You Look Like a Thing and I Love You

How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place

By: Janelle Shane

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

As heard on NPR's Science Friday, discover the book recommended by Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, and Adam Grant: an "accessible, informative, and hilarious" introduction to the weird and wonderful world of artificial intelligence (Ryan North).

"You look like a thing and I love you" is one of the best pickup lines ever...according to an artificial intelligence trained by scientist Janelle Shane, creator of the popular blog AI Weirdness. She creates silly AIs that learn how to name paint colors, create the best recipes, and even flirt (badly) with humans — all to understand the technology that governs so much of our daily lives.

We rely on AI every day for recommendations, for translations, and to put cat ears on our selfie videos. We also trust AI with matters of life and death, on the road and in our hospitals. But how smart is AI really...and how does it solve problems, understand humans, and even drive self-driving cars?

Shane delivers the answers to every AI question you've ever asked, and some you definitely haven't. Like, how can a computer design the perfect sandwich? What does robot-generated Harry Potter fan-fiction look like? And is the world's best Halloween costume really "Vampire Hog Bride"?

In this smart, often hilarious introduction to the most interesting science of our time, Shane shows how these programs learn, fail, and adapt — and how they reflect the best and worst of humanity.

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You is the perfect book for anyone curious about what the robots in our lives are thinking.

"I can't think of a better way to learn about artificial intelligence, and I've never had so much fun along the way." (Adam Grant, New York Times best-selling author of Originals)

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Janelle Shane (P)2019 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

"Janelle Shane makes the kind of neural networks that go viral. Her quirky creations autonomously stumble and grumble... the output of her networks is typically silly and charming in equal measure." (Slate)

"Creative and hilarious." (New York Post)

"Janelle Shane is quickly becoming the internet's neural network queen." (Nerdist)

good story, annoying narrator

The book is interesting, the observations are spot on.

The weakness is the voice actor. She has a couple of verbal tics that really start grating as one goes through the book. I can't listen to it anymore, and I am only about halfway through.

Fantastic and Fun Intro to AI

This was a brilliant, enjoyable, and often funny introduction to machine learning (AI) for beginners. This also serves as a great set of wacky examples and cautionary tales for those working in the world of machine learning.

it is an AI explanation and I love it

I've been looking for a down-to-earth explanation of how AI works and this book accomplished that in fine fashion. The examples, the explanations, and just the overall way the material was presented was really outstanding. I look forward to listening to it again!

Debunking the Myths

The computer-synth voice to represent AI in parts of the book is irritating. Aside from this cosmetic annoyance, this is a fantastic read - well told, well illustrated and highly informed. For anyone trying to figure out the reality of AI and ML, this is a must read.

Witty and succinct

Material was interesting, great real life examples and very balanced. It is not a statement for or against AI - just real ways it works and doesn’t work - and interesting other tidbits along the way. Author had very practical ways to check if you’re interacting with an AI. Narrator was absolutely perfect for the material.

Lots of referring to the PDF

I found the book quite good. But as an audio book it suffers from frequent need to refer to the PDF diagrams. It’s a subject perhaps not ideal for audio.

I have read quite a bit on the subject of machine learning, and I’m not sure whether this book would be clear enough for a newcomer. Maybe. I’ll likely buy a hardcopy as a gift.

the robot revolution is a ways away

this book was fantastically written it dispelled a lot of the inconsistencies and misunderstood things about AI I really enjoyed this book and I learned a lot

So entertaining and informative

Loved every minute of this book, and even learned some fascinating stuff along the way.

Excellent detailed overview for techies and non.

I'm not someone who originally understood AI, and that's why I bought this book. However, after going through all the chapters I really understand far more than I did, and the author puts a lot of details and Clear Stories for one to understand.

How AI works in reality.

How AI works in reality. A must read for anyone who uses technology or creates technology.