If you are looking to get a better perspective on the impact of AI on our lives, our environment and fundamental rights, these three books are highly recommended.
Atlas of AI by Kate Crawford
In Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence Crawford reveals how the global networks underpinning AI technology are damaging the environment, entrenching inequality, and fueling a shift toward undemocratic governance. She takes us on a journey through the mining sites, factories, and vast data collections needed to make AI "work" — powerfully revealing where they are failing us and what should be done. Atlas of AI was named one of the best books on technology in 2021 by the Financial Times.
While technical systems present a veneer of objectivity and neutrality, Crawford shows how they are designed to serve and intensify existing systems of power. Drawing on a decade of original research, she shows how the new infrastructures of AI reflect the beliefs and perspectives of a small group of people and serve the interests of the few at the expense of the many.
“By brilliantly tracing the history, mythology, ethics, and politics of artificial intelligence, Atlas of AI reminds us that the stories we tell about AI are just as vital as the mathematical models that comprise these systems.”
— Ruha Benjamin, author of Race After Technology
To purchase the book, follow this link.
Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick
In Co-Intelligence, Mollick urges us to engage with AI as co-worker, co-teacher, and coach. He assesses its profound impact on business and education, using dozens of real-time examples of AI in action. Co-Intelligence shows what it means to think and work together with smart machines, and why it’s imperative that we master that skill.
Mollick challenges us to utilize AI’s enormous power without losing our identity, to learn from it without being misled, and to harness its gifts to create a better human future. Wide ranging, hugely thought-provoking, optimistic, and lucid, Co-Intelligence reveals the promise and power of this new era.
Follow this link to order the book.
AI Snake Oil by Arvind Narayan & Sayash Kapoor
In AI Snake Oil, computer scientists Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor cut through the confusion to give you an essential understanding of how AI works and why it often doesn’t, where it might be useful or harmful, and when you should suspect that companies are using AI hype to sell AI snake oil—products that don’t work, and probably never will.
While acknowledging the potential of some AI, such as ChatGPT, AI Snake Oil uncovers rampant misleading claims about the capabilities of AI and describes the serious harms AI is already causing in how it’s being built, marketed, and used in areas such as education, medicine, hiring, banking, insurance, and criminal justice. The book explains the crucial differences between types of AI, why organizations are falling for AI snake oil, why AI can’t fix social media, why AI isn’t an existential risk, and why we should be far more worried about what people will do with AI than about anything AI will do on its own. The book also warns of the dangers of a world where AI continues to be controlled by largely unaccountable big tech companies.
Order the book by following this link.
These three enlightening books—Atlas of AI by Kate Crawford, Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick, and AI Snake Oil by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor—offer invaluable insights into the multifaceted world of AI ethics. They explore the environmental, social, and political impacts of AI, the necessity of co-existing with intelligent machines, and the critical need to discern genuine AI advancements from misleading hype. By delving into these works, readers can gain a deeper understanding of AI's profound influence on our lives and the imperative for ethical considerations in its development and application. Whether you're a student, professional, or enthusiast, these books are essential reads to navigate the complexities of AI and its ethical implications.
