Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by chloe_601
The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want by Emily M. Bender, Alex Hanna
informative
medium-paced
5.0
This is a shorter but really well-done book about why a lot of the hype around “AI” is basically bullshit, both from the side promoting it as a magic tool that can do everything and from the side talking about humanity-destroying superintelligence.
I really liked how the book started off with a clear definition of what “AI” actually is, to get a clear understanding about how these systems (especially LLMs) actually work and what it actually does, which really helped set a tone of realism throughout. This also really helped when they dove in to the tangible, real world effects of the development of these models. I already knew about the environmental and some of the workplace implications, but hearing about the harm inflicted on poorly paid gig workers in the majority world opened my eyes to the human cost of these models even existing, before anyone uses it.
Definitely a good read for anyone who is interested or scared of “AI”, or who wants to gain a broader understanding of the real-world impact we are seeing right now. Especially as the US government plans to ramp up its investment in data centres and “AI”, it will be so important to be informed about the costs of buying into the hype.
I really liked how the book started off with a clear definition of what “AI” actually is, to get a clear understanding about how these systems (especially LLMs) actually work and what it actually does, which really helped set a tone of realism throughout. This also really helped when they dove in to the tangible, real world effects of the development of these models. I already knew about the environmental and some of the workplace implications, but hearing about the harm inflicted on poorly paid gig workers in the majority world opened my eyes to the human cost of these models even existing, before anyone uses it.
Definitely a good read for anyone who is interested or scared of “AI”, or who wants to gain a broader understanding of the real-world impact we are seeing right now. Especially as the US government plans to ramp up its investment in data centres and “AI”, it will be so important to be informed about the costs of buying into the hype.