Hello World

How to Be Human in the Age of the Machine

By: Hannah Fry

Narrated by: Hannah Fry

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Hello World 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 judgment. 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 prioritise 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 health care, transport, finance, security, what we watch, where we go, even whom 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.

©2018 Hannah Fry (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

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

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

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

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.

A great start on you AI journey

This is a great introduction to artificial intelligence and the power of algorithms. You don’t need previous knowledge of the technology to understand. Everyone should educate themselves on this issues since it will change the world we know.

Thoroughly brilliant

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

Great

Good book. Could have been more in depth but that's maybe because I had read more about the topic before. Thanks to the author for reading the book herself.

entertaining and extremely easy to consume

entertaining and extremely easy to consume. well researched and funny in delivery. concepts easily translated to be relatable and understandable

Painfully shallow

Lots of interesting things are mentioned, but then moves on to the next interesting thing.

I would be interested in a non abridged version, but this one I can't recommend.

Good for noobs

I know about the tram dilemma and Tesla car programming dilemmas. And so on, if you’re familiar with a sort of mid level understanding for logarithm, this feels a bit entry level. Otherwise, it’s well written and entertaining. I would recommend it to the uninformed.