Hello World by Hannah Fry [Book Review]
A book about how we can be human in the ever-changing world of AI
A fantastically simplistic look into how AI is changing the world we live in. World-renowned lecturer in mathematics and public speaker, Dr Hannah Fry, gives us an eye-opening look into how algorithms are taking over many aspects of our life — but explains nicely how we can work in harmony with them. The book sets out to showcase both the good and bad side of algorithms, filled with little pockets of history and anecdotes to show us how far we’ve come, but also how far we have left to go.
Split into 7 topics — Power, Data, Justice, Medicine, Cars, Crime and Art — the book covers a range of different ways algorithms are being used in our everyday life and how reliant we’ve become on them. Fry imposes several ethical and philosophical questions, from what decisions should algorithms be able to make in our justice system, to whose life should a driverless car prioritise in the event of a catch-22.
The book sheds some light on how certain elements of machine learning works and provides an insight into how this technology can help issues such as spotting cancer quicker, to reducing the loss of human life in preventable accidents. However, it’s also discussed how the development of AI can be used menacingly for personal gain, where she uses the 2018 Facebook scandal as an awakening example. Fry leaves the reader with some thought-provoking questions as she discusses the impact human bias has on algorithms — especially around crime & justice — and how the need for AI regulation has never been so important
‘Hello World’ is the perfect book for someone with a rudimental understanding of AI & Machine Learning who wants to get a better understanding in the world we’re currently living in, and how algorithms are a part of it. And in a world where data is the new oil, it’s never been more important to understand.
“In the age of the algorithm, humans have never been more important” — Hannah Fry
