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)

Automation on Steroids

In Automate This: How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World, Christopher Steiner drags readers screaming into a brave new world where humans use computers to make complex decisions. I use an algorithm to help my students write better. The program gives comments on grammar, spelling, and content. Other uses are being found in medicine, news reporting, foreign policy analysis, and all sorts of other work. The brave new world of bots is upon us and Steiner aptly tells readers what, when, why, and how they will come to make our lives different - sometimes better and sometimes not so much. The narration of Walter Dixon is a plus.

Entertaining, Informative, and Thought productive.

What did you love best about Automate This?

The history, I did not know how far back we used algorithms, especially in the stock market.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrator for the story was a perfect match.

Have you listened to any of Walter Dixon’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The future, and how our lives can be made better.

Good, but too many opinions for my tastes.

This book had some good stories, and some keen insights when it comes to algorithms.

However, it also expounds a lot of opinions as facts. Sorry... but there is lots of stuff that Doctors still don't know.

Additionally annoying is how the Author abuses the word Hacker. He repeatedly used word "Hacker" to represent anyone who writes code to solve a problem.

With intelligent editing this could have been a better book. (better=less annoying).

Kept me interested beginning to end

What did you love best about Automate This?

It was very informative and presented in a way that kept me entertained. I left this book knowing two things; 1) I will read it again. 2) I will be looking into more detail about some of the topics that were covered, such as music composed by algorithms.

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

If you enjoyed this, also try Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick.

Great book with great inside

Love the book completely, I have to say I write code and I am an engineer but I read several subjects and I do not think my background is a factor for how much I enjoyed it

Enjoyable, easy and interesting

Would you consider the audio edition of Automate This to be better than the print version?

Can't comment, haven't read the print version

Would you be willing to try another book from Christopher Steiner? Why or why not?

Yes, I like his approach to this topic.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the part about music algorithms and psychological profiling most.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I listen to quite a lot of audiobooks, mostly while jogging or doing chores. A crucial feature of an audiobook for me is the effect it has on my mood. Some books are good but make me tense because I feel I should be taking notes or should rather get the print version. I never really felt that way with this book, it was peaceful to read. When something very interesting came up, I just Googled it to read more on the topic and then Tweeted it.

Any additional comments?

The author states in the introduction that he originally envisioned this book to be just about algorithms and Wall Street but was convinced by someone he interviewed to look at the world outside Wall Street. I'd say it shows. Stories about Wall Street does dominate, but I wouldn't say these were the boring parts. The only chapter I considered skipping was the one about health care. Overall, I'm very happy I got this audibook.

Very informing...Really enjoyed it.

An excellent introduction to how mathematics and geeks are slowly controlling everything. I found it to be fascinating to listen to and very helpful in how I structure my own business and investment strategies. Make me wish I paid more attention to my maths teacher in school.

A very good introduction to bots

Well told and written introduction to the world of bots and algorithms and how they will change several industries of our world. Interesting read although a bit bare bones and shallow in content for my tastes. Very accessible. Recommended.

Fascinating work

a great book that shows and explains in detail how automation is changing every industry, a must read to learn about how algorithms are changing every aspect of our lives.

Meh

Not horrible but not great either. To be honest if I would have been reading this is probably would have set the book down and forgot about it.