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The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Will Artificial Intelligence Serve Us Or Replace Us?
"The Artificial Intelligence Revolution" by Louis A. Del Monte is a warning regarding the threat new artificial intelligence (AI) technology poses to the survival of humankind. Will the future come down to man versus machine, when the singularity is near? Will an artificial intelligence robot be your friend or foe?
Scientists are working relentlessly at improving AI technology for the benefit of man. Evolved technology is everywhere-smart TVs, smart phones, and even smart houses. One day the artificial intelligence of these machines will match our own intelligence-and one day it will exceed the "singularity."
Then what?
Will machines continue to serve us as the balance tips in their favor? These questions are addressed rigorously, their potentialities extrapolated for one reason-the survival of humankind. Are "strong" AI machines (SAMs) a new form of life? Should SAMs have rights? Do SAMs pose a threat to humankind?
Del Monte and other AI experts predict that AI capabilities will develop into SAMs with abilities far beyond what human beings can even fathom. Will they serve us, or will SAMs take an entirely different viewpoint? That question and many more are tackled by Del Monte in this sobering look at the "The Artificial Intelligence Revolution."
Scientists are working relentlessly at improving AI technology for the benefit of man. Evolved technology is everywhere-smart TVs, smart phones, and even smart houses. One day the artificial intelligence of these machines will match our own intelligence-and one day it will exceed the "singularity."
Then what?
Will machines continue to serve us as the balance tips in their favor? These questions are addressed rigorously, their potentialities extrapolated for one reason-the survival of humankind. Are "strong" AI machines (SAMs) a new form of life? Should SAMs have rights? Do SAMs pose a threat to humankind?
Del Monte and other AI experts predict that AI capabilities will develop into SAMs with abilities far beyond what human beings can even fathom. Will they serve us, or will SAMs take an entirely different viewpoint? That question and many more are tackled by Del Monte in this sobering look at the "The Artificial Intelligence Revolution."
210 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2014
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August 24, 2017
The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Will Artificial Intelligence Serve Us Or Replace Us? by Louis Del Monte
“The Artificial Intelligence Revolution” is an alarming view of what can happen to humankind if we do not control the intelligence explosion. Top futurist and a man of many talents including: author, physicist, and featured speaker, Louis Del Monte takes the reader on a journey through artificial intelligence and its implications. This interesting 211-page book includes seventeen chapters broken out by the following three sections: I. The Imperceptible Rise of Artificial Intelligence, II. The Singularity Approaches without Warning, and III. The Singularity Intelligent Machines Exceed All Human Brains.
Positives:
1. Well-researched and accessible book. It’s succinct.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fascinating topic.
3. Del Monte has command of the topic and provides a solid introduction to artificial intelligence.
4. The book in general is easy to follow and has a professorial feel to it. That is, Del Monte begins each chapter with a topic-related quote, introduces concepts, supports his main ideas and ends most chapters with a summary of conclusions.
5. Does a good job of defining terms and provides a helpful glossary to boot. “The singularity (as first described by John von Neumann in 1955) represents a point in time when intelligent machines will greatly exceed human intelligence.”
6. Right from the introduction, the main idea is presented. “If we do not control the singularity, it is likely to control us.”
7. Memorable quotes spruced throughout the book. “Some futurists predict our planet will become home to a new reality. Intelligence will be the new wealth, and energy will be the new currency.”
8. Relies on subject matter experts with good track records like Ray Kurzweil and his own observations to base predictions on.
9. Provides a historical look of artificial intelligence. “In 1956 John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Allen Newell, and Herbert Simon, motivated by advances in neurology, information theory, cybernetics, and computer hardware and software, founded the field of artificial intelligence at a conference held at Dartmouth College.”
10. Explains the challenges facing strong AI. “Although AI has come a long way in the last seventy years and has been able to equal and exceed human intelligence in specific areas, such as playing chess, it still falls short of general human intelligence or strong AI.”
11. Goes through the three major classifications that machine-language algorithms fall under.
12. Self-aware machines. “The gold standard for an intelligent machine’s being equal to the human mind is the Turing test.”
13. Describes the presingularity world. “The distinction between humans and machines will begin to blur as the population of humans with cybernetic augmentation grows, leading to arguments regarding what constitutes a human being.”
14. Throughout the book, Del Monte builds on his case and his conclusion. “I am ringing the alarm in this book, The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Will Artificial Intelligence Serve Us or Replace Us? Like my colleagues before me, I advocate that if we do not control the intelligence explosion, it will control us and, in the process of controlling us, destroy our humanity.”
15. Find out what the three biggest concerns are if we do not control the singularity.
16. Goes through scenarios on humankind’s fate based on his research.
17. So, will we merge into intelligent machines? Find out what Del Monte’s research suggests.
18. Explains how we can curtail the intelligence explosion to benefit humankind instead of threatening it. “The greatest risk to organic human civilization is SAMs, and it appears this risk increases with time.”
19. Provides fictional accounts of what may happen.
20. Provides a timeline of the four phases.
Negatives:
1. The book lacks dare I say, fun; particularly one targeted to the general audience. A book with an alarming conclusion needs to break it up with fun tidbits. As an example, I would have added a chapter titled My Top 10 favorite AI-themed movies.
2. Lack visual supplementary material: charts, diagrams, and sketches to complement the narrative.
3. A little self-serving.
4. Repetitive.
5. A lot of blank space. The book could have been better formatted.
6. Lacks a formal bibliography.
In summary, Del Monte provides a compelling case for humankind’s demise unless we control the singularity. He provides awareness of the risks associated with singularity and what we can do to curtail it. On the mild downside, the book lacks that fun factor that could have raised buzz about it. An interesting topic overall and an easy read, I recommend it.
Further suggestions: “The Singularity Is Near” and “How to Create a Mind” by Ray Kurzweil, “Our Final Invention” by James Barrat, “Surviving AI” by Calum, “ Chace, “Superintelligence Paths” by Nick Bostrom, “When Computers Can Think” by Anthony Berglas, “What to Think About Machines That Think” edited by John Brockman, and “Rise of the Robots” by Martin Ford.
“The Artificial Intelligence Revolution” is an alarming view of what can happen to humankind if we do not control the intelligence explosion. Top futurist and a man of many talents including: author, physicist, and featured speaker, Louis Del Monte takes the reader on a journey through artificial intelligence and its implications. This interesting 211-page book includes seventeen chapters broken out by the following three sections: I. The Imperceptible Rise of Artificial Intelligence, II. The Singularity Approaches without Warning, and III. The Singularity Intelligent Machines Exceed All Human Brains.
Positives:
1. Well-researched and accessible book. It’s succinct.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fascinating topic.
3. Del Monte has command of the topic and provides a solid introduction to artificial intelligence.
4. The book in general is easy to follow and has a professorial feel to it. That is, Del Monte begins each chapter with a topic-related quote, introduces concepts, supports his main ideas and ends most chapters with a summary of conclusions.
5. Does a good job of defining terms and provides a helpful glossary to boot. “The singularity (as first described by John von Neumann in 1955) represents a point in time when intelligent machines will greatly exceed human intelligence.”
6. Right from the introduction, the main idea is presented. “If we do not control the singularity, it is likely to control us.”
7. Memorable quotes spruced throughout the book. “Some futurists predict our planet will become home to a new reality. Intelligence will be the new wealth, and energy will be the new currency.”
8. Relies on subject matter experts with good track records like Ray Kurzweil and his own observations to base predictions on.
9. Provides a historical look of artificial intelligence. “In 1956 John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Allen Newell, and Herbert Simon, motivated by advances in neurology, information theory, cybernetics, and computer hardware and software, founded the field of artificial intelligence at a conference held at Dartmouth College.”
10. Explains the challenges facing strong AI. “Although AI has come a long way in the last seventy years and has been able to equal and exceed human intelligence in specific areas, such as playing chess, it still falls short of general human intelligence or strong AI.”
11. Goes through the three major classifications that machine-language algorithms fall under.
12. Self-aware machines. “The gold standard for an intelligent machine’s being equal to the human mind is the Turing test.”
13. Describes the presingularity world. “The distinction between humans and machines will begin to blur as the population of humans with cybernetic augmentation grows, leading to arguments regarding what constitutes a human being.”
14. Throughout the book, Del Monte builds on his case and his conclusion. “I am ringing the alarm in this book, The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Will Artificial Intelligence Serve Us or Replace Us? Like my colleagues before me, I advocate that if we do not control the intelligence explosion, it will control us and, in the process of controlling us, destroy our humanity.”
15. Find out what the three biggest concerns are if we do not control the singularity.
16. Goes through scenarios on humankind’s fate based on his research.
17. So, will we merge into intelligent machines? Find out what Del Monte’s research suggests.
18. Explains how we can curtail the intelligence explosion to benefit humankind instead of threatening it. “The greatest risk to organic human civilization is SAMs, and it appears this risk increases with time.”
19. Provides fictional accounts of what may happen.
20. Provides a timeline of the four phases.
Negatives:
1. The book lacks dare I say, fun; particularly one targeted to the general audience. A book with an alarming conclusion needs to break it up with fun tidbits. As an example, I would have added a chapter titled My Top 10 favorite AI-themed movies.
2. Lack visual supplementary material: charts, diagrams, and sketches to complement the narrative.
3. A little self-serving.
4. Repetitive.
5. A lot of blank space. The book could have been better formatted.
6. Lacks a formal bibliography.
In summary, Del Monte provides a compelling case for humankind’s demise unless we control the singularity. He provides awareness of the risks associated with singularity and what we can do to curtail it. On the mild downside, the book lacks that fun factor that could have raised buzz about it. An interesting topic overall and an easy read, I recommend it.
Further suggestions: “The Singularity Is Near” and “How to Create a Mind” by Ray Kurzweil, “Our Final Invention” by James Barrat, “Surviving AI” by Calum, “ Chace, “Superintelligence Paths” by Nick Bostrom, “When Computers Can Think” by Anthony Berglas, “What to Think About Machines That Think” edited by John Brockman, and “Rise of the Robots” by Martin Ford.
December 19, 2014
To see my review go here:
http://www.readingforsanity.blogspot....
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