Intelligent machines?
Artificial Intelligence explained in accurate and clear fashion
Understanding Artificial Intelligence, in order to exploit it better and more profitably, also from a human viewpoint – this is one of the most important tasks we all face, including companies and their managers. Once more, we need to first understand it, so as to be able to manage it as best as possible. This is why reading, very carefully, La scorciatoia. Come le macchine sono diventate intelligenti senza pensare in modo umano (The shortcut. Why intelligent machines do not think like us) is very useful – the most recent literary effort by Nello Cristianini who, in a little over 200 pages, makes for a reliable guide on such a complex topic.
Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bath, the author combines the history of this scientific venture with his personal story, and with the many technical and philosophical questions that still remain open. The result is a book that is technically accurate and trustworthy, yet also readable and intriguing in literary terms. Readers are led through a narrative subdivided into ten stages, or chapters, each one addressing questions that are essential to the understanding of Artificial Intelligence, such as, ‘What is intelligence?’, ‘Can machine overtake people?’, ‘Is it true that algorithms can influence us?’, ‘What are the psychological and social consequences of using social media?’. Thus, ranging from scientific concepts that are at the basis of this technology to wider implications for society, the book develops a coherent description of this vast field, employing tools from different disciplines and deliberately avoiding pointless abstractions, jargon and technical terms.
The final message is clear: technology is not enough, we also need to build a dialogue between natural and human sciences, as this is the only way to achieve a safe coexistence with this new form of intelligence. The last chapter in Cristianini’s book – “Regolare, non spegnere” (“Regulating, not unplugging”) – is key, in which the author writes, “We cannot realistically go back to a world without Artificial Intelligence, so we need to find ways to live safely with it. Researchers are working on a list of principles that every agent will have to respect, but any such list will need to be enforceable and verifiable (…) being designed in a way that enables some form of inspection. It will then be possible to expect safety, fairness, privacy, transparency, and all the other important requirements that legal scholars are debating…”.
La scorciatoia. Come le macchine sono diventate intelligenti senza pensare in modo umano (The shortcut. Why intelligent machines do not think like us)
Nello Cristianini
Il Mulino, 2023
Artificial Intelligence explained in accurate and clear fashion
Understanding Artificial Intelligence, in order to exploit it better and more profitably, also from a human viewpoint – this is one of the most important tasks we all face, including companies and their managers. Once more, we need to first understand it, so as to be able to manage it as best as possible. This is why reading, very carefully, La scorciatoia. Come le macchine sono diventate intelligenti senza pensare in modo umano (The shortcut. Why intelligent machines do not think like us) is very useful – the most recent literary effort by Nello Cristianini who, in a little over 200 pages, makes for a reliable guide on such a complex topic.
Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bath, the author combines the history of this scientific venture with his personal story, and with the many technical and philosophical questions that still remain open. The result is a book that is technically accurate and trustworthy, yet also readable and intriguing in literary terms. Readers are led through a narrative subdivided into ten stages, or chapters, each one addressing questions that are essential to the understanding of Artificial Intelligence, such as, ‘What is intelligence?’, ‘Can machine overtake people?’, ‘Is it true that algorithms can influence us?’, ‘What are the psychological and social consequences of using social media?’. Thus, ranging from scientific concepts that are at the basis of this technology to wider implications for society, the book develops a coherent description of this vast field, employing tools from different disciplines and deliberately avoiding pointless abstractions, jargon and technical terms.
The final message is clear: technology is not enough, we also need to build a dialogue between natural and human sciences, as this is the only way to achieve a safe coexistence with this new form of intelligence. The last chapter in Cristianini’s book – “Regolare, non spegnere” (“Regulating, not unplugging”) – is key, in which the author writes, “We cannot realistically go back to a world without Artificial Intelligence, so we need to find ways to live safely with it. Researchers are working on a list of principles that every agent will have to respect, but any such list will need to be enforceable and verifiable (…) being designed in a way that enables some form of inspection. It will then be possible to expect safety, fairness, privacy, transparency, and all the other important requirements that legal scholars are debating…”.
La scorciatoia. Come le macchine sono diventate intelligenti senza pensare in modo umano (The shortcut. Why intelligent machines do not think like us)
Nello Cristianini
Il Mulino, 2023