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The Big Idea
Will AI Replace Us? (The Big Idea Series) (The Big Idea Series): A Primer for the 21st Century
Artificial Intelligence, which once felt like a far-off futuristic fantasy, is now changing everyday life. The past sixty years have witnessed astonishing bursts of growth in the field of AI—the science and computational technologies that teach machines to sense, learn, reason, and act. AI is already altering our lives in ways that benefit health, productivity, and entertainment. Are we on the threshold of an AI-dominated world in which humans will no longer be necessary?
Broken down into the past, present, and future of AI, Will AI Replace Us? gives the reader what they need to know in order to form an opinion about the revolutionary advances in technology. University of California, San Francisco, neuroscientist Dr. Shelly Fan expertly explains all sides of the debate, making the relevant science approachable for readers. Accompanying her intelligent text are numerous illustrations that add a compelling and informative visual element. Timely and relevant, Will AI Replace Us? is an important read in the Digital Age.
Broken down into the past, present, and future of AI, Will AI Replace Us? gives the reader what they need to know in order to form an opinion about the revolutionary advances in technology. University of California, San Francisco, neuroscientist Dr. Shelly Fan expertly explains all sides of the debate, making the relevant science approachable for readers. Accompanying her intelligent text are numerous illustrations that add a compelling and informative visual element. Timely and relevant, Will AI Replace Us? is an important read in the Digital Age.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
15 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 13, 2021
Īsā atbilde - nē. Mēs esam pārāk unikālas sniegpārsliņas, lai mūs aizvietotu un atdarinātu.
Šo grāmatu ieteicams lasīt ar "svaigām" smadzenēm, tad informācija raitāk plūdīs cauri smadzenēm. Taču, ja nomoka bezmiegs vai ir grūtības iemigt, dažas lapas šīs populārzinātniskās grāmatas un būsiet čučumuižā. Ne tāpēc, ka garlaicīga, bet tāpēc, ka, manuprāt, populārzinātniska literatūra vispār pēc savas būtības nav paredzēta uztveršanai pirms miega, bet gan ar atpūtinātu prātu.
Plašāk blogā: https://lalksne.blogspot.com/2021/02/...
Šo grāmatu ieteicams lasīt ar "svaigām" smadzenēm, tad informācija raitāk plūdīs cauri smadzenēm. Taču, ja nomoka bezmiegs vai ir grūtības iemigt, dažas lapas šīs populārzinātniskās grāmatas un būsiet čučumuižā. Ne tāpēc, ka garlaicīga, bet tāpēc, ka, manuprāt, populārzinātniska literatūra vispār pēc savas būtības nav paredzēta uztveršanai pirms miega, bet gan ar atpūtinātu prātu.
Plašāk blogā: https://lalksne.blogspot.com/2021/02/...
April 18, 2019
Although a review should largely be about the content of a book - and we'll get onto that - sometimes, the format it is presented in can have such an impact that this comes to the fore. Will AI Replace Us? falls into this category as part of Thames & Hudson's The Big Idea series which makes use of 'Quick recognition text hierarchy'. Throughout the book there are four different font sizes used. The idea is that you can read the biggest two sizes to get an overview in about half an hour, add in the next size down for an hour's quick read, or go the whole hog for a two-hour in-depth read.
It's an interesting concept, but the execution is horrible. The designer seems to have no idea how book pages should be laid out. The text is chunky sans serif - hard on the eyes on paper - and has far too little white space, getting uncomfortably close to the edge of the page and looking like it has been thrown in, rather than carefully set. To make matters worse, there are two other text styles - a tiny one for image captions and another for hypertext-like definitions of phrases (which are heavily highlighted in the text), causing more visual confusion. That attempt at imitating hypertext reflects the reality that this approach would work far better on a web page, where you can have proper hypertext and collapse lower level sections without resorting to eye-crunching text size differences. It just doesn't work well as a book format. It's novel and creative, which is excellent - but a key lesson of creativity is that you will sometimes fail. And this is one of those times.
As for the content on artificial intelligence, it's a mix of so-so history, good on the science, over-enthusiasm about achievements and interesting lengthy consideration of ethics and impacts - the last of which is probably the best.
A couple of examples of iffy history: in the caption for the Science Museum's Difference Engine (rather disappointing it isn't mentioned where it is) we are told it was 'based on Babbage's original drawings of the Analytical Engine' - but, of course the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine were totally different things. The text is also fast and loose with Ada Lovelace's role. We're told 'Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace originated the concept of... the Analytical Engine' - where Lovelace's first involvement was a commentary on someone else's paper on Babbage's idea - there is no basis for the suggestion she was involved in the origination of the design.
Similarly, the early work on expert systems is made to sound like a commercial triumph, talking of the 'dominant success of the first AI boom' and 'AI seemed unstoppable.' It really didn't - it seemed niche and rapidly collapsed. Later we get a lot of material on self-driving cars, which spends some time addressing the societal issues of killing people, but doesn't take on the essential point that the statistical argument of hypothetical lives saved is of little value to the families of those killed. We're told that people's concerns are about a lack of understanding of AI mechanisms, but that's really not what this is about. Nevertheless, along with the descriptions of the technology, the parts of the book focusing on the ethics of AI are the best, engaging the reader in thought about the implications of the technology.
Oddly, the 'future' section seemed one of the most dull, in part because it focussed on medical applications - which tend to be worthy but not something we think of in everyday life terms. Even so, it covered the issues well.
A distinct curate's egg, then. The format is wonderfully creative but really gets in the way of the message. And there are some useful spoonfuls of information in that egg, if you can get past the problems.
(Incidentally, not a Kindle book - it's not even available on Kindle.)
It's an interesting concept, but the execution is horrible. The designer seems to have no idea how book pages should be laid out. The text is chunky sans serif - hard on the eyes on paper - and has far too little white space, getting uncomfortably close to the edge of the page and looking like it has been thrown in, rather than carefully set. To make matters worse, there are two other text styles - a tiny one for image captions and another for hypertext-like definitions of phrases (which are heavily highlighted in the text), causing more visual confusion. That attempt at imitating hypertext reflects the reality that this approach would work far better on a web page, where you can have proper hypertext and collapse lower level sections without resorting to eye-crunching text size differences. It just doesn't work well as a book format. It's novel and creative, which is excellent - but a key lesson of creativity is that you will sometimes fail. And this is one of those times.
As for the content on artificial intelligence, it's a mix of so-so history, good on the science, over-enthusiasm about achievements and interesting lengthy consideration of ethics and impacts - the last of which is probably the best.
A couple of examples of iffy history: in the caption for the Science Museum's Difference Engine (rather disappointing it isn't mentioned where it is) we are told it was 'based on Babbage's original drawings of the Analytical Engine' - but, of course the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine were totally different things. The text is also fast and loose with Ada Lovelace's role. We're told 'Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace originated the concept of... the Analytical Engine' - where Lovelace's first involvement was a commentary on someone else's paper on Babbage's idea - there is no basis for the suggestion she was involved in the origination of the design.
Similarly, the early work on expert systems is made to sound like a commercial triumph, talking of the 'dominant success of the first AI boom' and 'AI seemed unstoppable.' It really didn't - it seemed niche and rapidly collapsed. Later we get a lot of material on self-driving cars, which spends some time addressing the societal issues of killing people, but doesn't take on the essential point that the statistical argument of hypothetical lives saved is of little value to the families of those killed. We're told that people's concerns are about a lack of understanding of AI mechanisms, but that's really not what this is about. Nevertheless, along with the descriptions of the technology, the parts of the book focusing on the ethics of AI are the best, engaging the reader in thought about the implications of the technology.
Oddly, the 'future' section seemed one of the most dull, in part because it focussed on medical applications - which tend to be worthy but not something we think of in everyday life terms. Even so, it covered the issues well.
A distinct curate's egg, then. The format is wonderfully creative but really gets in the way of the message. And there are some useful spoonfuls of information in that egg, if you can get past the problems.
(Incidentally, not a Kindle book - it's not even available on Kindle.)
October 6, 2024
Protams ka MI mūs neaizvietos. Katrā ziņā ja tas pat notiktu, liela daļa no mums to nepaspētu piedzīvot.Stāsts protams vairāk ir par to, cik ļoti mēs spēsim izmantot savā labā to, ko var paveikt MI mūsu vietā? Cik labi spēsim attīstīties un sadarboties roku rokā ar mākslīgo intelektu? Būs jaunas profesijas, vajadzības un apstākļi kuros risināt vecas un arī pavisam jaunas un modernas problēmas. Būs interesanti.
August 24, 2022
Saņēmu šo grāmatu pirms gada kā dāvanu izlaidumā, pabeidzot studijas, kurās aizstāvēju savu maģistra darbu "Cilvēka un mākslīgā intelekta radītā humora salīdzinošā analīze". Gadu iepriekš, kad grāmatu iesāku lasīt dusmojos uz visai triviālo daidžesta formu, nu gluži kā paplašināts žurnāla "Wired" raksts par mākslīgo intelektu. Biju lasījis daļu oriģinālo un/vai zinātnisko avotu.
Atgriezos tagad pēc gada, pāršķirstīju jau lasīto un savas piezīmes, un lasīšanu pabeidzu. Jāatzīst, ka tagad raugos uz grāmatu savādāk. Tā 2021. gada sākumā man būtu ietaupījusi daudz laika, gan pamatlietu izpratnē, gan avotu ieguvē. Tā lieliski demistificē mākslīgo intelektu un parāda MI situāciju šobrīd (2019. gadā). Šī grāmata noteikti nav domāta cilvēkam ar priekšzināšanām par jomu, taču iesācējam sniegs universālu ieskatu.
Atgriezos tagad pēc gada, pāršķirstīju jau lasīto un savas piezīmes, un lasīšanu pabeidzu. Jāatzīst, ka tagad raugos uz grāmatu savādāk. Tā 2021. gada sākumā man būtu ietaupījusi daudz laika, gan pamatlietu izpratnē, gan avotu ieguvē. Tā lieliski demistificē mākslīgo intelektu un parāda MI situāciju šobrīd (2019. gadā). Šī grāmata noteikti nav domāta cilvēkam ar priekšzināšanām par jomu, taču iesācējam sniegs universālu ieskatu.
September 8, 2019
No mention of Dr. Fei-Fei Li (b. 1976) -- her contribution, opinion, and AI4ALL, a nonprofit working to increase diversity and inclusion in artificial intelligence.
January 1, 2021
Teknoloji üzerine okumayı seviyorsanız okuma listenize alabilirsiniz.
December 13, 2022
Terminato questo libro posso dire di essere soddisfatta. In particolare esso fa parte di una collana curata dalla casa editrice Nutrimenti, che si occupa di portare macroargomenti ed interrogativi riguardanti la nostra società tramite opere divulgative. Sono estremamente curiosa di leggere altro di questa collana (The Big Picture) perché sono tutti argomenti che mi attirano molto.
Questo libro in particolare è ottimo se si vuole avere un’idea abbastanza dettagliata sulle principali caratteristiche dell’Intelligenza artificiale e dei suoi sviluppi.
Sicuramente questo è un tema molto discusso e che suscita diversi dibattiti, sopratutto per quanto riguarda i risvolti che l’AI potrebbe avere sulla società.
L’autrice però non da quasi mai una sua opinione al riguardo, il saggio è stato realizzato per lo più per darci un’idea d’insieme, tramite anche un excursus storico interessante riguardo all’argomento. Solamente nella conclusione si comprende meglio cosa ne pensa l’autrice che, da quanto ho colto, sembra avere una visione ottimista. Secondo lei dovremmo sostanzialmente lasciar evolvere l’ambito delle nuove tecnologie senza limitazioni, condividendo i risultati ottenuti pubblicamente, in modo da permettere alla ricerca di fare il suo corso e migliorare le nostre vite.
Io personalmente non sono del tutto d’accordo, poiché vedo questa estremo ottimismo solamente una forma camuffata di noncuranza. Effettivamente ci troviamo in un momento fragile e delicato, ma trovo che l’assoluta libertà di azione non sia la decisione più giusta. La situazione credo ci stia già sfuggendo di mano adesso, nonostante gli sviluppi siano ancora in una fase embrionale, per questo ritengo pericoloso affidare tutto alla ricerca senza un minimo di controllo morale.
Questo libro in particolare è ottimo se si vuole avere un’idea abbastanza dettagliata sulle principali caratteristiche dell’Intelligenza artificiale e dei suoi sviluppi.
Sicuramente questo è un tema molto discusso e che suscita diversi dibattiti, sopratutto per quanto riguarda i risvolti che l’AI potrebbe avere sulla società.
L’autrice però non da quasi mai una sua opinione al riguardo, il saggio è stato realizzato per lo più per darci un’idea d’insieme, tramite anche un excursus storico interessante riguardo all’argomento. Solamente nella conclusione si comprende meglio cosa ne pensa l’autrice che, da quanto ho colto, sembra avere una visione ottimista. Secondo lei dovremmo sostanzialmente lasciar evolvere l’ambito delle nuove tecnologie senza limitazioni, condividendo i risultati ottenuti pubblicamente, in modo da permettere alla ricerca di fare il suo corso e migliorare le nostre vite.
Io personalmente non sono del tutto d’accordo, poiché vedo questa estremo ottimismo solamente una forma camuffata di noncuranza. Effettivamente ci troviamo in un momento fragile e delicato, ma trovo che l’assoluta libertà di azione non sia la decisione più giusta. La situazione credo ci stia già sfuggendo di mano adesso, nonostante gli sviluppi siano ancora in una fase embrionale, per questo ritengo pericoloso affidare tutto alla ricerca senza un minimo di controllo morale.
July 11, 2023
Das Buch ist zweifellos interessant und bietet eine Fülle an Informationen zu diesem faszinierenden Thema. Es liefert einen fundierten Einblick in die Grundlagen und Anwendungen von KI. Allerdings sollte beachtet werden, dass das Buch schon seit einigen Jahren auf dem Markt ist und daher nicht den allerneuesten Stand der Technologie widerspiegelt.
Trotzdem kann ich das Buch weiterhin empfehlen, da es eine solide Einführung in das Thema bietet und viele wichtige Konzepte erklärt. Es ist ideal für Leser, die sich für KI interessieren und einen umfassenden Überblick über das Thema suchen. Für diejenigen, die auf dem aktuellen Stand der KI-Entwicklung bleiben möchten, empfehle ich jedoch zusätzlich aktuelle Fachartikel und Forschungsliteratur zu konsultieren.
Insgesamt ist das Buch eine wertvolle Ressource für alle, die ihr Verständnis von Künstlicher Intelligenz erweitern möchten, auch wenn es nicht den allerletzten Stand der Technologie enthält.
P.S. Dieser Text ist durch KI geschrieben :)
Trotzdem kann ich das Buch weiterhin empfehlen, da es eine solide Einführung in das Thema bietet und viele wichtige Konzepte erklärt. Es ist ideal für Leser, die sich für KI interessieren und einen umfassenden Überblick über das Thema suchen. Für diejenigen, die auf dem aktuellen Stand der KI-Entwicklung bleiben möchten, empfehle ich jedoch zusätzlich aktuelle Fachartikel und Forschungsliteratur zu konsultieren.
Insgesamt ist das Buch eine wertvolle Ressource für alle, die ihr Verständnis von Künstlicher Intelligenz erweitern möchten, auch wenn es nicht den allerletzten Stand der Technologie enthält.
P.S. Dieser Text ist durch KI geschrieben :)
May 14, 2020
I believe this short but informative book is a great introduction to the AI technology as well as to the ethical issues of it's use. I found it both interesting and easy to read. I really liked the conciseness, the book is very straight to the point: it gives a short history review, the current issues of the AI and the possible future.
The design is very unusual thought, different fonts used to highlight the most important information, but to be honest I think it's rather annoying. Although it has a great number of illustrations.
To sum up, I would recommend it it to everyone who is interested in AI or tech in general, but isn't a specialist in the field.
The design is very unusual thought, different fonts used to highlight the most important information, but to be honest I think it's rather annoying. Although it has a great number of illustrations.
To sum up, I would recommend it it to everyone who is interested in AI or tech in general, but isn't a specialist in the field.
March 14, 2021
A simple narrative through the very basics of AI, printed in a very post-modern style that was often very lovely but also at times very loud. The final thesis misses the point of the control or alignment problem and instead focuses on regulations (necessary and difficult), trust and discriminatory outcomes of AI (likely not as big a problem as made out to be), and a more equitable sharing of the benefits of AI throughout all of society (maybe as big a problem as the alignment problem). A good introduction to AI for those that will be approaching the problem for the first time or from a non-technical, non-philosophic bent.
January 16, 2021
Īsi, saprotami un interesanti par mākslīgo intelektu - vēsture, pimsākumi un attīstība, izmantošanas iespējas mūsdienās, ierobežojumi un būtiskākās problēmas, un iespējamā nākotne.
Jā, pirms skaties nākamo ieteikto video, seriālu, filmu vai ziņu virsrakstu, padomā vai tas tiešām ir tas, kam tu vēlies veltīt savu laiku. 🙂
Un es priecājos, ka šāda grāmata ir iztulkota latviešu valodā.
Jā, pirms skaties nākamo ieteikto video, seriālu, filmu vai ziņu virsrakstu, padomā vai tas tiešām ir tas, kam tu vēlies veltīt savu laiku. 🙂
Un es priecājos, ka šāda grāmata ir iztulkota latviešu valodā.
November 5, 2021
The book is a like a magazine speaking about AI and all their concepts. I enjoyed the fact that is easy to understand and some of the concepts come with a dictionary. A lot of pictures like in a magazine and the book has only 130 pages.
If you are truly a fan of AI and you have the basics, I don't think this book will benefit you due to basic theories.
If you are truly a fan of AI and you have the basics, I don't think this book will benefit you due to basic theories.
July 30, 2019
Great book but I would have liked a few more mathematical details and some recognition that AI is developed by commercial organisations who have not shared benefits of other technologies as freely as the book suggests. A little naive I believe!
September 21, 2019
// food resource
September 25, 2019
Great guide for any AI beginner, to get around the history and main concepts. Terrible graphic layout, not so easy to read, but still OK.
February 12, 2023
For someone who is reigniting their love for reading, this book is like a comfort meal. The page design and font are visually pleasing and made the reading experience less intimidating.
June 29, 2023
I like the format. Great information.
March 19, 2025
Left wing humanities student tries to write about AI, and is confused
May 31, 2024
I didn't like it.
the book is messy and do not go into details.
It is just like a series of sentences taken from internet.
Not worth to be read.
the book is messy and do not go into details.
It is just like a series of sentences taken from internet.
Not worth to be read.
January 31, 2025
Interesting, topical and important. Would recommend
April 15, 2020
Das Buch war an sich ganz ok. Es war sehr schön, leicht verständlich und übersichtlich geschrieben. Es ist also keins der komplizierten, langweiligen Bücher, bei dem einem die Konzentration nachlässt. Was mich persönlich gestört hat, war, dass ich eben das meiste davon bereits wusste. Es waren für mich keine neuen Informationen enthalten, obwohl es eben genau das war worauf ich hinaus war. Für jemanden der sich mit KI nie befasst hat ist es ein tolles Einsteigebuch, aber für jemanden der sich mit dem Thema schon mehrfach auseinandergesetzt hat, ist das Buch keine Bereicherung. Obwohl ich dazu sagen muss, dass es einige interessante Fakten und Beispiele gab, von denen auch ich nichts wusste. Das heißt ich habe trotzdem was Neues gelernt. Es war also keine Zeitverschwendung. Aber wenn man ein ganzes Buch liest und dabei zu 90% liest was man bereits weiß, kann das auch nerven.
Alles in allem ein gutes Buch. Aber für jemanden der tief mit dem Thema vertraut ist, ist es halt eher nichts, weil eben nichts Neues mehr drin steht.
Alles in allem ein gutes Buch. Aber für jemanden der tief mit dem Thema vertraut ist, ist es halt eher nichts, weil eben nichts Neues mehr drin steht.
October 6, 2019
An advanced introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) through development of AI, its capabilities, limitations and problems, as well as its future. With a catchy title “Will AI Replace Us?”, the author led you to think more about the issue through understanding the fundamentals of AI. The content was quite advanced, as in requiring basic knowledge in the computer science to thoroughly understand, which defeated the purpose of this book.
January 31, 2020
A good primer and quick overview of AI in general, and Deep Learning in particular. This book provides a more balance perspective on the advent of AI in our daily lives and how it impact humanity, especially on whether our jobs will be replaced or augmented by AI.
December 28, 2021
A good introduction to the state of play at the time of publishing. Spoiler alert: The book does not answer the question it poses. Precious little ethical or philosophical deliberations.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews