Hello World

How to be Human in the Age of the Machine

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Hello World, written and read by Hannah Fry.

You are accused of a crime. Who would you rather determined your fate – a human or an algorithm?
An algorithm is more consistent and less prone to error of judgement. Yet a human can look you in the eye before passing sentence.
You need a liver transplant to save your life. Who would you want in charge of organ allocation?
An algorithm can match organ donors with patients, potentially saving many more lives. But it may send you to the back of the queue.
You’re buying a (driverless) car. One vehicle is programmed to save as many lives as possible in a collision. Another promises to prioritize the lives of its passengers. Which do you choose?
Welcome to the age of the algorithm, the story of a not-too-distant future where machines rule supreme, making important decisions – in healthcare, transport, finance, security, what we watch, where we go even who we send to prison. So how much should we rely on them? What kind of future do we want?

Hannah Fry takes us on a tour of the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us. In Hello World she lifts the lid on their inner workings, demonstrates their power, exposes their limitations, and examines whether they really are an improvement on the humans they are replacing.

'Wise, sharp and witty, the definitive guide to living in the age of social media, algorithms and automation.' Adam Rutherford

Reseñas de la Crítica

A stylish, thoughtful, and scrupulously fair-minded account of what the software that increasingly governs our lives can and cannot do ... A beautifully accessible guide that leaps lightly from one story to the next without sparing the reader hard questions... deserves a place in the bestseller charts. (Oliver Moody)

With refreshing simplicity, Fry explains what AI, machine learning and complicated algorithms really mean, providing some succinct explanations of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, driverless cars and many other unnerving modern phenomena…This book illustrates why good science writers are essential. (Katy Guest)

Brilliantly clear...Fry succinctly outlines the ethical issues that beset AI (James McConnaiche)

Hello World is a gem of accessible science writing. With eloquence and charm, Hannah Fry outlines the maths of computer algorithms and explains how they are transforming fields such as health, justice, transport and the arts. She is a wise guide to the benefits - and horrors of our increasingly data-driven world. (Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland)

Expertly told, wise and with a lightness of touch, Hannah Fry's brilliant exploration of how we live our lives in the age of AI will prompt arguments in pubs and over dinner tables for years to come. (Adam Rutherford)

Computers used to be tools, then they were toys, and now they're all around us. You couldn't ask for a better guide to this bewildering new world than Hannah Fry, who fills Hello World with wit, storytelling and superbly clear insight. Bravo! (Tim Harford, author and presenter of The Undercover Economist and more recently Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy.)

Hannah Fry's masterful and entertaining call to arms needs to be read by every last human who unthinkingly entrusts our destiny to algorithms. Because, what do you know, the machine-determined future may just work against our best interests, people. (David Rowan, Founder editor of WIRED UK)

Hello World is an action-packed, quick read during which you will be outraged, provoked, and challenged. The numerous, meticulously researched examples reveal the astonishing new world we're living in, one where secret decisions with ambiguous goals are deciding our individual and collective fates. Welcome to the modern world of big data, you're quite possibly screwed. (Cathy O'Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction)

Hello World is a brisk and friendly guidebook to the algorithms all around us (Jordan Ellenberg)

Editor's Choice: consistently illuminating (Caroline Sanderson)

plenty of facts, stories and excellent reflections

great balance between information and reflections, facts and judgement and a refreshing dose of ethical and humanistic concerns

recommended in the most absolute of ways

Really lovely book for statistic nerds but not only plus listening to it with Hannah's voice is a delightful experience. I also intend to buy the paperback version of this

Thoroughly brilliant

This is a brilliant book, balanced, thoughtful and informative. Not alarmist, not uncritical, perfect balance.

Good in general

Good and interesting in general but becomes too vague at moments, could loose your attention easily.

The age of Machine Learning

This book is a brief overview of machine learning in its current state. What it does well and how it goes wrong. The author is accurate in her assessment that algorithms are far from perfect, and can sometimes miscalculated conclusions in serious issues such as Court Judgement, Facial Recognition, as well as a plethora of other areas.

Her conclusion certainly does not dismiss the take over of human higher functions by artificial intelligence, but is prudent and realistic timetable and explains why algorithms have a way to go.

I was somewhat disappointed, that the different ways machine learning is achieved was not discussed in depth, but understand that such detail may not be as attractive to readers who are new to the subject.

Very good book, recommended to those who are new to the subject, and are interested in AI’s recent achievements.