Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure That AI Works for Us
Gary F. Marcus
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
How Big Tech is taking advantage of us, how AI is making it worse, and how we can create a thriving, AI-positive world. On balance, will AI help humanity or harm it? AI could revolutionize science, medicine, and technology, and deliver us a world of abundance and better health. Or it could be a disaster, leading to the downfall of democracy, or even our extinction. In Taming Silicon Valley, Gary Marcus, one of the most trusted voices in AI, explains that we still have a choice. And that the decisions we make now about AI will shape our next century. In this short but powerful manifesto, Marcus explains how Big Tech is taking advantage of us, how AI could make things much worse, and, most importantly, what we can do to safeguard our democracy, our society, and our future. Marcus explains the potential--and potential risks--of AI in the clearest possible terms and how Big Tech has effectively captured policymakers. He begins by laying out what is lacking in current AI, what the greatest risks of AI are, and how Big Tech has been playing both the public and the government, before digging into why the US government has thus far been ineffective at reining in Big Tech. He then offers real tools for readers, including eight suggestions for what a coherent AI policy should look like--from data rights to layered AI oversight to meaningful tax reform--and closes with how ordinary citizens can push for what is so desperately needed. Taming Silicon Valley is both a primer on how AI has gotten to its problematic present state and a book of activism in the tradition of Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book and Thomas Paine's Common Sense. It is a deeply important book for our perilous historical moment that every concerned citizen must read.
Product Details
Price
$18.95
$17.62
Publisher
MIT Press
Publish Date
September 17, 2024
Pages
240
Dimensions
5.2 X 7.9 X 0.8 inches | 0.55 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780262551069
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Gary Marcus is a leading voice in artificial intelligence, well known for his challenges to contemporary AI. He is a scientist and best-selling author and was founder and CEO of Geometric.AI, a machine learning company acquired by Uber. A Professor Emeritus at NYU, he is the author of five previous books, including the bestseller Guitar Zero, Kluge (one of The Economist's eight best books on the brain and consciousness), and Rebooting AI (with Ernest Davis), one of Forbes's seven must-read books on AI.
Reviews
"This might be the most important book you read this year -- a brilliant dissection of current AI and why we need to do better."
-- Annie Duke, author of Thinking in Bets and Quit "This polemic, by a cognitive scientist and startup founder, calls for stricter regulation of A.I. It begins with problems posed by generative A.I. (the kind that spits out text, images, and other data, and which currently fuels the largest A.I. companies' businesses). These include misinformation, pornographic deepfakes, impersonation scams, and the use of publicly available material as training data, which Marcus equates to a "land grab." His warnings are framed by critiques of A.I. development's current direction, which has privileged deep learning over potentially more fruitful methods, and of what he argues is the tech industry's moral decline."
--the New Yorker's "Briefly Noted" "With passion and expertise, Marcus sounds a strong call to action."
--Kirkus Reviews, KIRKUS STAR
"Marcus also makes a persuasive case for more ambitious policies, arguing that because AI will likely render some jobs obsolete, the federal government should consider instituting a universal basic income to cushion those affected. Shrewd and levelheaded, this provides plenty to ponder."
--Publishers Weekly "An honest must read...very accessible. It paints a very clear picture of both the benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence. We need to prepare for, not react to, the coming changes. Reacting will be too late. The danger is that governments tend to move too slowly while a few tech corporations are moving much faster and in questionable directions. Reading this book will help people understand that we need to pressure governments now to move faster so that we can gain the benefits while minimizing the risks inherent in AI."
--Forbes "[A] sweeping polemic about how Big Tech will run roughshod over consumers and American democracy itself absent regulatory intervention."
--Politico "Mighty."
--The New York Review of Books
-- Annie Duke, author of Thinking in Bets and Quit "This polemic, by a cognitive scientist and startup founder, calls for stricter regulation of A.I. It begins with problems posed by generative A.I. (the kind that spits out text, images, and other data, and which currently fuels the largest A.I. companies' businesses). These include misinformation, pornographic deepfakes, impersonation scams, and the use of publicly available material as training data, which Marcus equates to a "land grab." His warnings are framed by critiques of A.I. development's current direction, which has privileged deep learning over potentially more fruitful methods, and of what he argues is the tech industry's moral decline."
--the New Yorker's "Briefly Noted" "With passion and expertise, Marcus sounds a strong call to action."
--Kirkus Reviews, KIRKUS STAR
"Marcus also makes a persuasive case for more ambitious policies, arguing that because AI will likely render some jobs obsolete, the federal government should consider instituting a universal basic income to cushion those affected. Shrewd and levelheaded, this provides plenty to ponder."
--Publishers Weekly "An honest must read...very accessible. It paints a very clear picture of both the benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence. We need to prepare for, not react to, the coming changes. Reacting will be too late. The danger is that governments tend to move too slowly while a few tech corporations are moving much faster and in questionable directions. Reading this book will help people understand that we need to pressure governments now to move faster so that we can gain the benefits while minimizing the risks inherent in AI."
--Forbes "[A] sweeping polemic about how Big Tech will run roughshod over consumers and American democracy itself absent regulatory intervention."
--Politico "Mighty."
--The New York Review of Books
