In Our Own Image

Savior or Destroyer? The History and Future of Artificial Intelligence

By: George Zarkadakis

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

A timely and important book that explores the societal and ethical implications of artificial intelligence as we approach the cusp of a fourth industrial revolution.

George Zarkadakis explores one of humankind's oldest love-hate relationships: our ties with artificial intelligence, or AI. He traces AI's origins in ancient myth, through literary classics like Frankenstein to today's science fiction blockbusters, arguing that a fascination with AI is hardwired into the human psyche. He explains AI's history, technology, and potential; its manifestations in intelligent machines; its connections to neurology and consciousness; and - perhaps most tellingly - what AI reveals about us as human beings.

In Our Own Image argues that we are on the brink of a fourth industrial revolution - poised to enter the age of artificial intelligence as science fiction becomes science fact. Ultimately, Zarkadakis observes, the fate of AI has profound implications for the future of science and humanity itself.

©2015 George Zarkadakis (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Wow.

Incredibly thorough examination of the progression of AI and its implications for our society. Highly recommend.

Not exactly what I expected, but brilliant nonetheless

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone even remotely interested in AI and computer science. The book’s subtitle “savior or destroyer...” might come across as overly dramatic, but as you get into it, you’ll find that this book is far removed from speculation and “Yang-gang” alarmism. Instead Zarkardakis takes a lot of time examining human and computer intelligence through the lens of literature and philosophy. As the book tries to weave together Neuroscience, Formal Logic, and fiction (from Frankenstein to the Terminator series) it might seem a bit unorganized, so if you’re looking for a super-focused, technical introduction, this book might not be for you. But for everyone else, you’ll find it to be an thought-provoking, interdisciplinary look at our future’s most pressing dillema.

Everything is What WE make it

As a science lover, deeply interested in the human condition, this book was perfect for me. Zarkadakis has a psychologists knack for analyzing the human thought process, coupled with a computer scientist's gift for logic. This book convinced me that artificial intelligence is both inevitable because of human's endless desire to create, and impossible because of our human inability to recognize anything as our equal. It does an excellent job of providing answers to questions you may have while still leaving you with infinitely more to ponder. Definitely worth a listen.

Covers a Lot of Ground

Good coverage of history and science and technology, but you can throw-out all the philosophizing and prophesying - they reflect the philosophical vapidity and tunnel-vision of the author's generation...

Wide-ranging analysis, all of it fascinating

Any additional comments?

This is the best book I have read on human consciousness. I really appreciated the blend of cultural background with the reporting on scientific research. Especially if you think the Turing Test is all there is to determining artificial intelligence, think again! I learned a lot from this book and enjoyed every bit of it.

As important as Age of Spiritual Machines.

Worth re-reading several times. Zarkadakis makes fundamental questions about AI accessible. Will buy in print.

If you don't care now, you will in ten years...

Admittedly, this book was background sound as I was handling tasks. I could've been more engaged but there were a of great ideas and concepts about how AI is forcing this world to evolve. It's not going to be as comfortable as we think it is... prepare yourself.

Spot on ... pre-GPT3

A superb evaluation of humanities progress in intelligence and philosophy, and how it drives and defines our quest for human level AI.
Unfortunately, out of nowhere, he claims conscious AI is far off, or impossible. We in 2022 beg to differ.

Amazing!

I love that I will have to listen to it again to fully grasp the contents. Great narrator and content. Need to focus on reverse, stop using math for a bit and figure out how to have the machine search the internet and create its own algorithms instead of cramming algorithms and tons of data in a one task machine.

A book about the evolution of Automatons

A fascinating book about the evolution of "Thinking Machines, from Ancient to Modern." I listened to this book twice, because I was bombarded with a wealth of information about automatons and the mythical, theological, historical, and literary origins of the concepts and presence of the pre-cursor to Artificial Intelligent. Zarkadakis carefully presents an argument for hardware to house artificial Intelligence, which we now know as the computer but originally were metal bodies to house supernatural intellect to give them life. He references many tales of ancient machines that were animate and could move and talk, which were used to impress Royalty and guard cities. This leads to the original computer, which makes references are made to the Babbage Calculating Machine. Finally, the ENIAC computer and COLLOSUS are referenced, the computer that broke the German cyphering code by replicating the psuedo-random patterns of the German Machine that would encrypt the messages. Finally, the advent of Artificial Intelligence programming is presented, with the challenges and breakthroughs of creating an artificial intelligence that was truly intelligent, and doesn't just feign intelligence. The book ends with a discussion of what true intelligence is. It's a well research, philosophically deep book which leaves the reader with a solid foundation in which to pursue any future endeavors or research into the nature of artificial intelligence. The narrator's voice is deep, audibly pleasing, and doesn't drone or leave you exhausted. It's a pleasant audio book to listen to while you do intensive work, and helps you concentrate on other studies as well. It's a fantastic addition to your library and personal knowledge base.