Loved itCode Dependent, four stars.
Review 1 of 2
Code-Dependent (2024)
Others: Positive Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly. A riveting story of what it means to be human in a world changed by artificial intelligence, revealing the perils and inequities of our growing reliance on automated decision-making On the surface, a British poet, an UberEats courier in Pittsburgh, an Indian doctor, and a Chinese activist in exile have nothing in common. But they are in fact linked by a profound common experience—unexpected encounters with artificial intelligence. In Code Dependent, Murgia shows how automated systems are reshaping our lives all over the world, from technology that marks children as future criminals, to an app that is helping to give diagnoses to a remote tribal community. AI has already infiltrated our day-to-day, through language-generating chatbots like ChatGPT and social media. But it’s also affecting us in more insidious ways. It touches everything from our interpersonal relationships, to our kids’ education, work, finances, public services, and even our human rights. By highlighting the voices of ordinary people in places far removed from the cozy enclave of Silicon Valley, Code Dependent explores the impact of a set of powerful, flawed, and often-exploitative technologies on individuals, communities, and our wider society. Murgia exposes how AI can strip away our collective and individual sense of agency, and shatter our illusion of free will. The ways in which algorithms and their effects are governed over the coming years will profoundly impact us all. Yet we can’t agree on a common path forward. We cannot decide what preferences and morals we want to encode in these entities—or what controls we may want to impose on them. And thus, we are collectively relinquishing our moral authority to machines. In Code Dependent, Murgia not only sheds light on this chilling phenomenon, but also charts a path of resistance. AI is already changing what it means to be human, in ways large and small, and Murgia reveals what could happen if we fail to reclaim our humanity.
- ISBN:
- 9781250867391
- Length:
- 320 pages
Genres: nonfiction
Lists: …
Similar books
1 of 6
How AI Thinks
Nigel Toon
2024 · 320 pages · 2 reviews
Others: MixedTHE #2 TIMES BESTSELLER'Artificial intelligence is going to have a massive impact on everyone’s lives... an accessible and sensible read that helps demystify AI' Deborah Meaden, entrepreneur and star of Dragon's Den'Nigel Toon is a visionary leader in the field of artificial intelligence... a must-read' Marc Tremblay, Distinguished Engineer, MicrosoftThose who understand how AI thinks are about to win big.We are used to thinking of computers as being a step up from calculators - very good at storing information, and maybe even at playing a logical game like chess. But up to now they haven't been able to think in ways that are intuitive, or respond to questions as a human might. All that has changed, dramatically, in the past few years.Our search engines are becoming answer engines. Artificial intelligence is already revolutionising sectors from education to healthcare to the creative arts. But how does an AI understand sentiment or context? How does it play and win games that have an almost infinite number of moves? And how can we work with AI to produce insights and innovations that are beyond human capacity, from writing code in an instant to unfolding the elaborate 3D puzzles of proteins?We stand at the brink of a historic change that will disrupt society and at the same time create enormous opportunities for those who understand how AI thinks. Nigel Toon shows how we train AI to train itself, so that it can paint images that have never existed before or converse in any language. In doing so he reveals the strange and fascinating ways that humans think, too, as we learn how to live in a world shared by machine intelligences of our own creation.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also nonfiction72%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations28%21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act
Bob Joseph
2018 · 160 pages · 2 reviews
Others: PositiveA guide to understanding the Indian Act and its impact on generations of Indigenous Peoples, as well as an examination of how Indigenous Peoples can return to self-government, self-determination, and self-reliance.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also nonfiction77%BooksandLala loved both13%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations10%Mutual Aid
Dean Spade
2020 · 128 pages · 2 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveAround the world, people are faced with crisis after crisis, from the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change-induced fires, floods, and storms to the ongoing horrors of mass incarceration, brutal immigration enforcement, endemic gender violence, and severe wealth inequality. As governments fail to respond to—or actively engineer—each crisis, ordinary people are finding bold and innovative ways to share resources and support vulnerable members of their communities. This survival work, when done alongside social movement demands for transformative change, is called mutual aid. This book is about mutual aid: why it is so important, what it looks like, and how to do it. It provides a grassroots theory of mutual aid, describes how mutual aid has been a part of all larger, powerful social movements, and offers concrete tools for organizing, such as how to work in groups, decision-making process, how to prevent and address conflict, and how to deal with burnout. Mutual aid isn’t charity: it’s a form of organizing where people get to create new systems of care and generosity so we can survive.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also nonfiction78%BooksandLala loved both13%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations9%All in Her Head
Elizabeth Comen
2024 · 5 reviews
Others: PositiveThe fascinating history of women’s health as it’s never been told before. For as long as medicine has been a practice, women's bodies have been treated like objects to be practiced on: examined and ignored, idealized and sexualized, shamed, subjugated, mutilated, and dismissed. The history of women’s healthcare is a story in which women themselves have too often been voiceless—a narrative instead written from the perspective of men who styled themselves as authorities on the female of the species, yet uninformed by women’s own voices, thoughts, fears, pain and experiences. The result is a cultural and societal legacy that continues to shape the (mis)treatment and care of women. While the modern age has seen significant advancements in the medical field, the notion that female bodies are flawed inversions of the male ideal lingers on—as do the pervasive societal stigmas and lingering ignorance that shape women’s health and relationships with their own bodies. Memorial Sloan Kettering oncologist and medical historian Dr. Elizabeth Comen peels back the curtain on the collective medical history of women to reintroduce us to our whole bodies—how they work, the actual doctors and patients whose perspectives and experiences laid the foundation for today’s medical thought, and the many oversights that still remain unaddressed. With a physician’s knowledge and empathy, Dr. Comen follows the road map of the eleven organ systems to share unique and untold stories, drawing upon medical texts and journals, interviews with expert physicians, as well as her own experience treating thousands of women. Empowering women to better understand ourselves and advocate for care that prioritizes healthy and joyful lives—for us and generations to come—All in Her Head is written with humor, wisdom, and deep scientific and cultural insight. Eye-opening, sometimes enraging, yet always captivating, this shared memoir of women’s medical history is an essential contribution to a holistic understanding and much-needed reclaiming of women’s history and bodies.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also nonfiction78%BooksandLala loved both13%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations9%You're Invited
Jon Levy
2021 · 256 pages · 1 review
Others: Positive** A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USAToday Bestseller ** Regardless of what you want to accomplish, from growing your business, creating a great company culture, championing a social cause, or affecting your habits, you can’t do it alone. This guide to social dynamics shows how the people around you define your success (whatever that means for you) and have the potential to change the course of your life. That’s what You’re Invited is the art and science of human connection and the most universal strategy for success―creating meaningful connections with those who can impact you, your life, and the things you care about. But how do you make those connections and build trust quickly? What do you do if you’re introverted or hate networking? Behavioral scientist Jon Levy had no money, reputation or status, but was able to convince groups of Nobel Laureates, Olympians, celebrities, Fortune 500 executives, and even an occasional princess to not only give him advice, but cook him dinner, wash his dishes, sweep his floors, and then thank him for the experience. The goal of his gatherings, much like this book, was not networking, but to build meaningful and lasting relationships. This private community based around the dinner experience became known as “The Influencers”, named for the member’s success and industry influence. Since its inception more than a decade ago, The Influencers has grown into the largest private group of its kind worldwide, with a thriving community both in person and through digital experiences. In You’re Invited, Levy draws on years of experience as a behavioral scientist to guide readers through the art and science of creating deep and meaningful connections with anyone, regardless of their stature or celebrity, and demonstrates how we develop influence, gain trust, and build community so that we can impact our communities and achieve what’s important to us. This book provides a blueprint for genuine influence, The Influence Master the author’s simple formula―Influence = (Connection × Trust) Sense of Community―and apply it to your personal and professional life.Building Trust Learn the science behind vulnerability loops and why asking for help―not offering it―is the fastest way to forge deep, authentic bonds with colleagues and industry leaders.Community Go behind the scenes of "The Influencers," a legendary private dinner party that brings together Nobel laureates and celebrities, and learn how to create your own thriving community.Beyond For introverts and extroverts alike, this guide offers actionable strategies to move past awkward small talk and create meaningful, lasting relationships that enrich every aspect of your life.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also nonfiction81%BooksandLala loved both13%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations6%Read Your Color: Discover Your Reading Type and Build a Life-Changing Love of Books
Steven J. Reese
2026 · 1 review
Others: PositiveGet more out of reading with this radical guide to shelf-improvement, which reveals your core preferences and helps you choose books based on why you read, not what you’ve read before. Includes the viral Read Your Color quiz taken by more than two million people! “A fun and insightful approach to cultivating both a habit of reading and a love of reading.”—Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well Read Your Color introduces a six-type system that identifies the essential desires you have as a reader and builds a personalized plan from there. Are you a Red reader who craves intensity and stakes? A Blue reader seeking emotional resonance and truth? A Green reader looking for clarity and real-world application? Whoever you are, this framework gives you a vocabulary for your reading impulses and a map for reading well. The book isn’t just a diagnostic manual; it’s a step-by-step guide to transformation designed to help you fall (or fall back) in love with books. Think of it as a personal trainer for your reading life. In Read Your Color, you'll learn how to break free from algorithmic and genre-based reading habits expand your literary range without losing your core preferences build a sustainable rhythm that makes reading feel less like a chore and more like a reward With honest cultural observations, tested psychological insights, and a practical 120-day plan, Read Your Color meets you where you are—scrolling, burned out, distracted—and shows you what’s possible on the other side of a truly meaningful reading life. Read Your Color doesn't ask you to try harder. It gives you the tools to fall in love with reading, and with who you become when you read the right way.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
Also nonfiction81%BooksandLala loved both14%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations5%
Loved it