Hello World Being Human in the Age of Algorithms
Reviews
Hannah Fry is an amazing writer. She explores how algorithms can be beneficial as well as harmful to Humans. It's a very read and I came out of it with the thought that: Algorithms can't be out forth as an objective solution to our problems. We need to work hand in hand with algorithms to create a better world.
I would never have thought I’d find a book about algorithms fascinating but this truly was! Fry takes the reader through an investigation of how algorithms are used in various institutions, while presenting their virtues and shortcomings. She questions our relationship them and posits premises we can use to create algorithms that counteract our natural biases. Packed with stories, wonderfully insightful, and an engaging read, I highly recommend it!
The book was an entertaining introduction to how our world is influenced by algorithms. A lot of the stories were interesting. I think due to my profession I wasn’t as fascinated by the whole thing (I build software). There are definitely flaws with how our modern day algorithms work. We need to be aware of them as we continue to integrate them with our lives. I’m bullish on the use of them; they get better with time. As long as we keep emphasizing the human element, we’ll be okay.
Too shallow for anyone who already knows a fair bit about algorithms. I felt (strongly in the Art section) that she wasn't advocating for the programmers and had the perspective of someone who hasn't thought very holistically about human computer interaction. 'Computers can't make art' is a sentiment that really bugs me, it shrouds technology in this cold deific cloak when THE COMPUTER IS THE ART. I so strongly believe that making a computer make art is an extremely artistic endeavour. Go read some McLuhan. It was a good book, and an interesting grounding on the ways in which algorithms already govern much of our lives and will do even more of our future. For me though, it felt like it had too much fear of the machine, too much alienation, it should have been written by a computer scientist who understands the nuances of HCI, rather than a (admittedly well-researched) mathematician.
Very much like Everybody Lies, this is a collection of anecdotes with a slight focus on technology and a somewhat ambiguous message. It feels like a long, well-written Wired technology review article. Whether that's a bad thing, the stars will tell.
I thought this was a pretty good book. It was a quick read, with some interesting reflections on how algorithms dominate our lives. The author is a great writer, and they include a huge number of citations, which is nice too. I found the book to be a fun read, and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy mathematics. However, the book isn't really mathematical in nature. It's more reflective, and I enjoyed it.
Highlights
In the age of the algorithm, humans have never been more important.
There's a trick you can use to spot the junk algorithms. I like to call it the Magic Test. Whenever you see a story about an algorithm, see if you can swap out any of the buzzwords, like 'machine learning', 'artificial intelligence' and 'neural network', and swap in the word 'magic'. Does everything still make grammatical sense? Is any of the meaning lost? If not, I'd be worried that something smells quite a lot like bullshit. Because I'm afraid long into the foreseeable future we're not going to 'solve world hunger with magic' or 'use magic to write the perfect screenplay' any more than we are with AI.
Please make that a thing and call it “The Fry Test.” 🙏🏻
Everywhere you look — in the judicial system, in healthcare, in policing, even online shopping — there are problems with privacy, bias, error, accountability and transparency that aren't going to go away easily. Just by virtue of some algorithms existing, we face issues of fairness that cut to the core of who we are as humans, what we want our society to look like, and how far we can cope with the impending authority of dispassionate technology.
[…] trusting a usually reliable algorithm is one thing. Trusting one without any firm understanding of its quality is quite another.
Jau žinome, kad žmogus puikiai geba suprasti įvairiau- sius niuansus, analizuoti kontekstus, naudotis savo patirtimi ir atpažinti dėsningumus. Bet jam nesiseka sutelkti ir išlaikyti demesio, pasiekti tikslumo, nuoseklumo ir aiškiai suvokti aplinkos. Trumpai tariant, müsų gebéjimai - visiškai priešingi tiems, kurie büdingi algoritmams.
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