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Humans Need Not Apply: A Guide to Wealth & Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
An “intriguing, insightful” look at how algorithms and robots could lead to social unrest—and how to avoid it (The Economist, Books of the Year). After decades of effort, researchers are finally cracking the code on artificial intelligence. Society stands on the cusp of unprecedented change, driven by advances in robotics, machine learning, and perception powering systems that rival or exceed human capabilities. Driverless cars, robotic helpers, and intelligent agents that promote our interests have the potential to usher in a new age of affluence and leisure—but as AI expert and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jerry Kaplan warns, the transition may be protracted and brutal unless we address the two great scourges of the modern developed volatile labor markets and income inequality. In Humans Need Not Apply, he proposes innovative, free-market adjustments to our economic system and social policies to avoid an extended period of social turmoil. His timely and accessible analysis of the promises and perils of AI is a must-read for business leaders and policy makers on both sides of the aisle. “A reminder that AI systems don’t need red laser eyes to be dangerous.”—Times Higher Education Supplement “Kaplan…sidesteps the usual arguments of techno-optimism and dystopia, preferring to go for pragmatic solutions to a shrinking pool of jobs.”—Financial Times
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2015
152 people are currently reading
2411 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Kaplan
26 books60 followersKaplan is widely known as a serial entrepreneur, technical innovator, bestselling author, and futurist. He co-founded four Silicon Valley startups, two of which became publicly traded companies. His best-selling non-fiction novel "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure" was selected by Business Week as one of the top ten business books of the year, was optioned to Sony Pictures, and is available in Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese. Kaplan has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week, Red Herring, and Upside, and is a frequent public speaker.
Kaplan is currently a Fellow at The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics. He also teaches Philosophy, Ethics, and Impact of Artificial Intelligence in the Computer Science Department, Stanford University. He holds a BA (1972) from the University of Chicago in History and Philosophy of Science, and an MSE (1975) and PhD (1979) in Computer and Information Science, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Computational Linguistics, from the University of Pennsylvania.
Kaplan is currently a Fellow at The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics. He also teaches Philosophy, Ethics, and Impact of Artificial Intelligence in the Computer Science Department, Stanford University. He holds a BA (1972) from the University of Chicago in History and Philosophy of Science, and an MSE (1975) and PhD (1979) in Computer and Information Science, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Computational Linguistics, from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
August 2, 2015
Once I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down. It is written in a conversational style anyone can follow and unlike so many books on this topic, does not take a doomsday approach. The author, who teaches courses on the ethics and impact of artificial intelligence at Stanford University, has some really creative possible solutions for what he considers the biggest problems posed by AI (artificial intelligence), namely unemployment and broad income disparity. While wealthy himself (from his own description of his lifestyle), he says he is not in the 1%, but he is obviously friendly with that set and gives a pretty stark contrast between the life of someone like Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, and a former employee at one of his own companies. His former employee, the son of an immigrant, worked hard to get a college degree in business, only to find that after doggedly sending out resume after resume, the only jobs he could get were as an Enterprise car-rental company manager-trainee or installing wiring for cable companies (a job his father had done and which the author indicates is on its way out). These were both jobs with long, chaotic hours and not much money. There follows a sobering discussion of the growing income inequality problem in this country, which is only exacerbated by AI. Mr. Kaplan's solutions really seem workable. He did say income probably needs to be decoupled from work, but he offered some ways to allow ordinary people to invest (and to see that they have the means to do so), ensuring some sort of income, while they could receive credit for volunteer work in various capacities. I think you'll need to read the book for the full explanation of this, but I thought it sounded feasible (although I hasten to add, I am no economist). Some of his predictions for the future are slightly creepy:
"Synthetic intellects will cooperate with us as long as they need us. Eventually, when they can design, fix, and reproduce by themselves, we are likely to be left on our own. Will they 'enslave' us? Not really---more like farm us or keep us on a preserve, making life so pleasant and convenient that there's little motivation to venture beyond its boundaries. We don't compete for the same resources, so they are likely to be either completely indifferent---as we are to worms and nematodes---or paternalistic, as we are to our house pets. But no need to worry now; this isn't likely to happen on a timescale that will concern you and me." (page 207)
Oh, well thank goodness for that! He says the 'bots will keep us around because "...we are conscious, because we have subjective experience and emotions---there's simply no evidence so far that they have anything like this....In other words, they may need us for our minds, just as we need other animals for their bodies. My guess is that our 'product' will be works of art. If they lack the ability to experience love and suffering, it will be hard for them to capture these authentic emotions in creative expressive forms..." (page 207)
Naturally, this last bit is speculative, but the book is a fascinating journey into a not-so-distant future, and from Mr. Kaplan's perspective, it didn't sound that bad.
He said he got the title for his book from a short video by C.G.P. Grey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S... . The video covers some of the points he makes in the book.
One last comment: I found the physical book itself to be elegantly designed. Wide margins contained the page number and title of the chapter vertically alongside the text, and new chapters were announced by black pages with the chapter heading in clear, uncluttered text. It was a nice size to hold and just seemed aesthetically pleasing. (Can you tell I am an absolute book nerd?)
**Here is the author speaking on a PBS show:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/labor-...
"Synthetic intellects will cooperate with us as long as they need us. Eventually, when they can design, fix, and reproduce by themselves, we are likely to be left on our own. Will they 'enslave' us? Not really---more like farm us or keep us on a preserve, making life so pleasant and convenient that there's little motivation to venture beyond its boundaries. We don't compete for the same resources, so they are likely to be either completely indifferent---as we are to worms and nematodes---or paternalistic, as we are to our house pets. But no need to worry now; this isn't likely to happen on a timescale that will concern you and me." (page 207)
Oh, well thank goodness for that! He says the 'bots will keep us around because "...we are conscious, because we have subjective experience and emotions---there's simply no evidence so far that they have anything like this....In other words, they may need us for our minds, just as we need other animals for their bodies. My guess is that our 'product' will be works of art. If they lack the ability to experience love and suffering, it will be hard for them to capture these authentic emotions in creative expressive forms..." (page 207)
Naturally, this last bit is speculative, but the book is a fascinating journey into a not-so-distant future, and from Mr. Kaplan's perspective, it didn't sound that bad.
He said he got the title for his book from a short video by C.G.P. Grey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S... . The video covers some of the points he makes in the book.
One last comment: I found the physical book itself to be elegantly designed. Wide margins contained the page number and title of the chapter vertically alongside the text, and new chapters were announced by black pages with the chapter heading in clear, uncluttered text. It was a nice size to hold and just seemed aesthetically pleasing. (Can you tell I am an absolute book nerd?)
**Here is the author speaking on a PBS show:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/labor-...
March 6, 2018
Stopped reading when chapter 8 begins with Kaplan saying that global warming isn’t a problem and that he welcomes an increase in temperature in his own city. Until that point the book had been a fairly standard AI-book about jobs and automation. The book hasn’t aged that well so you’ll probably find better insights from a more current medium post.
April 15, 2016
This book provides a decent exploration of the future of automation.
The first part of the book talks about AI/Machine Learning. This may have been a decent intro for someone completely new to the field, but for someone very much inside the field it was a little frustrating to read because of explanations that I think confused concepts in artificial intelligence, sometimes for example using the terms "machine learning" and "neural networks" interchangeably. I was also put off by some silly examples of what the future looks like, such as "Trying on an outfit? Instead of asking a sales assistant if you look nice, why not take a snapshot of yourself and seek crowdsourced opinions?". To me, these silly and quite speculative examples of small use cases give off too much of a singularity hype hype vibe.
The later part of the book is where things finally take off and the book goes into some social-economical repercussions of automation and the likely more dramatic income inequality. This is mostly why I got the book and I was looking forward to these parts, but unfortunately the book dives in quite quickly and became a bit of a stream-of-consciousness that assumed quite a lot of knowledge of economics, law, etc. I did not have enough background to appreciate entire chapters (e.g. surrounding the proposed job mortgage concept and its merits) and went from being bored in the first half to mostly confused in the second half. I think these chapters should have been expanded, introduced more slowly, put in wider context, and made more concrete with more frequent examples.
The first part of the book talks about AI/Machine Learning. This may have been a decent intro for someone completely new to the field, but for someone very much inside the field it was a little frustrating to read because of explanations that I think confused concepts in artificial intelligence, sometimes for example using the terms "machine learning" and "neural networks" interchangeably. I was also put off by some silly examples of what the future looks like, such as "Trying on an outfit? Instead of asking a sales assistant if you look nice, why not take a snapshot of yourself and seek crowdsourced opinions?". To me, these silly and quite speculative examples of small use cases give off too much of a singularity hype hype vibe.
The later part of the book is where things finally take off and the book goes into some social-economical repercussions of automation and the likely more dramatic income inequality. This is mostly why I got the book and I was looking forward to these parts, but unfortunately the book dives in quite quickly and became a bit of a stream-of-consciousness that assumed quite a lot of knowledge of economics, law, etc. I did not have enough background to appreciate entire chapters (e.g. surrounding the proposed job mortgage concept and its merits) and went from being bored in the first half to mostly confused in the second half. I think these chapters should have been expanded, introduced more slowly, put in wider context, and made more concrete with more frequent examples.
September 7, 2015
The implications of synthetic intelligence and machine learning are often left to academics and quasi-philosophical discussions over bar tops leaving the layperson sidelined, wondering what all the fuss is about. Humans Need Not Apply: A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence paints with broad strokes how smart technologies have already integrated themselves into our culture and the work they are doing in the background of our lives. The author, Jerry Kaplan, writes with an expertise and amusement; a definite brain-candy read.
This nonfiction work is well structured, face-paced, and incredibly concise. Each chapter takes on a different scene and innovation; be prepared to want to know more! Between economics and the environment, algorithms are making decisions on our behalf, the consequences disastrous and humerous. Do not be surprised if you find yourself reading long sections out loud to your friends, family, and significant other.
Humans Need Not Apply is a map of what the landscape is today, planting seeds for the reader to envision what the terrain will look like tomorrow.
Published by Yale University Press, August 4, 2015. Review copy received.
This nonfiction work is well structured, face-paced, and incredibly concise. Each chapter takes on a different scene and innovation; be prepared to want to know more! Between economics and the environment, algorithms are making decisions on our behalf, the consequences disastrous and humerous. Do not be surprised if you find yourself reading long sections out loud to your friends, family, and significant other.
Humans Need Not Apply is a map of what the landscape is today, planting seeds for the reader to envision what the terrain will look like tomorrow.
Published by Yale University Press, August 4, 2015. Review copy received.
August 22, 2015
Scary. Maybe this is what an intelligent lobster feels like as it is being boiled.
I always thought I would be smart enough to stay ahead of these trends. But I was brought up in an age that frowned upon unstoppable greed. Greed coupled with AI is terrifying.
I always thought I would be smart enough to stay ahead of these trends. But I was brought up in an age that frowned upon unstoppable greed. Greed coupled with AI is terrifying.
March 24, 2017
This quick read entertainingly and accurately presents the real present situation of AI automation, as "forged laborers" and "synthetic intelligences" take over most current employment, very quickly. Kaplan is right that they will own property and get legal personhood, because their (elite, politically connected) owners will prefer this. He is realistic and correct on many trends, for example how self driving cars and robots will massively change land use policy, so the books is still valuable, though needs to be read critically to catch biases and errors.
Kaplan tragically understates the effect on jobs, since he explicitly aims to be optimistic. He does admit driving jobs will rapidly disappear, and notes that 57% of current jobs are forecast to be automated, but also believes retail employment will only cease to grow, and that just the rich 5% could employ 2/3rds of America, just drawing on the proceeds of their investment income.
Of course 6-12% returns (in various examples) are neither guaranteed nor necessarily realistic. Also, he frustratingly uses average instead of median incomes in analysis, which dramatically understates inequality.
He ignores non-linear transition points and margin economic reality. For example, not all retail sales need to move online before brick and mortar shops close. They only need to become non-profitable at the margin, and with 2-3x the retail space per capita of any other nation, retail space reduction is nearly inevitable. Similarly, he (really does) claim that climate change isn’t so bad, producing winners and losers, but doesn’t account for runaway forward feedback loops in carbon release, or for non-linear weather events like the collapse of the South Asian monsoon.
He enthusiastically presents two solution ideas:
(1) a Job mortgage, which is regressive, just a tweak on painful student loans.
(2) corporate taxation dependent on a "public benefit index", representing breadth and degree of common public ownership, pushes redistribution only the cover future growth. It's a fresh, capitalist idea but underwhelming in speed to address inequality.
These are not sufficient to even make a measurable impact on the huge joblessness from automation problem, and pale in contrast to something like higher progressive taxation, nationalization and redistribution of industry assets, or basic income. He is right that "AI will make our future bright - if only we can figure out how to equitably distribute the benefits”. Unfortunately, his proposals for this fall far short.
His measured view of the future power of “artificial persons” and their “heirs” is both unnerving and scarily realistic. It is accurate then we (most humans) will certainly prefer the service of robots, employing them in preference to humans.
Kaplan tragically understates the effect on jobs, since he explicitly aims to be optimistic. He does admit driving jobs will rapidly disappear, and notes that 57% of current jobs are forecast to be automated, but also believes retail employment will only cease to grow, and that just the rich 5% could employ 2/3rds of America, just drawing on the proceeds of their investment income.
Of course 6-12% returns (in various examples) are neither guaranteed nor necessarily realistic. Also, he frustratingly uses average instead of median incomes in analysis, which dramatically understates inequality.
He ignores non-linear transition points and margin economic reality. For example, not all retail sales need to move online before brick and mortar shops close. They only need to become non-profitable at the margin, and with 2-3x the retail space per capita of any other nation, retail space reduction is nearly inevitable. Similarly, he (really does) claim that climate change isn’t so bad, producing winners and losers, but doesn’t account for runaway forward feedback loops in carbon release, or for non-linear weather events like the collapse of the South Asian monsoon.
He enthusiastically presents two solution ideas:
(1) a Job mortgage, which is regressive, just a tweak on painful student loans.
(2) corporate taxation dependent on a "public benefit index", representing breadth and degree of common public ownership, pushes redistribution only the cover future growth. It's a fresh, capitalist idea but underwhelming in speed to address inequality.
These are not sufficient to even make a measurable impact on the huge joblessness from automation problem, and pale in contrast to something like higher progressive taxation, nationalization and redistribution of industry assets, or basic income. He is right that "AI will make our future bright - if only we can figure out how to equitably distribute the benefits”. Unfortunately, his proposals for this fall far short.
His measured view of the future power of “artificial persons” and their “heirs” is both unnerving and scarily realistic. It is accurate then we (most humans) will certainly prefer the service of robots, employing them in preference to humans.
September 27, 2015
Readable, intelligent and eye-popping
Jerry Kaplan, a self-styled “serial entrepreneur” and currently a fellow at Stanford University, is also an expert on the economic and social consequences of artificial intelligence. In this beautifully designed book from Yale University Press he gives us his view on how AI is going to drastically change our lives in the near future. He believes, for example, that according to “expert consensus…75 percent of the vehicles on the road will be self-driving in twenty to twenty-five years.” He points to how just this innovation alone will hugely benefit society: “Garages will go the way of outhouses…parking lots will be repurposed, essentially manufacturing vast amounts of real estate.” This is in addition to huge savings on energy and a projected fall in traffic accidents by 90 percent. (p. 195)
The central message of this book is spelled out on page 3: “In a nutshell, after fifty years of effort and billions spent on research, we’re cracking the code on artificial intelligence.” How that is being done is not clear, but instead of trying to emulate the human brain, most researchers are working on knowledge-based systems and systems that learn from their mistakes.
Kaplan divides the machines into two classes, “synthetic intellects” and “forged laborers.” The former will be machines of vast knowledge and intelligence that will manipulate data in every area of our economic, political, social and military lives—and at breakneck speed with pinpoint accuracy. Human intellects will not be able to compete. Think high speed stock trading (already happening of course) in every aspect of the human enterprise. These intellectual “robots” will not be walking around anywhere. They will be housed in buildings, towers, underground, flying through the air, etc., some components of their systems in one place and other components thousands of miles away.
Forged laborers will be more restricted in time and space. They will be the “muscles” with ”brains” that will do the actual physical labor from farms to factories to households. Kaplan sees AI machines building automobiles “on demand” in room-sized factories. He avers that people will chose an expert and relatively cheap robotic doctor over an all too human one. (P. 151) (What he doesn’t say is that many people will opt for an attractive and expert robot for sex and companionship rather than a human. Think about how THAT will change society.)
With the realization of synthetic intelligence and forged labor, the CEO’s dream of a “dark factory” so well automated that there is no need to spend money on lighting, will become a reality.
What, you ask, could go wrong here? Try the enslavement of humankind. Would we love our chains? Would we be happy with our every need taken care of with little effort on our part? That’s the distant and deeply unsettling future--perhaps. Kaplan is more interested in how AI will affect us in the more immediate future. What will people do who have lost their jobs to synthetic intelligence? Can we all just hang out?
What Kaplan sees as one of the greatest dangers is in the continuing inequality between the one percent and the rest that will only increase because of the power of AI. He calls for some interesting methods that redistribute the wealth. Whether the one percent will see the wisdom and necessity for redistribution is unclear, perhaps doubtful. My position is that the one percent should not be the ones making the decisions. Kaplan points to a troubling possibility, that of the engines of synthetic intelligence themselves owning all the capital. But how dangerous is this? Human CEOs make too many mistakes. Heads of state ditto. I suspect we will per force have synthetic intelligence at the top, guided by the human society itself. At least that is the hope. It appears that in the Age of Artificial Intelligence we will need democratic governments with constitutions.
As for the notion that the robots will take over and massacre us poor humans, as in some action adventure flick, think again. Machines have no desire to do anything. Kaplan does not go into depth on this question, although he seems to think there is a possibility that machines will either inadvertently or on purpose do us grievous harm. The question here is can the synthetic intelligences reprogram themselves to desire something? And could that desire be to run the world without human beings?
Personally I am not worried about the robots themselves. Instead I am worried that those people in high places in the corporations and in government may decide to use synthetic intellects to their advantage and the disadvantage of everyone else.
Kaplan is guardedly optimistic. He writes that he’s “supremely confident that our future is very bright--if only we can figure out how to equitably distribute the benefits.” (p. 197)
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
June 6, 2016
An entertaining and thought provoking look into the logical and inevitable future when artificial intelligence is part of our every day lives, making decisions for us. If you are a non-technical reader like me, you probably wonder - What will it be like?
If you have a car, you already know.
Your ABS breaks are a form of artificial intelligence algorithm that take your decision making power away from you. You slam on the brake, but the computer only takes that as a suggestion to stop. The computer prioritizes a controlled over stopping time/distance to stop.
The book starts with an eye opening summary of the existing technologies and algorithms that already are a part of our lives.
"Synthetic Intellects" already run the financial system, HFT (high frequency trading) programs already have taken over the stock markets of the world, making hundreds of trades in the time it takes you to click the "confirm trade" button on your online stock trading account. These AI programs make "suggestive" decisions for us like what to watch or listen to, posts to read online, what route to take driving home, and even what price to pay for products.
We then teleport into the future and learn about the moral and logistical challenges of owning AI autonomous helpers that will be able to act as our agents.
TIP: incorporate your AI servant as it's own entity to be indemnified in case it gets into an accident or commits a crime, the same way taxi companies do today.
How will the legal system in the future cope with AI servants and autonomous driving cars? For that we get a history lesson in slavery, the "corporations are people" lobbyist movement, and some musings on how the legal system might shift to adapt to autonomous AI corporate agents.
There's a very informative and educational history of Amazon and Jeff Bezos, explaining how they are already using artificial intelligence to optimize every aspect of shopping - from robots replacing people, to deep learning algorithms determining how much you will pay for a TV at 5 am vs 10 pm, based on your recent shopping history, your demographics and your search history.
There's a whole section on the economics of how we will be affected by AI depreciating the majority of simple jobs like driving, serving, construction, etc.
The author proposes and interesting shift in the value of jobs vs being productive in society, and explores how our lives might change dramatically if the government takes a proactive approach to compensating for the coming exodus of human jobs with creative financial stimulus programs.
That's just a sample of the artificial intelligence juiciness in this book. A must read for futurists & early technology adopters.
If you have a car, you already know.
Your ABS breaks are a form of artificial intelligence algorithm that take your decision making power away from you. You slam on the brake, but the computer only takes that as a suggestion to stop. The computer prioritizes a controlled over stopping time/distance to stop.
The book starts with an eye opening summary of the existing technologies and algorithms that already are a part of our lives.
"Synthetic Intellects" already run the financial system, HFT (high frequency trading) programs already have taken over the stock markets of the world, making hundreds of trades in the time it takes you to click the "confirm trade" button on your online stock trading account. These AI programs make "suggestive" decisions for us like what to watch or listen to, posts to read online, what route to take driving home, and even what price to pay for products.
We then teleport into the future and learn about the moral and logistical challenges of owning AI autonomous helpers that will be able to act as our agents.
TIP: incorporate your AI servant as it's own entity to be indemnified in case it gets into an accident or commits a crime, the same way taxi companies do today.
How will the legal system in the future cope with AI servants and autonomous driving cars? For that we get a history lesson in slavery, the "corporations are people" lobbyist movement, and some musings on how the legal system might shift to adapt to autonomous AI corporate agents.
There's a very informative and educational history of Amazon and Jeff Bezos, explaining how they are already using artificial intelligence to optimize every aspect of shopping - from robots replacing people, to deep learning algorithms determining how much you will pay for a TV at 5 am vs 10 pm, based on your recent shopping history, your demographics and your search history.
There's a whole section on the economics of how we will be affected by AI depreciating the majority of simple jobs like driving, serving, construction, etc.
The author proposes and interesting shift in the value of jobs vs being productive in society, and explores how our lives might change dramatically if the government takes a proactive approach to compensating for the coming exodus of human jobs with creative financial stimulus programs.
That's just a sample of the artificial intelligence juiciness in this book. A must read for futurists & early technology adopters.
November 23, 2015
If you have any interest in computers or automation or the future of technology, grab this book and get comfortable. Once you begin reading, you're going to say, just one more chapter, repeatedly.
This is not the sort of book you expect to get so caught up in, but the conversational style in which it is written and the clarity with which the author explains the concepts, you don't want to put it down.
I wish I had teachers with these qualities.
I was particularly interested in the information on cyber and online shopping; how customers are not treated equally.
Kaplan gives us a history of artificial intelligence and shows the progression of types or levels of A.I.
From simple forms that simply do as "told" or programmed, to those that discern patterns and adjust their functions accordingly to those that interact with and influence their surroundings.
Do you remember when IBM assured us that computers could only do what a human programmed one to do?
Those days are long gone.
Filled with observations, historical fact, behind the scenes anecdotes and fictionalized examples designed to appeal and explain concepts to readers of various understand levels.
I appreciated the analogy that if other technologies advanced as quickly as A.I., computer technology and information software, a gallon of gas would now take us thousands of miles.
If you think you have no interest in computer technology, or couldn't understand a book like this, pick up this book. You will be glad you did.
I did receive this book from the author through a Goodreads giveaway.
I will buy additional copies for family members.
This is not the sort of book you expect to get so caught up in, but the conversational style in which it is written and the clarity with which the author explains the concepts, you don't want to put it down.
I wish I had teachers with these qualities.
I was particularly interested in the information on cyber and online shopping; how customers are not treated equally.
Kaplan gives us a history of artificial intelligence and shows the progression of types or levels of A.I.
From simple forms that simply do as "told" or programmed, to those that discern patterns and adjust their functions accordingly to those that interact with and influence their surroundings.
Do you remember when IBM assured us that computers could only do what a human programmed one to do?
Those days are long gone.
Filled with observations, historical fact, behind the scenes anecdotes and fictionalized examples designed to appeal and explain concepts to readers of various understand levels.
I appreciated the analogy that if other technologies advanced as quickly as A.I., computer technology and information software, a gallon of gas would now take us thousands of miles.
If you think you have no interest in computer technology, or couldn't understand a book like this, pick up this book. You will be glad you did.
I did receive this book from the author through a Goodreads giveaway.
I will buy additional copies for family members.
July 11, 2016
The most striking idea in this book to me was what Kaplan calls the Public Benefit Index or PBI. It's a solution to the growing income inequality caused by AI. His idea is that current wealth is difficult to redistribute, but most wealth has yet to be generated, so simply get more people to invest (e.g. via the stock market) and future wealth will distribute via the market. The mechanism he proposes is to give tax breaks to public companies that increase their number of shareholders, i.e. their PBI. That way, investment income exponentially grows with the economy, doesn't require people to work for pay (although there is still incentive to contribute), and gives a sense of participation in society that 'money for free' does not.
All-in-all, the book was a fun read, with concepts explained through engaging, humorous stories and the concept of PBI being a true gem that I hope is explored much further.
All-in-all, the book was a fun read, with concepts explained through engaging, humorous stories and the concept of PBI being a true gem that I hope is explored much further.
December 19, 2017
From the title, I hoped that this book would provide me future career advice. It did not. But it was an excellent overview of artificial intelligence, from its history to its likely effects on individuals, the economy, the law, and our ideas about autonomy and responsibility. And for a book on such big ideas, it was very easy to read. I also like the author's idea of providing tax breaks to companies with wider public ownership, to spread the ever-increasing wealth of the future.
October 28, 2017
Muddy thinking, internally contradictory, and woefully narrowminded about the possibility of new paradigms for organising society beyond late-20th-century American capitalism. When the Radical New Idea for dealing with automation is “jobs mortgages”, something’s gone wrong.
April 22, 2019
Up to half of all jobs in the US- HALF!- could be eliminated in the next decade or so by artificial intelligence, and this book is an important conversation about the implications of all that. This includes not only truck drivers, machinists, and retail employees but will hit doctors and lawyers as well. Machines in general are faster and more efficient in solving many of the complex problems that come up today- how do we rely on them without them taking over?
And when all those jobs go away, how will we fill the new jobs that open up, most of which haven't been imagined yet? These new jobs will require tons more technological literacy than the old ones they are replacing.
Kaplan looks at things that are going on now, like how computer algorithms are taking over many areas that used to rely on human judgement. He spends a great deal of time on the big issue with income inequality, and how these algorithms will allow a very tiny minority to control most of the information and most of the money.
He finishes with a suggestion of grouping corporations by how much they benefit the public rather than themselves- something that lobbyists would surely oppose.
This is a short book and well written in a conversational and not too technological style. I highly recommend it to folks like myself who could be replaced by a machine in the not too distant future.
And when all those jobs go away, how will we fill the new jobs that open up, most of which haven't been imagined yet? These new jobs will require tons more technological literacy than the old ones they are replacing.
Kaplan looks at things that are going on now, like how computer algorithms are taking over many areas that used to rely on human judgement. He spends a great deal of time on the big issue with income inequality, and how these algorithms will allow a very tiny minority to control most of the information and most of the money.
He finishes with a suggestion of grouping corporations by how much they benefit the public rather than themselves- something that lobbyists would surely oppose.
This is a short book and well written in a conversational and not too technological style. I highly recommend it to folks like myself who could be replaced by a machine in the not too distant future.
September 11, 2018
I read this book whilst also watching the TV Series Humans, and I am not sure that the combination is particularly uplifting :-). Of course, this book addresses the fact that in the future humans need not apply for many of today's jobs. It naturally also recognises that today's workers may have troubles executing tomorrow's jobs and that we need to pro-actively manage this disconnect. Lastly, it does offer some ideas regarding how to manage income in a world where jobs may not be up for grabs.
All in all, I quite enjoyed the book. To be frank, we don't know exactly when this future will present itself, but it is clear that we better plan for it, if we want to have a chance to avoid/mitigate the major problems. This books certainly adds to the thinking around the subject, I would recommend it.
All in all, I quite enjoyed the book. To be frank, we don't know exactly when this future will present itself, but it is clear that we better plan for it, if we want to have a chance to avoid/mitigate the major problems. This books certainly adds to the thinking around the subject, I would recommend it.
February 19, 2021
Excellent "outrospect" of our near future and the very provable ways it may be affected by the current developments on AI. I particularly liked his proposal for a better more model to ensure the more balanced distribution of wealth (this chapter should be mandatory reading for anyone working in public/economic policy making)
October 11, 2017
Ridiculously interesting look at the potential future of technology and how AI can both benefit us and work against us. It'll be an interesting couple of decades coming up, time to really consider my retirement plans and how I'll pay for them :)
June 18, 2018
this is an excellent wide ranging book. Written in 2014 - it predictions are proven in 2018 advanced and real deployment of technology identified here. I especially like the look into jobs, economy and laws.
December 27, 2019
I love reading about AI, and Kaplan is an optimist in the field, so a lot of this book ended up being a "feel good" look into the future. He has plenty of great ideas, although I didn't expect as much focus on economics.
December 1, 2018
I read three books in succession and each did well for what their authors set out as their goals. Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane is the Utopian version of where technology is taking us. Lab Rats: How Silicon Valley Made Work Miserable for the Rest of Us provides the Dystopian view. While Humans Need Not Apply: A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence contains the more nuanced approach. The wonder of technology is that all three versions are probably correct.
March 8, 2025
I read this book in preparation for a debate on whether or not AI is good for society. While the book provides useful materials and arguments, it largely reinforces what many already know—AI will displace workers and worsen inequality. Below is a summary of my arguments for the debate (not all information was taken from this text).
The nature of work is changing—and not for the better.
This book lays out arguments and details why Artificial Intelligence will not be the silver bullet that will save our society.
First, AI will displace and automate workers.
The ‘robots will take our jobs!’ narrative may seem alarmist, but the risks cannot be ignored. This isn’t just a prediction—it’s happening now. Whether it’s a taxi driver in the future replaced by self-driving cars or an engineer automated by AI algorithms, jobs across all levels are at risk.
Is society prepared for a surge in unemployment? A study from the Netherlands shows that after losing their jobs to AI, workers struggled to recover their income and found it hard to reskill. Now imagine this on a global scale—millions affected.
Second, while AI may boost productivity, it worsens inequality.
Studies from the IMF show that in every scenario, AI adoption increases wealth inequality. For example, let’s look at a multi-decade study on warehousing. Warehouse workers experienced a massive boost in productivity through technological improvements. However, their wages didn’t increase to match these productivity gains.
Where did the extra profits go? The gains didn’t trickle down to workers. Instead, they flowed upward—to shareholders. AI disproportionately benefits the people at the top while workers produce more with little or no reward. How is this fair? How is AI good for society when it only widens the gap between rich and poor?
Thirdly, AI is eroding worker privacy through constant surveillance.
Leaked Amazon documents reveal that AI-driven systems are heavily involved in tracking workers down to the minute, flagging “inactivity” and recording moments where workers even temporarily stop moving. These AI-driven systems have been responsible for terminating employees based on a “lack of productivity.”
This invasive monitoring—which will only intensify across multiple industries with increased AI adoption—will push workers to and beyond their physical and mental limits, leading to health and well-being crises.
Can we call this kind of workplace good for society? Imagine yourself working under this kind of constant surveillance. Any sense of worker trust and privacy will erode.
If you want an accessible and informative book on AI’s growing impact on work—especially its risks—this is worth reading. But don’t expect groundbreaking insights.
August 10, 2015
I "won" this book in a GoodReads giveaway and am really glad I did. The main problem that I can see is that this book, due to its subject matter, will likely not get the wide reading it deserves. You do not have to be a geek, a mathematician, an AI guru to read, understand, and appreciate this book. The author is obviously a very smart guy, yet has the common touch in writing and explaining what could be an obtuse subject. This book is not only about artificial intelligence, but also includes economics and sociology for spice. My main complaint is the author's optimism. It is great that he has so many creative solutions for income inequality, computers running amok, and many of the problems plaguing our country. But as in global warming, possible solutions take will on the part of people in general and policy makers in particular, which I simply don't see happening any time soon. Perhaps Prof. Kaplan can sway some of the sociopaths currently running things, but since he has had some of them in the classroom, it is doubtful. Still, the more people who read this book, the more people will understand at least some of what is going on. And as a nice side effect for me, I was inspired to re-read Asimov's Robot series, as well as his Empire and Foundation books. This is a very good book, and as another reviewer mentioned, un-put-down-able once you have begun to read it. I started at noon over the weekend, and closed it at 2 AM, having spent several hours enthralled with a fascinating topic.
October 11, 2015
This is a book on automation. Technological progresses and their societal implications of artificial intelligence and robots (which the author named as synthetic intellects and forged laborers) are discussed. What make this differ from other books on the subject are examples and action plans. Fewer examples are introduced in the book, both in number and area, but they are discussed in much more detail (many of them based on his personal experience). Regarding the action plans, the author gives more progressive approach. It is often suggested that education and training, and more importantly, distribution of wealth should be re-designed to solve the problems caused by automation. The author gives a few suggestions on the issues which are more of a fix, rather than complete change of the system.
October 12, 2015
Interesting exploration of the possible legal, economic and political ramifications of increasing automation in the next couple of decades. Much more grounded and less sensationalist than what has been written by futurists on topics such as 'the singularity'.
The last chapter was particularly intriguing, in which he proposes corporate taxes be inversely linked to a measure of a company's holding by the general public as a means to counteract likely increasing capital in the hands of the increasingly few.
It's a short read, recommended to all and not just tech-enthusiasts.
The last chapter was particularly intriguing, in which he proposes corporate taxes be inversely linked to a measure of a company's holding by the general public as a means to counteract likely increasing capital in the hands of the increasingly few.
It's a short read, recommended to all and not just tech-enthusiasts.
August 5, 2015
Great read!
It is commonplace, yet wrong, to claim that climate change is the most serious problem facing humanity. The more immediate threat is inequality of wealth and income. The author has some really fresh insights as a member of the 1% on how the tsunami of inequality can be reversed.
It is commonplace, yet wrong, to claim that climate change is the most serious problem facing humanity. The more immediate threat is inequality of wealth and income. The author has some really fresh insights as a member of the 1% on how the tsunami of inequality can be reversed.
July 22, 2015
A nice short insightful read on how robots will soon be a dominant force in human life and how we have no reason to be afraid. I never really bought the robot apocalypse in the first place so good to have my belief validated.
July 28, 2019
The pro-capitalist stance of this book irks me because it doesn't address any of what I consider to be fatal flaws and actual crimes systemic to the religion of capitalism (provocative descriptor deliberately chosen) -- but the basic science-ish speculation is just amusing as an exercise.
September 7, 2015
Quite a sobering look into what is in store for us. However, all is not pessimistic. Among many of his short term solutions, I like best his idea of "job mortgages".
May 24, 2018
Surprisingly thoughtful and, for lack of a better word, human. Nothing new here if you follow AI, but an accessible, entertaining read.
August 29, 2015
See my Amazon review: https://www.amazon.com/review/R2R2644...
April 3, 2018
It was a very quick audiobook - easily upped to 1.5x speed. Worth listening to for the overview of areas where AI may displace current employment opportunities, overview of the nature of AI and the understanding of the technical trajectory of machine intelligence. The author has good intentions, for example addressing wealth inequality in terms of widening distribution of newly generated wealth, but seems wedded to current systems in some ways. Overall, a good overview of Artificial Intelligence and some current economic trends, however it's weaker in the diagnosis of politics and proposed solutions.
Kaplan sees the exponential growth in technology, he sees the changing circumstances, but he still looks at wealth as if living in a suburb with 2.5 kids, working 40 hours a week for a 401k is the target. He sees the productivity, wealth generated per employee, quicker start of companies, etc, changes, but still primarily endorses policies that are more suited for large corporate entities with enduring lifespans. I greatly disagree with some of his solutions as being top-down and investment-heavy - great to implement if you're trying to address Amazon & Google & GE, but not addressing the role of newcomers, long tail and small companies. If the trend is moving to fewer and fewer employees for the same return, doesn't the likelihood of small partnerships and smaller companies with less regulatory capability or stock market openness increase? He sees the risks of High Frequency Trading and the increasing disparity between market forces and the state of the business itself, yet also seems to endorse increasing investments in the stock market through more 401k type devices. These areas are definitely the weakest in the book, as he moves away from his technical wheelhouse to attempting to design fixes to societal issues that are relatively unrelated to AI. He refers to people being less likely to riot and destroy a store on main street if they have stock in it... this is not really relevant to the main theme of the book and a naive approach to the problems of inequality and rioting. Also, he quotes some stats on average household wealth which I find suspicious - possibly counting gross income but discounting the rising costs of childcare & housing as people moved from single earner households to dual? These sorts of inquiries/number-checking are also harder in audiobook form.
I'm not against the intersection of different areas of thought, but these types of asides definitely detracted from the book. I do think it's important to realize these are solvable problems, but the solutions should take advantage of the technical trends and be bottom-up or flat. Also, personally I'd push against financial instruments and complicated regulatory structures in complicated new markets and with technologies which will be quick-changing.
Suggestion: Read for the overview of AI, skip his proposed solutions and think of your own :)
'Read' through Libby app and San Francisco Public Library
Kaplan sees the exponential growth in technology, he sees the changing circumstances, but he still looks at wealth as if living in a suburb with 2.5 kids, working 40 hours a week for a 401k is the target. He sees the productivity, wealth generated per employee, quicker start of companies, etc, changes, but still primarily endorses policies that are more suited for large corporate entities with enduring lifespans. I greatly disagree with some of his solutions as being top-down and investment-heavy - great to implement if you're trying to address Amazon & Google & GE, but not addressing the role of newcomers, long tail and small companies. If the trend is moving to fewer and fewer employees for the same return, doesn't the likelihood of small partnerships and smaller companies with less regulatory capability or stock market openness increase? He sees the risks of High Frequency Trading and the increasing disparity between market forces and the state of the business itself, yet also seems to endorse increasing investments in the stock market through more 401k type devices. These areas are definitely the weakest in the book, as he moves away from his technical wheelhouse to attempting to design fixes to societal issues that are relatively unrelated to AI. He refers to people being less likely to riot and destroy a store on main street if they have stock in it... this is not really relevant to the main theme of the book and a naive approach to the problems of inequality and rioting. Also, he quotes some stats on average household wealth which I find suspicious - possibly counting gross income but discounting the rising costs of childcare & housing as people moved from single earner households to dual? These sorts of inquiries/number-checking are also harder in audiobook form.
I'm not against the intersection of different areas of thought, but these types of asides definitely detracted from the book. I do think it's important to realize these are solvable problems, but the solutions should take advantage of the technical trends and be bottom-up or flat. Also, personally I'd push against financial instruments and complicated regulatory structures in complicated new markets and with technologies which will be quick-changing.
Suggestion: Read for the overview of AI, skip his proposed solutions and think of your own :)
'Read' through Libby app and San Francisco Public Library
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