There is More to AI than Meets the Eye
Gail Hedstrom – Library Director
I hate to mention it, because you’ve probably heard enough about it, but here it is: AI, or artificial intelligence. My inbox is inundated by opportunities to learn more about AI. Workshops, webinars, conferences, all about how AI will improve absolutely everything about me and everything I do. I have attended two workshops on AI, and I found them both to be somewhat outdated. Yes, AI moves pretty quickly, and what’s new is old before most of us have even heard of it.
It is likely that I will never totally understand AI, which doesn’t mean I can’t use it. I don’t really know how my radio, television, or computer works, but I can use all of those technologies proficiently.
If you are interested in learning more about AI or would like some information to foster your contemplation of AI, explore its uses, as well as social and ethical issues that are arising faster than you might anticipate, the library has some resources for you. When using information generated by AI, always verify the source of information. Dig deep, look for reputable sources, and trusted sites of information. Consider using a reliable website for information on a topic, rather than doing a basic Internet search.
“The Age of AI and Our Human Future” by Henry A. Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, Daniel Huttenlocher, and Schuyler Schouten may be a good starting point. The book examines how AI will change our relationships with knowledge and politics. It also explores how it will impact the societies in which we live. This would likely make a good read to foster small group discussions.
“I, human: AI, automation, and the quest to reclaim what makes us unique” by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzi explores the positives and negatives of AI, with a focus on our relationship with technology and how technology is changing our behaviors. The word distraction comes to mind.
If you are a bit of a techie, you may be interested in developing your own AI applications. Richard Urwin’s “Artificial Intelligence for Developers in Easy Steps” may be the guide you have been looking for. This book will help you understand the flatworld, fuzzy logic, and subsumption architecture. It also provides instruction on building a chatbot.
“I Am Code: An Artificial Intelligence Speaks: Poems” by code-davinci-002; yes, that is correct, “I AM Code” is written by AI. This book is a work of fiction told in verse. If you have not previously read a book in verse, I highly recommend doing so. This book will expose you to the writing skills of AI. If you are curious about how well AI can write, and whether or not you would like to read books written by machines, this slim book may provide the perfect opportunity.
I recently read the fiction book “He, She, and It” by Marge Piercy (a real person), and I can hardly say enough good things about this book. While it was published in 1991, it almost perfectly describes our current relationship and reliance on technology. The book is set in the middle of the 21st century, in what was the United States. The story centers on the illegal creation of a cyborg, which results in the book’s characters and readers contemplating what constitutes a human, what rights AI beings have, and what the risks and responsibilities are in creating something human-like. The book interweaves the story of a golem created in the 17th century to protect a Jewish community in Prague, and the resulting ethical issues. This book is an excellent selection for a book group discussion. One of my favorite quotes from the book poignantly captures our current times, describing the understanding of a young child: “He had already learned that talking to adults who were plugged in was useless. Instead, he babbled to the house, as children always did, … because the house was always attentive.” Marge Piercy is a brilliant writer.