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The Big Nine
How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity
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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,969 ratings, 276 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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See moreA call-to-arms about the broken nature of artificial intelligence, and the powerful corporations that are turning the human-machine relationship on its head.
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Description
We like to think that we are in control of the future of artificial intelligence. The reality, though, is that we—the everyday people whose data powers AI—aren't actually in control of anything. When, for example, we speak with Alexa, we contribute that data to a system we can't see and have no input into—one largely free from regulation or oversight.
The big nine corporations—Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba, Microsoft, IBM and Apple—are the new gods of AI and are short-changing our futures to reap immediate financial gain.
In The Big Nine, Amy Webb reveals the pervasive, invisible ways in which the foundations of AI—the people working on the system, their motivations, the technology itself—are broken. Within our lifetimes, AI will, by design, begin to behave unpredictably, thinking and acting in ways which defy human logic. The big nine corporations may be inadvertently building and enabling vast arrays of intelligent systems that don't share our motivations, desires, or hopes for the future of humanity.
Much more than a passionate, human-centred call-to-arms, this book delivers a strategy for changing course and provides a path for liberating us from algorithmic decision-makers and powerful corporations.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The book The Big Nine by Amy Webb receives praise for its insightful exploration of AI's future impact, blending historical context with bold yet plausible predictions. Critics commend Webb's deep knowledge of AI technology and the socio-political dynamics involving major tech giants like the US and China. Her ability to present complex ideas in a readable and engaging manner, while outlining both optimistic and cautionary scenarios, makes the work both thought-provoking and accessible.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781541724419
Publisher: PublicAffairs,U.S.
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 28 March 2019
Country: United States
Imprint: PublicAffairs,U.S.
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 360g
Pages: 336
About the Author
Amy Webb is a quantitative futurist whose research focus is on artificial intelligence and how emerging technologies will transform the way we live, work, and govern. She is the author of The Signals Are Talking: Why Today's Fringe Is Tomorrow's Mainstream, a professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business, and the founder of the Future Today Institute, a leading future forecasting firm that helps leaders and their organizations prepare for complex futures. Now in its second decade, FTI advises Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, government agencies, large nonprofits, universities and startups around the world. Amy also publishes the annual FTI Emerging Tech Trends Report, which has now garnered more than 6.2 million cumulative views worldwide.
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