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)

Insightful

This book is an excellent primer if you want to understand the past and future of algorithms and why it matters.

Interesting use cases provide insight into subject

This is not highly technical and doesn't explain any "how to's", but it does provide the reader with a perspective and introductory information to discover how automation is - and will continue to - impact our lives (favorably or not).

Book covers topics of wall street high-frequency trading and other money-making algorithms, music industry, gambling, medical diagnosis, selecting staff for certain jobs (astronauts, for example), and telemarketing.

Good enough to recommend if you are looking to learn a little something, but not for those looking for more that just a glimpse into the use and possibilities of automation/algorithms.

Think they can't automate your job? Think again!

Excellent even if slightly terrifying listen. Steiner offers multiple illustrations of the double edged nature of automation for the humanity it "serves." Trading algorithms allow investment houses to cash in on market imperfections. A robot pharmacist fills prescriptions flawlessly. A computer program composes new symphonies in the styles of long dead masters. Those of us who earn a living through the application of specialized knowledge are under siege. Algorithms that synthesize our elaborate decision trees enable computers to do a hard day's work in the blink of an eye.

An eye-opener, well told

The title is spot on when is says algorithms "rule our world." The scope, extent and impact of algorithms is mind-blowing.

Behind the Hamster Wheel

"Automate This" is a good primer on how things work behind the scenes. The book is easy to understand by someone that doesn't have a technical background. Christopher Steiner structured his title in a way to help you understand how business is run behind the hamster wheel.

Many times we interact with bots, even when we don't know it. How many times have you dabbled in online dating and needed to take a survey to find potential matches? Base on your interests and answers, they use algorithms to try to match you with other members that have similar interests.

We are all being track each time we make a phone call to customer service and when we use our discount cards and whatever else. We are all walking data for bots to understand us better. When I log into my streaming account, it will bring up recommendations titles that I might like. The process of choosing a movie is already made. Soon, we will no longer need to make choices because it will be on the screen.

So much better than expected

Any additional comments?

I read mostly fiction. This book isn' t the type of thing that I normally listen to. I thought that it would be a interesting break and it was on sale. It was captivating from the very start and easy to understand. The author covers the history of algorithm use, different areas of use, how they affect ours lives, and where they are headed.

I know...it doesn't sound that interesting. It is! The narrator's voice is absolutely enthralling and he reads at a nice pace.

Interesting topic stretched to fill a book

Though there is more good than bad in Steiner's "Automate This," there isn't enough to fill a book and so reaches to include the history of computing back to Babbich and Turning. Well told, though occasionally erroneous, the story of a repeating instruction set is given more credibility than the subject deserves. Interesting but lacks the significance that the author tries to give the subject.

Not my usual.

Any additional comments?

I found this very interesting. I was amazed at the new info for me. I really liked it.

Fascinating read

I never really gave much thought to just how much algorithms are running our lives. This explained so much about the history and direction algorithms will take us. Gives us hope and warns about the risks.

Good overview on the history of algorithms and AI

Enjoyed the history lesson on algorithms, which form the basis of machine learning and AI. Worth your time.