Artificial Unintelligence, How Computers Misunderstand the World
- Authors
- Broussard, Meredith
- Publisher
- MIT Press
- Tags
- science , ai; computers; machine learning; data journalism; standardized tests; technology; tech; programming; algorithm; self-driving cars; 2016 presidential election
- Date
- 2018-04-27T00:00:00+00:00
- Size
- 1.90 MB
- Lang
- en
A guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology and why we should never assume that computers always get it right.
In *Artificial Unintelligence* , Meredith Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally--hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners--that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work. Broussard, a software developer and journalist, reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what we can (and should) do with technology. With this book, she offers a guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology--and issues a warning that we should never assume that computers always get things right.
Making a case against *technochauvinism* \--the belief that technology is always the solution--Broussard argues that it's just not true that social problems would inevitably retreat before a digitally enabled Utopia. To prove her point, she undertakes a series of adventures in computer programming. She goes for an alarming ride in a driverless car, concluding "the cyborg future is not coming any time soon"; uses artificial intelligence to investigate why students can't pass standardized tests; deploys machine learning to predict which passengers survived the *Titanic* disaster; and attempts to repair the U.S. campaign finance system by building AI software. If we understand the limits of what we *can* do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we *should* do with it to make the world better for everyone.