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Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How to See Past It
'A much-needed blast of fresh air! Gemma Milne expertly shows us how to separate the truth from the hype surrounding the emerging techs of today, and those of the near-tomorrow.'
Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins: How the Earth Made Us
'Robots will steal your job!'
'AI will revolutionise farming!'
'Genetic editing will cure cancer!'
Bombastic headlines about science and technology are nothing new. To cut through the constant stream of information and misinformation on social media, or grab the attention of investors, or convince governments to take notice, strident headlines or bold claims seem necessary to give complex, nuanced information some wow factor.
But hype has a dark side, too.
It can mislead. It can distract. It can blinker us from seeing what is actually going on.
From AI, quantum computing and brain implants, to cancer drugs, future foods and fusion energy, science and technology journalist Gemma Milne reveals hype to be responsible for fundamentally misdirecting or even derailing crucial progress.
Hype can be combated and discounted, though, if you're able to see exactly where, how and why it is being deployed.
This book is your guide to doing just that.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 23, 2020
22 people are currently reading
400 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 16, 2020
I was allowed to read an early proof of this book—and man, it is the book I've been waiting to read for years.
Though there's a preponderance of books about the current and assumed future tech we're all supposed to be entranced with, so few of them offer any kind of critique as to the ethics of these technological advances or the practices around them—or, indeed, ask questions around how realistic these advances actually are. Gemma tackles the hype on which so much of the tech industry rests, and cuts through to the reality of how science and tech actually works in various fields, where it is really going, and how it might be better steered in future.
Can't wait to read more from this writer.
Though there's a preponderance of books about the current and assumed future tech we're all supposed to be entranced with, so few of them offer any kind of critique as to the ethics of these technological advances or the practices around them—or, indeed, ask questions around how realistic these advances actually are. Gemma tackles the hype on which so much of the tech industry rests, and cuts through to the reality of how science and tech actually works in various fields, where it is really going, and how it might be better steered in future.
Can't wait to read more from this writer.
June 2, 2020
This book sets out to fight the misinformation and hype surrounding science and tech. Milne takes you through the state of technological progress in various areas chapter-by-chapter including on lab grown food, batteries, fusion energy, cancer drugs, AI research and quantum computing. Each of these chapters are very informative and without boring the reader with too much detail. Milne does a very good job at explaining the complexities of each field, demonstrating how any single breakthrough is unlikely to solve all problems at hand.
But I also feel the book wastes a lot of precious energy denouncing dumb headlines in the popular press. I agree, that there are tons of misleading headlines and short news stories and this is - of course - unfortunate. But I remain skeptical of the premise of the book that these are such important factors in shaping science and tech progress. My instinct is that even if such press content was as carefully presented as in Milne's book, fads and hypes both within industry and more broadly would remain.
For me the most compelling part of her argument was where she lays out important trade-offs in the technological choices our society makes. Some agricultural innovations may help the world's poorest farmers, other decrease carbon footprint. AI technology could both lead to more discrimination or better opportunities. Being informed about tech and science means we can have a say in which direction it should go.
But I also feel the book wastes a lot of precious energy denouncing dumb headlines in the popular press. I agree, that there are tons of misleading headlines and short news stories and this is - of course - unfortunate. But I remain skeptical of the premise of the book that these are such important factors in shaping science and tech progress. My instinct is that even if such press content was as carefully presented as in Milne's book, fads and hypes both within industry and more broadly would remain.
For me the most compelling part of her argument was where she lays out important trade-offs in the technological choices our society makes. Some agricultural innovations may help the world's poorest farmers, other decrease carbon footprint. AI technology could both lead to more discrimination or better opportunities. Being informed about tech and science means we can have a say in which direction it should go.
May 24, 2020
Immensely readable, in Smoke and Mirrors Gemma Milne puts a range of contemporary topics - from AI to farming to extraterrestrial life - under the microscope to separate the truth from the hype - and why it's important to not get carried away.
I found the book accessible without skipping over the scientific nuances. I feel like I know a lot more about the world now. Highly recommended!
I found the book accessible without skipping over the scientific nuances. I feel like I know a lot more about the world now. Highly recommended!
May 27, 2020
amazing - best tech book ever read. anyone working in that industry/ecosystem needs to read it!
September 2, 2023
A fascinating read about how to see through the hype of some of the big subjects being talked about in the 21st century, e.g. A.I., Quantum computing etc.
March 18, 2021
The book is not bad but it has the wrong title: I expected a sort of manual to understand hype in tech, how narratives are built and how they spread around, at theoretical and practical level. There is very little of this.
The book takes a number of hyped topics in science and tech, and provides a qualitative and - to a less extent - quantitative explanation of the topic, deconstructing hyped concepts in these topics.
It is interesting but it doesn’t really provide a theory of the hype, as the title suggests.
The book takes a number of hyped topics in science and tech, and provides a qualitative and - to a less extent - quantitative explanation of the topic, deconstructing hyped concepts in these topics.
It is interesting but it doesn’t really provide a theory of the hype, as the title suggests.
June 17, 2020
An interesting and informative read especially apt at the present time. Gemma writes very clearly and well, she writes as she speaks which means with passion and energy. This book is about critical thinking and evaluating information, it is about making us question what we are told and not accept it because it is in print or in the news.
What I particularly enjoyed were the explanations on topics I was less familiar with like fusion and artificial intelligence. I was less taken with the first few chapters on agriculture and cancer. I feel that Gemma's strengths are in the physical sciences and in discussing what she calls 'Next' and 'Nearing' rather than 'Now'. That is just a personal view as they are subjects I know more about so could evaluate her arguments more critically.
I did like her conclusions about critical thinking and about not becoming bystanders in the world. In view of what we are experiencing during the current pandemic this is a very timely read encouraging engagement with science but also questioning and evaluating everything that we hear and read. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the world we live in and who wants to be involved in it rather than letting others make all the decisions.
What I particularly enjoyed were the explanations on topics I was less familiar with like fusion and artificial intelligence. I was less taken with the first few chapters on agriculture and cancer. I feel that Gemma's strengths are in the physical sciences and in discussing what she calls 'Next' and 'Nearing' rather than 'Now'. That is just a personal view as they are subjects I know more about so could evaluate her arguments more critically.
I did like her conclusions about critical thinking and about not becoming bystanders in the world. In view of what we are experiencing during the current pandemic this is a very timely read encouraging engagement with science but also questioning and evaluating everything that we hear and read. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the world we live in and who wants to be involved in it rather than letting others make all the decisions.
May 20, 2020
Smoke & Mirrors is a thought-provoking journey around areas of science and technology that affects everyone, even if we don’t think about it. Diving into topics such as farming, cancer drugs, quantum computing, brain implants, extraterrestrial life and more, Gemma looks critically at these areas and the hype surrounding them.
I really enjoyed this. Full of themes and topics I’d not given much consideration previously, this book sparked not only interest and questioning, but conversation also. I kept having to stop reading to discuss and have debates with my fiancé about what I was reading, and it really got me thinking differently about the world we live in. Absolutely brilliant, well-written and incredibly clever.
I really enjoyed this. Full of themes and topics I’d not given much consideration previously, this book sparked not only interest and questioning, but conversation also. I kept having to stop reading to discuss and have debates with my fiancé about what I was reading, and it really got me thinking differently about the world we live in. Absolutely brilliant, well-written and incredibly clever.
September 17, 2020
I was looking forward to this book, but unfortunately I didn't get out of it what I had expected. Each chapter deals with a different science or technology, for example nuclear fusion or brain/computer interfaces. It gives a brief summary of what the mainstream thoughts on the subject are, why it is hyped, and then delves deep into the science to show why things aren't exactly as they seem.
Unfortunately I found the first two chapters to be so completely dry (feeding the world, curing cancer) that when it came to chapters on subjects that I was interested in my perceptions had been coloured. In retrospect, I would have gotten far more out of the book by using it as a primer to various science or technology subjects.
Unfortunately I found the first two chapters to be so completely dry (feeding the world, curing cancer) that when it came to chapters on subjects that I was interested in my perceptions had been coloured. In retrospect, I would have gotten far more out of the book by using it as a primer to various science or technology subjects.
July 23, 2020
In the process of reading it, multiple things happened. I got a clearer view in understanding the nuances of each science innovation. These innovations range from food production, fusion energy and Ai.
It’s still easy to read even if there isn’t an academic background to begin with. It’s explained thoroughly. With the way it’s written, it’s like the author is having a chill conversation with you. It’s nice.
It’s still easy to read even if there isn’t an academic background to begin with. It’s explained thoroughly. With the way it’s written, it’s like the author is having a chill conversation with you. It’s nice.
February 4, 2022
Great deconstruction of hype and a lot to learn from each chapter / case study. Can lose the thread at some points and be a little self-indulgent, but great writing and information packed throughout.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews