A review by badmc
Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia

4.0

The book offers a unique approach to AI, presenting it from the perspective of the lowest denominator, exploited workers, and minority groups under its scrutiny. It highlights several intriguing cases, those involving families identified by the "your child is at risk" algorithm in the Netherlands really grabbed my interest. It prompted me to reconsider how data and research I participate in can be used by those who may not fully grasp nuance, intersectionality, or the realities of working in the field. Black box systems trained on questionable data should be approached with caution—though I still believe they could provide invaluable help, as demonstrated by their use in medicine in the book.

The book’s strength lies in its human stories and ethical questions, not in technical or scientific explanations. For in-depth discussions of AI technology or environmental impacts, I will need to look elsewhere.

I enjoyed Murgia's narration; it felt like listening to a podcast.