APRIL 2022 - AudioFile
In this timely audiobook, NBC science journalist Jacob Ward warns that the artificial intelligence used to improve information processing and decision-making may also be manipulating our subconscious minds and enabling our worst instincts. The author’s rich baritone voice and phrasing are full of appealing character. Totally authentic and connected to his writing, his performance is supremely effective. Ward says that we are at the early stages of learning about AI’s possibilities and hazards. Facebook algorithms that influence tastes and buying decisions have gotten our attention, but what about AI programs that allow authoritarian governments to influence citizens’ perceptions and political preferences? Full of fascinating science and cultural context, this audio will make people be more wary about how powerful interests might use AI to alter our mental habits and even what it means to be human. T.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
A fascinating survey of the known spectrum of human biases…rebuts the Silicon Valley-esque assumption that A.I. will always do good.”
—Cathy O'Neil, New York Times
"A fantastic, groundbreaking new book."—Ali Velshi, MSNBC
“Scary stuff…this book has it all [and] the “how to fight back” part is very important.”
—Hoda Kotb, The Today Show
"A brilliant explanation of how artificial intelligence turned to the dark side, it’s that rare book that explains a complicated subject — AI — in language anyone can understand, while simultaneously providing the context that every policy maker and citizen will require to deal with it. If AI is to get back on track, then Ward will be the guide."—Roger McNamee, bestselling author of Zucked
"Fascinating and unsettling. The future is here and Jacob Ward's lively narrative takes us headlong into the dangerous foray of artificial intelligence into our very core as humans."—Cecilia Kang, bestselling author of An Ugly Truth
“The Loop is about the unconscious patterns of human behavior and the even less conscious patterns in the software of machine-learning algorithms. Jacob Ward argues, precisely and elegantly, that those magisteria overlap—digital algorithms that take advantage of wobbly human habits increasingly determine how society works, and that may well make us all less happy and less free. When a reporter with Ward’s brains and experience warns you about something this serious, you should listen.”—Adam Rogers, bestselling author of Proof and Full Spectrum
“Ward is a thoughtful reporter who has spent the past decade chronicling the rise of a new set of tools pioneered by social scientists, AI researchers and technology companies. The Loop is simultaneously his powerful account of these forces and a wakeup call to remind us that we retain the capability to escape the silicon tendrils of those who seek to exploit our unconscious tendencies.”—John Markoff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots
"A salutary effect of growing disillusionment with tech has been a shelf of excellent critiques. But The Loop is a strong entry in the canon...AI represents perhaps the ultimate shiny object. But Ward penetrates to the dark vacancy at its core."
—San Francisco Chronicle
“[The Loop] combines a remarkable synthesis of a mountain of behavioral science research about the human mind, and a travelogue through the world of artificial intelligence history and current practice.”
—Alexis Madrigal, KQED (NPR) Forum
APRIL 2022 - AudioFile
In this timely audiobook, NBC science journalist Jacob Ward warns that the artificial intelligence used to improve information processing and decision-making may also be manipulating our subconscious minds and enabling our worst instincts. The author’s rich baritone voice and phrasing are full of appealing character. Totally authentic and connected to his writing, his performance is supremely effective. Ward says that we are at the early stages of learning about AI’s possibilities and hazards. Facebook algorithms that influence tastes and buying decisions have gotten our attention, but what about AI programs that allow authoritarian governments to influence citizens’ perceptions and political preferences? Full of fascinating science and cultural context, this audio will make people be more wary about how powerful interests might use AI to alter our mental habits and even what it means to be human. T.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
