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The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity by Amy Webb
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I think Webb has some very valid and sobering points about the direction this country is headed when it comes to technological advances, particularly when you contrast the U.S. with China. I think the threat China poses is very real, and I don't think the U.S. government is doing enough to try to contain it. The pessimist in me is sure I'll live to see the day when China supplants the U.S. as the world's foremost superpower. I worry about this not necessarily for economic considerations, but more because of human rights considerations.
However, I also think Webb cuts the G-MAFIA, as she calls them, WAAAAAAY too much slack. I'm not sure if she was trying to tread lightly or if she sincerely believes what she wrote, but her views of Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM, Apple, and Microsoft struck me as extremely Pollyanna-ish. Again, call me a cynic, but I don't for one second believe these companies are anywhere near as benevolent as she makes them out to be, and I think there's plenty of news coverage to back up my skepticism. I also disagree with her stance on the government regulating these companies. Businesses are run by human beings and will break and bend rules to suit themselves, especially once they fall into a cycle of self-justification, and these companies are no exception. One need only look at tobacco companies and opioid manufacturers to see proof of what happens to the public good when government is asleep at the wheel. Corporations need oversight, period.
I also think her optimistic projection of what AI's future could look like if partnerships were formed to be unrealistic because it ignores the way market economies--especially ours--work. Sure, maybe these companies have employees who just like tinkering with things, but businesses exist to make money. She makes it sound like all of them would happily lock themselves away in a lab and not worry about quarterly profits were it not for Wall Street. Yes, there is definitely a conversation to be had about the ways in which investors get in the way of businesses' progress, but I highly doubt the upper echelon at these big companies yearn to conduct pure research rather than continue making the obscene amounts of money these companies make. Money will always motivate people for as long as it remains relevant. I have a really hard time imagining any future where companies aren't elbowing their way in front of one another, always eager to get The Next Best Thing out before their competitor does, and I don't think their zeal is entirely based on the need to appease their shareholders.
Lastly, I have to say that I struggled with the book in the beginning because I frankly wasn't all that interested in the in-depth history of how philosophy ties into the evolution of AI development. It was a relief when I got to the portion of the book that actually dealt with the subject matter, though I definitely expected her to take a much harder look at how these companies have been behaving. She's quick to point out how terrifying the future looks with regard to what China's big companies are doing, but I think she lets American companies off far too easily. The G-MAFIA has a lot to answer for when it comes to the ways in which they're invading consumers' privacy and contributing to the decay of dialog in this country, as well as their eagerness to accept income at the expense of their companies' own integrity. When she does get into fiascos like Cambridge Analytica, she's basically helping buttress my skepticism that these companies should be trusted.
Still, the book did provide some very sobering food for thought, and I did learn some things about AI, so it's worth a read. I only wish our policy makers would spend some times considering the ramifications she presents here.
However, I also think Webb cuts the G-MAFIA, as she calls them, WAAAAAAY too much slack. I'm not sure if she was trying to tread lightly or if she sincerely believes what she wrote, but her views of Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM, Apple, and Microsoft struck me as extremely Pollyanna-ish. Again, call me a cynic, but I don't for one second believe these companies are anywhere near as benevolent as she makes them out to be, and I think there's plenty of news coverage to back up my skepticism. I also disagree with her stance on the government regulating these companies. Businesses are run by human beings and will break and bend rules to suit themselves, especially once they fall into a cycle of self-justification, and these companies are no exception. One need only look at tobacco companies and opioid manufacturers to see proof of what happens to the public good when government is asleep at the wheel. Corporations need oversight, period.
I also think her optimistic projection of what AI's future could look like if partnerships were formed to be unrealistic because it ignores the way market economies--especially ours--work. Sure, maybe these companies have employees who just like tinkering with things, but businesses exist to make money. She makes it sound like all of them would happily lock themselves away in a lab and not worry about quarterly profits were it not for Wall Street. Yes, there is definitely a conversation to be had about the ways in which investors get in the way of businesses' progress, but I highly doubt the upper echelon at these big companies yearn to conduct pure research rather than continue making the obscene amounts of money these companies make. Money will always motivate people for as long as it remains relevant. I have a really hard time imagining any future where companies aren't elbowing their way in front of one another, always eager to get The Next Best Thing out before their competitor does, and I don't think their zeal is entirely based on the need to appease their shareholders.
Lastly, I have to say that I struggled with the book in the beginning because I frankly wasn't all that interested in the in-depth history of how philosophy ties into the evolution of AI development. It was a relief when I got to the portion of the book that actually dealt with the subject matter, though I definitely expected her to take a much harder look at how these companies have been behaving. She's quick to point out how terrifying the future looks with regard to what China's big companies are doing, but I think she lets American companies off far too easily. The G-MAFIA has a lot to answer for when it comes to the ways in which they're invading consumers' privacy and contributing to the decay of dialog in this country, as well as their eagerness to accept income at the expense of their companies' own integrity. When she does get into fiascos like Cambridge Analytica, she's basically helping buttress my skepticism that these companies should be trusted.
Still, the book did provide some very sobering food for thought, and I did learn some things about AI, so it's worth a read. I only wish our policy makers would spend some times considering the ramifications she presents here.
yuu3008's review against another edition
4.0
The first half was really good with explanation regarding the history of nine tech titans but the second half seems a little bit over-wordy for me, and eventually took me quite a while to finish.
sarahareinhard's review against another edition
5.0
What. A. Book. Interested in artificial intelligence, technology, the way the future could be shaped by the intersection of the two? It’s coming — the future and the dominance of AI. But what does that mean? Webb not only provides detailed analysis, an impressive bibliography, and a history that’s multifaceted, but she also crafts storylines that support different decisions we could all make. Yes, us. You and me. Worth reading and rereading and taking action as a result!
nillsf's review against another edition
5.0
This book covers the history - current state and future state of AI from an societal point of view. The author points a pretty dark picture about where AI is now and where we're going. It certainly doesn't look good, and we need to make changes to both policy and the company policies developing this AI.
I personally liked the book and read it fairly quickly. The author is engaging and the subject nudges me towards action.
I personally liked the book and read it fairly quickly. The author is engaging and the subject nudges me towards action.
americalovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I highly recommend The Big Nine!
This book is a call-to-arms about the broken nature of artificial intelligence, and the powerful corporations that are turning the human-machine relationship on its head.
Nine big corporations in the U.S. and China. The American portion of the Big Nine—Amazon, Google, Apple, IBM, Microsoft and Facebook—have big ideas about how to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges, but they’re beholden to the whims of Wall Street and have only a transactional relationship with Washington.
Meanwhile, China’s portion—Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent—are very much tethered to Beijing and the demands of the Chinese Communist Party.
All of us are caught in the middle, as our data are mined and refined in service of building the future of AI.
In the first part, you’ll learn what AI is and the role the Big Nine have played in developing it.
In Part II, plausible futures over the next fifty years as AI advances with scenarios ranging from optimistic, pragmatic and catastrophic.
In Part III, tactical and strategic solutions are given.
“The future is an endless cycle. It neither begins at a finite point nor ends once something has been accomplished. Likewise, the fluidity of time—not chronological time, but how we experience technological change—must stay at the forefront of our thought processes whenever we’re planning for the future.”
This book is a call-to-arms about the broken nature of artificial intelligence, and the powerful corporations that are turning the human-machine relationship on its head.
Nine big corporations in the U.S. and China. The American portion of the Big Nine—Amazon, Google, Apple, IBM, Microsoft and Facebook—have big ideas about how to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges, but they’re beholden to the whims of Wall Street and have only a transactional relationship with Washington.
Meanwhile, China’s portion—Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent—are very much tethered to Beijing and the demands of the Chinese Communist Party.
All of us are caught in the middle, as our data are mined and refined in service of building the future of AI.
In the first part, you’ll learn what AI is and the role the Big Nine have played in developing it.
In Part II, plausible futures over the next fifty years as AI advances with scenarios ranging from optimistic, pragmatic and catastrophic.
In Part III, tactical and strategic solutions are given.
“The future is an endless cycle. It neither begins at a finite point nor ends once something has been accomplished. Likewise, the fluidity of time—not chronological time, but how we experience technological change—must stay at the forefront of our thought processes whenever we’re planning for the future.”
jutin623's review against another edition
4.0
Great framing of AI in the bigger picture of companys' and states' strategies. As an employee of one of the big 9, it's helped me with insight into my own company's decisions and direction when it comes to AI.
Webb does a good job showing the tangible ways AI is already interwoven in our lives, in areas we may not know about or realize. This helps the readier visualize some of the possible futures Webb outlines in her scenario planning exercise.
She's clearly coming from a western-centric viewpoint, using fear of China to spur action, but the insight into Chinese companies' strategies motivations was interesting and new information to me.
Webb does a good job showing the tangible ways AI is already interwoven in our lives, in areas we may not know about or realize. This helps the readier visualize some of the possible futures Webb outlines in her scenario planning exercise.
She's clearly coming from a western-centric viewpoint, using fear of China to spur action, but the insight into Chinese companies' strategies motivations was interesting and new information to me.
misterfix's review against another edition
4.0
Although the manner in which the author naively states her trust in the good intentions of corporations in one breath, and then presents evidence and historical presedent of their complete lack of ethics and trustworthiness a paragraph later is infuriating at times, the core of this book is worthy of consideration in preparing for the future. Thankfully she covers China in detail and includes their advancements and plans in her proposal for how to navigate and regulate AI development.
While her proposed policies are excellent I fear implementation will be exceptionally difficult - still it's an excellent template to work from. I do wish she had spent more time detailing how individuals can take action and be more responsible for implementing the proposed changes.
While her proposed policies are excellent I fear implementation will be exceptionally difficult - still it's an excellent template to work from. I do wish she had spent more time detailing how individuals can take action and be more responsible for implementing the proposed changes.