The Worlds I See

Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI

By: Fei-Fei Li

Narrated by: Cindy Kay

The moving memoir of a scientist coming of age as an immigrant in America who finds her calling at the forefront of the AI revolution.

Wired called Dr. Fei-Fei Li “one of a tiny group of scientists—a group perhaps small enough to fit around a kitchen table—who are responsible for AI’s recent remarkable advances.”

Known to the world as the creator of ImageNet, a key catalyst of modern artificial intelligence, Dr. Li has spent more than two decades at the forefront of the field. But her career in science was improbable from the start. As immigrants, her family faced a difficult transition from China’s middle class to American poverty. And their lives were made all the harder as they struggled to care for her ailing mother, who was working tirelessly to help them all gain a foothold in their new land.

Fei-Fei’s adolescent knack for physics endured, however, and positioned her to make a crucial contribution to the breakthrough we now call AI, placing her at the center of a global transformation. Over the last decades, her work has brought her face-to-face with the extraordinary possibilities—and the extraordinary dangers—of the technology she loves.

The Worlds I See is a story of science in the first person, documenting one of the century’s defining moments from the inside. It provides a riveting story of a scientist at work and a thrillingly clear explanation of what artificial intelligence actually is—and how it came to be. Emotionally raw and intellectually uncompromising, this audiobook is a testament not only to the passion required for even the most technical scholarship but also to the curiosity forever at its heart.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Worlds I See

"An inspiring personal journey from immigrant childhood to trailblazing scientist, The Worlds I See advocates for overcoming societal barriers and makes a compelling case for a human-centric, ethical approach to AI."
―Jennifer Doudna, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, CRISPR pioneer, and coauthor of A Crack in Creation

"Fei-Fei Li is one of the scientists responsible for the birth of today's most widely discussed science, Artificial Intelligence. In The Worlds I See she gives the best explanation of AI that I've ever read while telling the story of her own profoundly American journey as a young immigrant who finds herself through education. This is a must-read."
―Condoleezza Rice, Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford and 66th Secretary of State of the United States.

“A remarkable book from one of the leading scientists in the field of artificial intelligence. It’s both a moving and personal coming of age story of a young scientist and a riveting narrative that brings the reader into the earliest days of one of the most consequential scientific developments of our time. The Worlds I See is a deeply human story that is ultimately about Fei-Fei Li’s lifelong passion for learning and deep love of science.”
―Ed Catmull, cofounder Pixar, bestselling author of Creativity Inc.

"A fascinating and galvanizing memoir, The Worlds I See is a testament to the power and possibility of humanity—one told through Fei-Fei Li’s own remarkable trajectory from humble origins to becoming one of AI’s key visionaries, and in her essential work to develop and use that technology to improve the human condition."
―Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linkedin and Inflection.AI, bestselling author of Impromptu

"Fei-Fei Li was the first computer vision researcher to truly understand the power of big data and her work opened the floodgates for deep learning. She delivers an urgent, clear-eyed account of the awesome potential—and danger—of the AI technology that she helped to unleash and her call for action and collective responsibility is desperately needed at this pivotal moment in history."
―Geoff Hinton, Turing Award winner, and Professor of Computer Science, University of Toronto

Wonderful and inspiring throughout.

Who can resist the author’s life story … which so happens overlaps the last 25+ years of AI. Truly inspiring and eminently listenable, should be highly suggested reading for any young woman entering high school STEM. If we had a country of such young people and those who support them, we’d have unlimited potential.

The inside story of AI and an argument for dignity

I hesitated to start the book, then hesitated to continue after the first chapter and little by little couldn’t stop listening . Excellent inside story of AI research and development with a central focus on the fundamental need for dignity in the relationship with AI.

Engaging

Well written and great story. Gives a glimpse into how scientists think and their motivations.

Great biography of a real leader in AI

Learn more about Fei Fei Li’s work and this was a great way to understand it in the context of her life. I enjoyed the read immensely, though I’m bummed that it ended before discussing her new company and the great significance of her world model. One more chapter and it would have been perfect !

The story of a very successful immigrant scientist and how she changed the world

Excellent story, well told! Recommend for anyone interested in Ai. Helpful to learn the history,