mcgregor-reviews-kai-fu-lee-ai-superpowers/
http://www.atimes.com/how-china-caught-up-to-silicon-valley-in-ai/
Excerpt/adaptation: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/22/opinion/sunday/ai-china-united-states.html
Author interview: https://www.recode.net/2018/9/17/17867990/kai-fu-lee-ai-superpowers-book-artificial-intelligence-jobs-doctors-kara-swisher-decode-podcast
Very highly recommended. The title fails to convey the book's broad scope. In a fairly condensed book, the author sets out, simply and concisely, the different tech cultures of US and China based companies, the current state of AI, the likely short to medium term developments, the impact of all this on jobs, policy solutions, and a very surprising turn at the end to contemplate the purpose and meaning of life. The policy solutions covers the well discussed ground of UBI and retraining, but also brings a skeptical eye to those solutions as insufficient for the social/human nature aspect that the coming change from AI could bring.
Could maybe have been shorter, and a bit more willing to consider some of the negatives to his thesis, but I learnt a lot in this book about the Chinese culture and history around AI, and how they're set to really drive things forward in the coming years.
This book starts off pretty well. There is a short history of China's rise in technology under the shadow of the United States' dominance. There is a broader comparison between the two countries, their political climates, and their differing tech cultures. There is a quick lesson on neural networks and deep learning, as well as analysis on what sectors artificial intelligence have had and might have a significant impact on. However, the author takes an unexpected turn towards his reflection on his life and career after being diagnosed with cancer, how that changed his morality and priorities. He ends with a prescription of how to use AI for good, and it's not a particularly convincing transition.
The author is incredibly bullish on artificial intelligence changing our lives for the better. And as the cover of this book might suggest, he is certainly of the opinion that China is or will be very soon the world leaders in AI. The author has every incentive to convince the reader why China is ripe for growth in AI, as he is the CEO of an investment firm in Chinese tech companies. Still, he is a leader in the field and uniquely qualified to compare the tech culture between China's startup world and Silicon Valley. Here, he does a good job matching up the AI superpowers.
He argues that job losses from AI advancement will come largely from industries getting replaced, rather than occupations or tasks getting replaced. Think news companies without editors, or grocery stories and their shopping experience without any humans on-site, putting pressure on existing companies which employ humans. Which industries? One consideration is that machines are good at pattern recognition (such as diagnosing cancer for a doctor), but still lag far behind humans in fine motor skills (such as cleaning for a hotel maid). Put another way, AI algorithms may hit white-collar workers and cognitive tasks first, whereas robotics are not far along yet to hit blue-collar workers and hands-on tasks as quickly. While this was an interesting aha moment for me, this does lead to his prediction that one day, all doctors will become "compassionate caregivers" while the algorithms run the diagnosis.
Speaking of compassion, his epiphany comes from facing his own mortality with lymphoma. It led the author to a monastery, which led him to reflect on his life as a workaholic, which led him to appreciate his family more. It was certainly a strange pivot in the middle of the book, but his conclusion after that just seems out of left field. He talks through universal basic income, and how to prevent AI from displacing many jobs: by focusing on (financially) incentivizing volunteer and human care work. The author provides at least a framework for thinking about how to encourage social work, even if the proposals aren't particularly convincing or fully formed.
While the last third of the book took a bit of a detour, there are good lessons to be had. This book ultimately provides a helpful framework for tech leaders on how to think about AI permeating our world, and about the future in the race between the US and China towards leveraging AI. It is worth the read for that alone, even if the book falls a bit flat in the end.
The author is incredibly bullish on artificial intelligence changing our lives for the better. And as the cover of this book might suggest, he is certainly of the opinion that China is or will be very soon the world leaders in AI. The author has every incentive to convince the reader why China is ripe for growth in AI, as he is the CEO of an investment firm in Chinese tech companies. Still, he is a leader in the field and uniquely qualified to compare the tech culture between China's startup world and Silicon Valley. Here, he does a good job matching up the AI superpowers.
He argues that job losses from AI advancement will come largely from industries getting replaced, rather than occupations or tasks getting replaced. Think news companies without editors, or grocery stories and their shopping experience without any humans on-site, putting pressure on existing companies which employ humans. Which industries? One consideration is that machines are good at pattern recognition (such as diagnosing cancer for a doctor), but still lag far behind humans in fine motor skills (such as cleaning for a hotel maid). Put another way, AI algorithms may hit white-collar workers and cognitive tasks first, whereas robotics are not far along yet to hit blue-collar workers and hands-on tasks as quickly. While this was an interesting aha moment for me, this does lead to his prediction that one day, all doctors will become "compassionate caregivers" while the algorithms run the diagnosis.
Speaking of compassion, his epiphany comes from facing his own mortality with lymphoma. It led the author to a monastery, which led him to reflect on his life as a workaholic, which led him to appreciate his family more. It was certainly a strange pivot in the middle of the book, but his conclusion after that just seems out of left field. He talks through universal basic income, and how to prevent AI from displacing many jobs: by focusing on (financially) incentivizing volunteer and human care work. The author provides at least a framework for thinking about how to encourage social work, even if the proposals aren't particularly convincing or fully formed.
While the last third of the book took a bit of a detour, there are good lessons to be had. This book ultimately provides a helpful framework for tech leaders on how to think about AI permeating our world, and about the future in the race between the US and China towards leveraging AI. It is worth the read for that alone, even if the book falls a bit flat in the end.
Highly recommend this book if you are curious about the future. No more technical advancements are needed for it to become the most disruptive technology since the Internet. Telling you now that AI is about to change everything is like telling you in 1994 that the Internet is about to change everything.
The book is a quick read and well written, pulls no punches, but ends with a strong message of hope for a more human future.
The book is a quick read and well written, pulls no punches, but ends with a strong message of hope for a more human future.
Spanish review -
Quiero dejar esto corto:
Interesante para partir en el tema, pero siento que solo habla de lo bonito de la IA.
Hay muchos peligros de los cuales uno se tiene que hacer consciente con esta clase de tecnología, pero sentí que la visión de Kai-Fu Lee es en una línea de tiempo en donde todo sale muy bien, no hay peligros en usar grandes fuentes de datos, y por supuesto, la propuesta de que china liderará este tipo de tecnología (que parece muy plausible).
¿no habla entonces de lo malo? -> sí, pero solo una pincelada, muy pequeña para mi gusto.
Quiero dejar esto corto:
Interesante para partir en el tema, pero siento que solo habla de lo bonito de la IA.
Hay muchos peligros de los cuales uno se tiene que hacer consciente con esta clase de tecnología, pero sentí que la visión de Kai-Fu Lee es en una línea de tiempo en donde todo sale muy bien, no hay peligros en usar grandes fuentes de datos, y por supuesto, la propuesta de que china liderará este tipo de tecnología (que parece muy plausible).
¿no habla entonces de lo malo? -> sí, pero solo una pincelada, muy pequeña para mi gusto.
Lots of good information about China’s technology scene along with insights about the impact of AI on our future job market. I appreciated the authors thoughts on the types of societies we have the opportunity to mold if we are intentional about the way we transition into a future where AI becomes more and more competent.
The book helped me understand the cultural differences between the Western and the Chinese technology companies. While the focus is on exploring the real-world applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and why China might become a leader in this area, the book gave me much more. The cultural aspect itself was highly valuable, but the discussion about the impact AI will have on our societies and individuals was one of the best I've read so far. Worth a read both if you want to understand Chinese tech startups better and gain an optimistic perspective of how humans might coexist with AI by emphasizing our uniquely human ability to love.
The later will require substantial changes in our economy and cultural shifts, but the author has some interesting ideas of how we could create meaningful and fulfilling jobs for humans. Every policymaker should read this book because we need to start having a serious discussion about how the technology we're building will affect our societies.
The later will require substantial changes in our economy and cultural shifts, but the author has some interesting ideas of how we could create meaningful and fulfilling jobs for humans. Every policymaker should read this book because we need to start having a serious discussion about how the technology we're building will affect our societies.
this book was very much not what i was expecting, and so i spent much of the read being delightfully surprised! a thoughtful, pragmatic, and hopeful examination of the future of artificial intelligence development through the lens of two models (China and Silicon Valley). the author clearly has a particular perspective based on his professional and personal background, but he is upfront about his positionality toward this topic and so there's room in the narrative for the reader to imagine alternative ideas. this book doesn't dig into every facet of the future of AI (and one wouldn't expect it to!). i noticed in particular a lack of examination of the impact of the predicted AI progress on the disabled community in terms of employment and participation in society beyond receiving care, so that felt like a missed opportunity. overall, though, a surprisingly moving book, both emotionally and technically intelligent. would recommend!
Fresh and interesting overview of the topic from a region-specific perspective, but makes a lot of claims as facts, and feels like it was trying to be a dual vehicle for the China / Silicon Valley idea and the author's memoir / reflections on life, which didn't feel compatible.