Automate This

How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World

By: Christopher Steiner

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The rousing story of the last gasp of human agency and how today’s best and brightest minds are endeavoring to put an end to it.

It used to be that to diagnose an illness, interpret legal documents, analyze foreign policy, or write a newspaper article you needed a human being with specific skills - and maybe an advanced degree or two. These days, high-level tasks are increasingly being handled by algorithms that can do precise work not only with speed but also with nuance. These "bots" started with human programming and logic, but now their reach extends beyond what their creators ever expected.

In this fascinating, frightening audiobook, Christopher Steiner tells the story of how algorithms took over - and shows why the "bot revolution" is about to spill into every aspect of our lives, often silently, without our knowledge. The May 2010 "Flash Crash" exposed Wall Street’s reliance on trading bots to the tune of a 998-point market drop and $1 trillion in vanished market value. But that was just the beginning. In Automate This, we meet bots that drive cars, pen haikus, and write music mistaken for Bach’s. They listen in on our customer service calls and figure out what Iran would do in the event of a nuclear standoff. There are algorithms that can pick out the most cohesive crew of astronauts for a space mission or identify the next Jeremy Lin. Some can even ingest statistics from baseball games and spit out pitch-perfect sports journalism indistinguishable from that produced by humans.

The interaction of man and machine can make our lives easier. But what will the world look like when algorithms control our hospitals, our roads, our culture, and our national security? What happens to businesses when we automate judgment and eliminate human instinct? And what role will be left for doctors, lawyers, writers, truck drivers, and many others? Who knows - maybe there’s a bot learning to do your job right this minute.

©2012 Christopher Steiner (P)2012 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"Algorithms are affecting every field of human endeavor, from markets to medicine, poker to pop music. Listen to this audiobook if you want to understand the most powerful force shaping the world today and tomorrow." (Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist, MIT; coauthor of Race Against the Machine)

current and thorough

the chapters are relevant and full of solid examples. great read in deed recommend to all

Don't speculate about the future.

The future is here. Listen to the book. A must listen for everyone. Awesome research!

Interesting and engaging

What did you love best about Automate This?

I don't finish most audible books since I lose interest or feel like I already know everything they are saying. This one kept my attention to the end. I am a computer engineer, so it is interesting for the technical audience. All the concepts are explained clearly in story format, so it would be understandable for all audiences.

What other book might you compare Automate This to and why?

The only other audio book that has kept my attention the whole way through recently is "Makers: The New Industrial Revolution"

Any additional comments?

This book tells interesting stories of examples where algorithms are being used for business and every day life.

Automate This Review

Book in general is a good history of several real world examples of algorithms changing the way the world works but leaves a bit to be desired when expanding on how this is used currently and how the future will be impacted.

the bots have already won

Great story about how the use of algorithms has evolved...from trading on Wall Street to diagnosing medical disorders. By listening to this book, I learned that bots can do far more than I originally thought. High energy narration too.

Interesting but I didn't learn anything New.

It was kind of preaching to the choir. The only person who would by a book like this is someone who already knows the concepts.

New viewpoint indeed ...

I had completed listening to this book just prior to the political scandals about the NSA and IRS coming to the surface. This book explains how using so-called computer "algorithms" are used by governments and corporations in our lives.

Nothing we can do to make these things go away!

The best part of the book is the author's work in explaining algorithms and their new place in our world so clearly.

This book really got me thinking.

Any additional comments?

This book really got me interested in Artificial Intelligence and what it can do for society. Highly recommended for anyone interested in computer science.

Interesting

A good overview of how algorithms have affected our society and systems. Would listen to again and recommend to a friend.

Must read.

Very informative and well researched. Accessible to both technical and non-technical audience. A good overview of where we are heading technologically speaking.