Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms

G L

Rating: really liked it
How pop science should be written; concise, engaging, illuminating, and compelling.

Riegs

Rating: really liked it
Thoroughly researched and more balanced that expected, but still problematic. As a librarian/Information Science professional, I have serious qualms with the argument that we should learn to "live" with algorithms/machines controlling functions of society. Yes, I see the benefits and potential. Yes, I agree that better developed algorithms can improve quality of life. But, I think the folks who develop tech often forget that an algorithm (a machine) should never be depended upon to make humane decisions - nor is it a reliable agent of Effective Altruism.

Let me put it this way: An algorithm does not breathe or think. It cannot express democratic values, no matter how sophisticated it is. It does not know how to critically think; its only goal is to complete a program and meet a target. It does not value privacy. Algorithms will never give a shit about us. I cannot live with the idea that I should be coerced to surrender my free will or private information in order to improve someone else's algorithm. Some things are too unpredictable to be entrusted to a machine. That is what we should really learn to live with.

Paul

Rating: really liked it
A copy of this was provided free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review.

We rely on the computers and the internet for almost everything these days, it is the backbone of our infrastructure, our first point of social contact for friends and associates all around the world, supplies our film and music choices and is a substantial part of the economy now. As the digital world permeates our life further computers are being used as part of, or in some cases the entire part of the decision process. For all those of you who laughed at the 'Computer Says No' sketch in Little Britain, life might not always be so funny now. The question that Fry poses in her book is: Who would you rather decide your future – an algorithm or a human?

In answering this simple question Fry takes us on a tour of the history of the algorithm, where and how they are being used and the possible implications of our dependency on them. We learn of the first algorithms that reached the point where they could beat a grandmaster at chess and how leaving human-like pauses disconcerted him. How sat nav can be a blessing and a curse, how facial recognition can spot the suspect in a crowd and how human error can ensure a decade of misery for an individual passing through passport control.

Every click you make online is saved an analysed by the government and private corporations. The authorities are seeking the ghosts in the machine and to a company, you're just a product that someone can make money out of. Your future might be decided by a pigeon too as Fry explains in the chapter on health and how pattern recognition is being used to evaluate biopsy's for cancers and if you have been really bad, you may not stand in front of a judge, but be sentenced by a computer that would not care one bit about extenuating circumstances; frightening stuff. Algorithms have been used successfully to narrow down the search parameters for those who have committed the most serious crimes and are being used to predict where crimes might take place, the first steps towards Minority Report… Even a subject like art is succumbing to the computer code, what you watch or listen to, prompts suggestions of what else to watch or hear.

To say this book was eye-opening would be an understatement. Fry does not go too heavy on the computer and technology in here, rather she relies on the stories that show how we are all affected by algorithms and the way that they are shaping our lives. This thought-provoking writing has a clarity about it that will make this accessible to almost anyone who picks it up. We do need to use algorithms to our advantage; I worry that we're not at the moment and that we may reach a point where we won’t be able to control them.

Charlotte Dann

Rating: really liked it
Too shallow for anyone who already knows a fair bit about algorithms. I felt (strongly in the Art section) that she wasn't advocating for the programmers and had the perspective of someone who hasn't thought very holistically about human computer interaction. 'Computers can't make art' is a sentiment that really bugs me, it shrouds technology in this cold deific cloak when THE COMPUTER IS THE ART. I so strongly believe that making a computer make art is an extremely artistic endeavour. Go read some McLuhan.

It was a good book, and an interesting grounding on the ways in which algorithms already govern much of our lives and will do even more of our future. For me though, it felt like it had too much fear of the machine, too much alienation, it should have been written by a computer scientist who understands the nuances of HCI, rather than a (admittedly well-researched) mathematician.

Imi

Rating: really liked it

Among all of the staggeringly impressive, mindboggling things that data and statistics can tell me, how it feels to be human isn't one of them.

This is the book I've been searching for, the book I had been hoping for when I read Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy a couple of months ago. Both books cover similar concepts and even examples, but while I found Weapons overly negative and pessimistic, Fry wonderfully covers both the problems and the huge, huge benefits of using algorithms and statistics. Because, really, if algorithms were only negative, we wouldn't be using them, would we? Fry's arguments and conclusions (that we should be using the strengths of algorithms to supplement human decision making and get round human weaknesses, and vice versa) are balanced and well-evidenced.

On top of being highly informative, reading this book was just so much fun! Fry has a fantastic sense of humour and writes in a way that I believe makes the book accessible for anyone. Don't worry if you're not mathematically inclined, Fry makes sure to explain the concepts well and it's very easy to follow.

I can't fault this book. I loved every second of it and feel much more informed on this area now. I apologise in advance to all my friends, because I predict I am not going to shut up about this book and will be raving about it any chance I can get.

John Devlin

Rating: really liked it
Not much of a look inside algorithms. I was hoping for more math but I might be in the minority with that.

She’s a personable writer but most of what is collected is just that. A compilation of contemporary observations gleaned from many open sources.

K.J. Charles

Rating: really liked it
An engagingly written pop science look at algorithms, which is to say the computer codes that now run our lives, from neural networks playing chess and composing Bach to the ones used to diagnose disease or analyse your shopping habits to guess if you're pregnant or serve you up deceptive fake news on Facebook so you vote Brexit.

Some of it is really scary, some of it holds a glimpse of a better future--especially when Fry explains the ways machine intelligence *plus* human insight give the best results--and all of it make it extremely clear that we need massive legal regulation stat to prevent every aspect of our lives being sold for profit by a handful of rich American tech bastards. In the meantime it will give you pause before you consider entering health data into a "free" app, let alone cheerfully sending off your DNA to a "genealogy" company aka data salesman.

Ugh. A recommended read.

Keyo Çalî

Rating: really liked it
We are living in an era that is impossible to imagine a life without machines and algorithms.
good or bad, it all depends on us, it all depends on how to be human in the age of machines.
I am pretty sure that most of us have a wrong understanding of what they are and how we need to deal with them.
so I strongly recommend this book!

I give the book 4 stars for the great content
and one more star because Hannah Fry is a real star.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ed

Rating: really liked it
Fry takes us through an engaging overview of data and algorithms, and how they are used in our modern world.
It reads like an entertaining Guardian article, but never really manages to pull itself to a higher level than that.
Some questionable conclusions are drawn, and there may be a lack of depth on any of the individual subjects, but the occasional nuggets of wisdom and the easy tone make up for much of the downsides; it was still a breezy read and may serve as an interesting introduction to data science for the completely uninitiated. That said, you'd have to feel that many of the cases looked at the book would be known to anyone with even a passing interest, so I'm not entirely sure what purpose it could best serve.

Emily

Rating: really liked it
[Sorry, Brittany. (hide spoiler)]

Wick Welker

Rating: really liked it
You are the product

I know there are a fair amount of books out there about the impending doom/utopic promise of algorithms running our lives. And this is a good one. With humor and intelligent, Fry gives us a nice sampling of all the areas of human existence that are not only being taken over by computer algorithms but the significance and the utility in each case.

Search engines are basically a short cut to authority. "Google it" has become the ultimate rebuttal bulletproof of any further discourse because in our minds the mighty Google contains the definitive answers. The issues is that Google is manipulated by its creators who are just as flawed as anyone else. The information presented to, and the order in which it's is presented, is subjective from person to person. Because our attention has been commoditized by advertisers, search algorithms are manipulated to maintain a healthy amount of consumerism on the side. How often have you gone to the second google search page before deciding that the info you obtained is accurate to take back to your Facebook fight and finally show that nitwit once and for all that they are a nitwit? Don't you think that person is doing the same thing on their own end with their own siloed info echo chamber? The atomization of information has created not a healthy marketplace of ideas but rather a marketplace of realities. People cannot be governed if they don't agree on reality.

Grocery stores know you very well. Because you bought fresh fennel, they have algorithms that are probably pretty accurate about what type of person you are and what else you'd like to buy. They may know your pregnant before anyone else in your life does. But they don't want to be TOO creepy, mixing in wine coupons along with the prenatal vitamin coupons so you don't get the vibes that your consumerism is literally being surveilled. 23 and Me may take payment to do their genetic testing but they then sell your info to tons of third party data brokers. You are the product.

Anytime you do anything, your data is sold to a data broker who then sells that data to someone else to triangulate ways in which you will purchase more things. And the terrifying thing is that data brokers are largely unregulated. They can easily de-anonymize your data and find out exactly who you are. Make no doubt about it, privacy is an utter illusion.

The CCP is really honing in on this with their social credit system roll out, giving their "citizens" points based on who they are and leveraged that into social amenities like getting on a plane or having a decent credit rating. From divining criminality, taking decision-making away from judges, automating pathological diagnoses, driverless cars, computer algorithms and machine-learning has unbelievable potential for good and the catastrophic bad. It is a true Pandora box that is unleashed upon us that no one can stop.

Another book on this topic I enjoyed was Weapons of Math Destruction. Hello World was a little more accessible.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

ash | spaceyreads

Rating: really liked it
Hannah Fry introduces us to algorithms and to thinking about algorithms in her crisp, lighthearted, accessible book. This is definitely something for the uninitiated and may benefit you the most if this is one of your first books about data science. There are no in-depth arguments of any sort, she didn't zero in on any sub-topic; it's a light skim off the frothing issue condensed into something you can read on your commute or before bed.

"It's about asking if an algorithm is having a net benefit on society."

This was the premise of her novel. Fry explored seven key areas of society - Power, Data, Justice, Medicine, Cars, Crime, and Art. Her stance is that algorithms, like any tool, should be viewed and treated as such. We must not forget that we hold control and agency over algorithms, and we can and should continue to be critical of an algorithm's origin, influence, and power. At the same time, we have to be mindful that inevitably, an algorithm can have far reaching and god-like influence over the way we think, the information we receive, and the decisions that we make as a society.

"Perhaps more ominous, given how much of our information we now get from algorithms like search engines, is how much agency people believed they had in their own opinions: 'When people are unaware how are being manipulated, they tend to believe hey have adopted their new thinking voluntarily,' Epstein wrote in the original paper."

As always, I read with a social perspective, and I find it worth noting that, like everything else - our social norms, structures, our states and its policies, our private lives - algorithms reflect our ideologies. Fry detailed how ironically in our attempt to make our judicial system fair through consistency and objectivity, it still reflected (actually, through reflection, consistently and objectively, I'd say) institutional racism and classism. The algorithm merely picks up our pattern of decisions and automates that. In other cases, it could be that the creater of the algorithm used incorrect base data, or didn't think through the real-world consequences of their algorithm before rolling it out.

"For the time being, worrying about evil AI is a bit like worrying about overcrowding on Mars."

And she's right. Worry about what's here now. Encourage discussions and create dialogue. And this is a good book to start with.

Thom

Rating: really liked it
The subtitle is key, because this isn't a book about software engineering. It does not examine the code of algorithms or any complex math. What it does do is discuss how humans and algorithms interact, and it does this beautifully. Interesting, and at times humorous - recommended!

In Hello World, author Hannah Fry examines some algorithms, from chess to criminal justice to art, both successes and failures. As she says in the introduction, this is primarily a book about humans - who we are, where we are going, and how that is changing through technology. Her most important point is that we shouldn't think of algorithms as an authority. The best world is one where humans work with transparent algorithms, assisted but not overruled, and very much held accountable.

Clelixedda

Rating: really liked it
In this book, Hannah Fry gives an introduction and overview on algorithms and algorithmic techniques used (or set out for future use) in our modern societies. It starts by explaining basic concepts of machine learning, AI and data-driven algorithms. She then explores different areas of society and life to show that similar techniques can be used in very different contexts, like medicine, cars, the justice system or art. In all of these contexts, she manages to highlight the good, the bad and the problematic and guides the reader through the questions that the use of these algorithms raises.

I loved this book. It’s a little gem of scientific writing with focus on mathematics, because it’s well written, very understandable, interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining. The author has a very charming style and it makes me especially happy that she is using her talents to educate people on my favourite STEM subject :). I also really loved her optimistic outlook on future uses of data-driven algorithms and the quite global perspective she had. Also, love the title :D

UPDATE: I liked this book so much, I bought a second copy of this book, because Waterstones had a signed edition.

Catriona

Rating: really liked it
Though roughly enjoyed every chapter, it was absolutely fascinating! Reminded me of reading Atul Gawande or Jon Ronson, such a brilliant blend of passionate narrator, demonstrable excellence and understanding in their field and page turning enthusiasm.