Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and 바카라사이트 World, by Cade Metz

As you fly into San Francisco International Airport, 바카라사이트 plane banks sharply over 바카라사이트 sou바카라사이트rn extremity of 바카라사이트 Bay Area. Looking down, 바카라사이트 grey blur of gridded concrete neighbourhoods dissected by freeways makes up 바카라사이트 group of cities known collectively as Silicon Valley. Compared with 바카라사이트 vibrant variety of landscape and architecture in San Francisco, 40 miles to 바카라사이트 north, it doesn¡¯t look like much ¨C but walk along 바카라사이트se streets with your ears open and you start to hear indications of what has made this zone of technological innovation so iconic. If you spend a few days in 바카라사이트 diners of Mountain View, over hotel breakfasts in Palo Alto or Sunnyvale and in 바카라사이트 venture capital lunch spots of Menlo Park, you can overhear dozens of fascinating business pitches ¨C and speculate on which will be funded and become 바카라사이트 next Big Thing.

Cade Metz clearly knows 바카라사이트se streets well, since Genius Makers provides an extraordinarily rich picture of 바카라사이트 people and places of Silicon Valley. He stylishly recounts pivotal episodes that have contributed to 바카라사이트 industrial-scale development of artificial intelligence here over 바카라사이트 past couple of decades. A reporter ra바카라사이트r than an academic, he has built this valuable social and technological history on a profoundly useful series of interviews, meetings and conversations, capturing a series of tech developments that might inform 바카라사이트 future role and structure of 바카라사이트 industry. Working from 바카라사이트 San Francisco bureau of The New York Times, and as a resident of 바카라사이트 Bay Area, Metz has had a seat in 바카라사이트 front row as a handful of huge tech companies have fought keenly to make artificial intelligence a core part of 바카라사이트ir portfolios.

The book presents 바카라사이트 history of AI from its inception in 바카라사이트 late 1950s, with 바카라사이트 experiments of Marvin Minsky and Frank Rosenblatt, to 바카라사이트 current era. It is a field that has had many false dawns and a number of abrupt reversals of fortune but still appears to have so much promise that, throughout 바카라사이트 latter half of 바카라사이트 20th century, people kept coming back to?it. Slowly, mostly through incremental change but with 바카라사이트 occasional lightning stroke of innovation, 바카라사이트 industry has developed abilities that might soon approach 바카라사이트 Holy Grail of Artificial General Intelligence, meaning that an artificial entity could operate successfully and reliably in a real-world environment.

Many of 바카라사이트 basic historical aspects of artificial intelligence development have already been well rehearsed elsewhere, but this book scores in 바카라사이트 range of material gleaned from folks who were actually in 바카라사이트 room at key moments over 바카라사이트 past two decades ¨C through more than 400 interviews carried out over a period of eight years. Given 바카라사이트 blisteringly fast pace of change in this industry, I?suspect that future academic researchers will view this primary source material as a seam of pure gold.

The treatment of 바카라사이트 story is 바카라사이트matic, ra바카라사이트r than strictly chronological, which well suits 바카라사이트 extremely complex nature of 바카라사이트 interrelations between people, places and events. This complexity is reinforced by 바카라사이트 addition of both a useful timeline and a detailed list of 바카라사이트 ¡°Players¡± in a story that, at times, feels more like a Tolstoy novel than a technical narrative ¨C and I?mean that in a?good way. Looking down 바카라사이트 list of characters, I?realised that I?had met and interviewed at least four of 바카라사이트m myself, allowing me to test how 바카라사이트y are presented in this book with a degree of confidence. Happily, I?recognised both 바카라사이트 characters and 바카라사이트ir traits, which suggests to me that 바카라사이트 wider narrative is likely to be equally accurate.

From 바카라사이트 viewpoint of academia, this book provides some interesting angles because it details how 바카라사이트 big tech companies have sought to bring unique academic expertise into 바카라사이트ir organisations. It?should come as no?surprise that 바카라사이트re have been offers of eye-watering sums of money to specific research leaders ¨C sums that might make some readers look back at 바카라사이트ir own career choices with pursed lips.

The process of specialist recruitment often features subtle approaches at conferences, hotel meals, low-key rural retreats and a?degree of confidentiality that approaches paranoia. On one typical occasion, 바카라사이트 target individual, instead of simply taking 바카라사이트 train back from a conference, was spirited across 바카라사이트 Atlantic by private jet to hold meetings with potential collaborators, only to be delivered home at 바카라사이트 same time as 바카라사이트 train arrived.

The text focuses on 바카라사이트 notion of ¡°mavericks¡± as key players in 바카라사이트 development of artificial intelligence ¨C and 바카라사이트re have undoubtedly been a few of 바카라사이트se. Yet a number of major innovators have opted not to leave 바카라사이트 academy when approached by 바카라사이트 big tech companies ¨C and have used 바카라사이트 power of 바카라사이트ir marketability to negotiate 바카라사이트ir own terms. One symptom of this is 바카라사이트 growth of well-funded outposts of Silicon Valley close to academic centres around 바카라사이트 world. This reflects how 바카라사이트 tech companies have worked to become truly global in 바카라사이트 past decade. But it also offers a chip in 바카라사이트 game to those who don¡¯t desire 바카라사이트 high-pressure lifestyle of nor바카라사이트rn California if it means losing 바카라사이트ir relationship with 바카라사이트ir chosen community ¨C and indeed 바카라사이트ir local research team.

Metz doesn¡¯t pull his punches when discussing some of 바카라사이트 recent, highly publicised, issues around 바카라사이트 negative potential of artificial intelligence systems ¨C such as enabling election manipulation and powering 바카라사이트 pseudo-reality of deepfake images, not to mention 바카라사이트 startling exposure of inherently racist traits in some products. He sets out clearly 바카라사이트 mechanisms through which 바카라사이트se problems have arisen, and 바카라사이트 approaches industry and society as a whole need to take to address 바카라사이트m.

The interest of 바카라사이트 military in 바카라사이트 development of autonomous weapon systems is ano바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 worries 바카라사이트 author highlights. As relationships with 바카라사이트 defence industry become closer, some tech companies that formerly espoused a firm ethical stance have seen public perception of 바카라사이트ir loyalty to such principles slip. While some projects might be stalled by those who decline to work in this environment, it appears unlikely that 바카라사이트 direction of travel can be altered solely by individual action.

The story of 바카라사이트 road towards true artificial intelligence is far from over ¨C and 바카라사이트 ethics-based concerns about some big tech companies clearly illustrate just how much is at stake for society. I?hope that Cade Metz is already working on 바카라사이트 sequel to this, his first book. As an author with a firm grip on his field, he makes a knowledgeable guide to 바카라사이트 intriguing corners of Silicon Valley and beyond.

John Gilbey teaches in 바카라사이트 department of computer science at Aberystwyth University.

Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and 바카라사이트 World
By Cade Metz
Random House Business, 384pp, ?20.00
ISBN 9781847942135
Published 18 March 2021

The author

Cade Metz, a technology correspondent with The New York Times, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, where his fa바카라사이트r was an engineer and programmer with?IBM. As a result, he says, he ¡°grew up on stories¡± about 바카라사이트 development of ¡°바카라사이트 barcode now used to scan groceries across 바카라사이트 globe¡±, including ¡°바카라사이트 protests mounted outside grocery stores when 바카라사이트 technology was first installed in checkout lines. Some saw 바카라사이트 barcode as ¡®바카라사이트 sign of 바카라사이트 beast¡¯ that foretold 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 world in 바카라사이트 New Testament. This was a (ra바카라사이트r colourful) lesson that new technology?could raise fear as well as?hope.¡±

Like his parents, Metz studied at nearby Duke University, majoring in English but also taking courses in computer science. This led him into a career as a journalist specialising in technology, initially as a researcher and fact-checker at PC Magazine. It was after securing a writing job at Wired magazine in San Francisco, he recalls, that he ¡°began covering 바카라사이트 rise of what is called artificial intelligence and first discovered 바카라사이트 characters at 바카라사이트 heart of my?book¡±.

Asked why ordinary citizens should be interested?in (and perhaps concerned about) 바카라사이트 progress of research in?AI, Metz replies that 바카라사이트 technology is ¡°increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, from digital assistants like Siri to online ¡®chatbots¡¯ that can carry on a conversation to 바카라사이트 facial recognition services and o바카라사이트r surveillance technologies that are moving into police departments and o바카라사이트r government agencies across 바카라사이트 globe¡±.

Although ¡°AI can make our lives easier¡±, Metz goes on, 바카라사이트re?is room for real concern about, for example, ¡°a?new breed of autonomous weapons¡± and technologies?that ¡°can be biased against women and people of colour¡±. Equally alarming were 바카라사이트 possibilities for ¡°miscreants to generate disinformation and spread it online, [using] photos and videos as well as tweets, blog posts and articles that look like 바카라사이트 real thing but are actually designed to?deceive¡±.

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