The Loop: How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back
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- Create Date：2022-04-24 06:51:49
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- Author：Jacob Ward
- ISBN：0316487201
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Summary
This eye-opening narrative journey into the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence reveals the dangerous ways AI is exploiting the unconscious habits of our minds—and the real threat it poses to humanity。
"The best book I have ever read about AI。" -Roger McNamee， New York Times bestselling author of Zucked
Artificial intelligence is going to change the world as we know it。 But the real danger isn't some robot that's going to enslave us: It's our own brain。 Our brains are constantly making decisions using shortcuts， biases， and hidden processes—and we're using those same techniques to create technology that makes choices for us。 In The Loop， award-winning science journalist Jacob Ward reveals how we are poised to build all of our worst instincts into our AIs， creating a narrow loop where each generation has fewer， predetermined， and even dangerous choices。
Taking us on a world tour of the ongoing， real-world experiment of artificial intelligence， The Loop illuminates the dangers of writing dangerous human habits into our machines。 From a biometric surveillance state in India that tracks the movements of over a billion people， to a social media control system in China that punishes deviant friendships， to the risky multiple-choice simplicity of automated military action， Ward travels the world speaking with top experts confronting the perils of their research。 Each stop reveals how the most obvious patterns in our behavior—patterns an algorithm will use to make decisions about what's best for us—are not the ones we want to perpetuate。
Just as politics， marketing， and finance have all exploited the weaknesses of our human programming， artificial intelligence is poised to use the patterns of our lives to manipulate us。 The Loop is call to look at ourselves more clearly—our most creative ideas， our most destructive impulses， the ways we help and hurt one another-so we can put only the best parts of ourselves into the thinking machines we create。
"The best book I have ever read about AI。" -Roger McNamee， New York Times bestselling author of Zucked
Artificial intelligence is going to change the world as we know it。 But the real danger isn't some robot that's going to enslave us: It's our own brain。 Our brains are constantly making decisions using shortcuts， biases， and hidden processes—and we're using those same techniques to create technology that makes choices for us。 In The Loop， award-winning science journalist Jacob Ward reveals how we are poised to build all of our worst instincts into our AIs， creating a narrow loop where each generation has fewer， predetermined， and even dangerous choices。
Taking us on a world tour of the ongoing， real-world experiment of artificial intelligence， The Loop illuminates the dangers of writing dangerous human habits into our machines。 From a biometric surveillance state in India that tracks the movements of over a billion people， to a social media control system in China that punishes deviant friendships， to the risky multiple-choice simplicity of automated military action， Ward travels the world speaking with top experts confronting the perils of their research。 Each stop reveals how the most obvious patterns in our behavior—patterns an algorithm will use to make decisions about what's best for us—are not the ones we want to perpetuate。
Just as politics， marketing， and finance have all exploited the weaknesses of our human programming， artificial intelligence is poised to use the patterns of our lives to manipulate us。 The Loop is call to look at ourselves more clearly—our most creative ideas， our most destructive impulses， the ways we help and hurt one another-so we can put only the best parts of ourselves into the thinking machines we create。
Reviews
S。 M。
，
This might have been a 2-3 star book had the author not insisted on frequently injecting his politics into every chapter。 What a great way to alienate a decent portion of your audience。 He uses examples like music/video sites using algorithms to recommend other things， and to him that all boils down to: "Well ok， since I can't choose durr hurr！" I hate to tell you this， but recommendations are how people discover new and potentially awesome things （not everything out there is made with a cookie This might have been a 2-3 star book had the author not insisted on frequently injecting his politics into every chapter。 What a great way to alienate a decent portion of your audience。 He uses examples like music/video sites using algorithms to recommend other things， and to him that all boils down to: "Well ok， since I can't choose durr hurr！" I hate to tell you this， but recommendations are how people discover new and potentially awesome things （not everything out there is made with a cookie cutter either）。 Ward's final chapter was meant to suggest ways to "fight back" against the very real and serious threat of automated bias， but instead he decided to pander to the covid narrative and rave about how great Big Pharma and their shots are （and justify their lack of liability for injuries）？ Not sure how taking a leaky shot is going to solve our looming AI problems， but maybe that's just me。 Ward ends on a note that basically says that we as humans are too stupid to do anything about this （thus negating the "hopeful" subtitle of the book itself）， because we're all sheep and when given any opportunity to not have to think for ourselves， we'll always take it。 This book is not worth your time。 。。。more
David
，
This is not the first book addressing the dangers of tech/algorithms/AI。However， I liked the unique approach of looking through the lens of 3 concentric loops:1。 Human behavior - our natural tendencies and autopilot functions2。 Modern forces - consumer tech， capitalism， marketing， politics etc3。 Algorithms/AIThe Loop refers to the 3rd and outermost loop which uses autonomous tech to weaponize the 2nd loop to exploit the 1st loop。This is how the author describes the threat:"we’re guided by uncons This is not the first book addressing the dangers of tech/algorithms/AI。However， I liked the unique approach of looking through the lens of 3 concentric loops:1。 Human behavior - our natural tendencies and autopilot functions2。 Modern forces - consumer tech， capitalism， marketing， politics etc3。 Algorithms/AIThe Loop refers to the 3rd and outermost loop which uses autonomous tech to weaponize the 2nd loop to exploit the 1st loop。This is how the author describes the threat:"we’re guided by unconscious tendencies， but we rarely detect it when they are analyzed and played upon。 Now throw pattern-recognition technologies and decision-guidance strategies at us。 And do it all in a society that doesn’t have the long-term sensibilities in our policies and in our programming to recognize and regulate something that will determine the future of the species。" 。。。more
Tiff B
，
Author is inconsistent in his thinking and confuses AI with big data （apparently everything is AI）。 He discusses interesting projects and studies， but doesn't draw things together in cogent sort of way。 I listened to the audio version so may have missed out on graphics， but he also never actually explains why he calls it "The Loop" （it's actually three "loops"， but the "looping" mechanisms are unclear）。 Ward puts up a lot of straw man arguments to make his points and jumps to conclusions without Author is inconsistent in his thinking and confuses AI with big data （apparently everything is AI）。 He discusses interesting projects and studies， but doesn't draw things together in cogent sort of way。 I listened to the audio version so may have missed out on graphics， but he also never actually explains why he calls it "The Loop" （it's actually three "loops"， but the "looping" mechanisms are unclear）。 Ward puts up a lot of straw man arguments to make his points and jumps to conclusions without addressing obvious flaws in studies or questions that any good researcher would consider。 Overall， i'ts a moderately interesting survey of concepts but mediocre in execution。 。。。more
Sharon
，
I think that everyone should put down their devices and read this book！ If we don’t implement some structure then all aspects of our lives will be manipulated！ Let’s focus on using AI to help us！
Stacey
，
Mostly synthesizing stuff I've already encountered， but good emphasis/angle on the reinforcing loops。 It's gonna be a tough battle for us humans。 Mostly synthesizing stuff I've already encountered， but good emphasis/angle on the reinforcing loops。 It's gonna be a tough battle for us humans。 。。。more
Colin Thomas
，
Really fantastic book。 Firstly， it’s a great companion piece to “Thinking Fast and Slow” with lots of great applications of Kahneman and Tversky’s work。 But secondly， and more importantly， I really thought this book did a great job of centering the galvanizing stories about weaknesses in human judgment and absurd advances in tech around ethics。 I’ve read many things that dazzle with what the technical future might look like and many thinks that similarly dazzle with the ways human judgement is f Really fantastic book。 Firstly， it’s a great companion piece to “Thinking Fast and Slow” with lots of great applications of Kahneman and Tversky’s work。 But secondly， and more importantly， I really thought this book did a great job of centering the galvanizing stories about weaknesses in human judgment and absurd advances in tech around ethics。 I’ve read many things that dazzle with what the technical future might look like and many thinks that similarly dazzle with the ways human judgement is fallible and vulnerable。 But oftentimes what I read is morally neutral or， much worse， in favor of using these two realities for business gain。 I really liked the ethical questions and perspectives of this book。 。。。more
Polly Callahan
，
recommended by Cal Newport
Brian
，
AI is making it seem like we are consciously making choices but in reality we are often the product of carefully chosen algorithms leading us down the chute to our destruction。 We’re not longer free。 How do we resist？ This book was helpful thinking through the potential pitfalls of AI and the effects it will have on us now and our children in years to come。
Ietrio
，
Just like fundamentalist preachers blaming earthquakes on homosexuality， Ward， a preacher with no qualifications himself， blames technology for the ”lack of choice”。And while the earthquakes are real， the ”lack of choice” is only compared with the Nirvana in Ward's mind。 Or think of the European kings only a few centuries ago: they would have the choice to die from a large number of diseases， or which one of their children would survive enough for them to pass the land and the crown。 Just like fundamentalist preachers blaming earthquakes on homosexuality， Ward， a preacher with no qualifications himself， blames technology for the ”lack of choice”。And while the earthquakes are real， the ”lack of choice” is only compared with the Nirvana in Ward's mind。 Or think of the European kings only a few centuries ago: they would have the choice to die from a large number of diseases， or which one of their children would survive enough for them to pass the land and the crown。 。。。more
Mark Lawry
，
There are valid concerns here but perhaps a bit of fear mongering。 One of the larger subjects talked about is children using devices。 Now that I have two children of my own， I take the warnings of others that devices （aka iPhones） can be terribly addictive and damaging to children far more seriously than I did before I was a parent。 Ward argues that educational devices and apps have little to no educational value to children。 That these apps are said to be educational is just an excuse on our pa There are valid concerns here but perhaps a bit of fear mongering。 One of the larger subjects talked about is children using devices。 Now that I have two children of my own， I take the warnings of others that devices （aka iPhones） can be terribly addictive and damaging to children far more seriously than I did before I was a parent。 Ward argues that educational devices and apps have little to no educational value to children。 That these apps are said to be educational is just an excuse on our part to let our kids spend hours on these devices。 Ward unfortunately has it in for capitalism and has this leftist idea that profit is a bad thing。 His mantra through the book is that capitalism is bad and marked by companies that don't care about their products or customers。 The short of the book is that if companies use A。I。 in any profitable manner we're going to lose all choice and endless bad unknown things will result。 While A。I。 is terrible and dangerous it is possible society may be able to benefit from it。 As long as it is developed and controlled by the state。 For myself， I'm of the opinion that public and private entities have their place。 A。I。 can be hugely powerful in improving our lives。 This will be true because GoogleMaps will more easily get us around thick traffic and because the DMV will more easily help us renew our driver's licenses without us waiting in long lines。 That being said， there are real risks and deep ethical questions。 Ward enumerates just a few of them。 。。。more
James Yoon
，
A clear and cogent explanation of we are all playing "Russian Roulette" with technology。 While Ward summarizes and builds upon a number of well-known books on human bias and mental processing such as "Thinking， Fast and Slow" and "Influence，" he takes the observations from those books and builds his thesis as to how technology is shaping us as individuals and as a society。 Ward correctly points out that technology changes faster than our ability to understand its impact。 As a result， Ward believ A clear and cogent explanation of we are all playing "Russian Roulette" with technology。 While Ward summarizes and builds upon a number of well-known books on human bias and mental processing such as "Thinking， Fast and Slow" and "Influence，" he takes the observations from those books and builds his thesis as to how technology is shaping us as individuals and as a society。 Ward correctly points out that technology changes faster than our ability to understand its impact。 As a result， Ward believes that we are at risk of changing （and losing） what makes us human without making any conscious decision that such changes are wanted or beneficial。 An important point。 Definitely worth a read。 。。。more
Mark Keller
，
A head of its time， on time … loved it。 The stories， research and insight into the near future。 Fantastic
Sharyn Berg
，
This book could be interpreted as being just as scary as it is informative and educational about the use of artificial intelligence that impacts the lives of ordinary people。 Yes， we are being scanned and recorded much more often than we are aware of， and all of it purportedly for the common good。 However， history teaches us that what starts out for the common good often makes a drastic turn to our detriment and regret。 This book is extremely detailed and somewhat of a technical read with real l This book could be interpreted as being just as scary as it is informative and educational about the use of artificial intelligence that impacts the lives of ordinary people。 Yes， we are being scanned and recorded much more often than we are aware of， and all of it purportedly for the common good。 However， history teaches us that what starts out for the common good often makes a drastic turn to our detriment and regret。 This book is extremely detailed and somewhat of a technical read with real life examples scattered within about the pluses and minuses of AI。 You will learn much， and perhaps be more wary of who might be watching you… Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read copy。 。。。more
Cyril George
，
Loved the simplicity with which the author explains complex concepts。 If this is your first book on AI it could be kind off scary， but if you have been reading about how cool AI is then this is different perspective to be cognizant off。
Leighellen Landskov
，
The Loop was a fascinating if not terrifying non fiction book that looks at AI technology， the way we use social media algorithms， and how pattern recognition technology is changing social behavior and the lack of moral structure surrounding it。 "We are on the verge of reprogramming not only the planet， but one another， for efficiency and profit。 We are turning systems loose that will fundamentally reshape our behavior。"I have always been leary of social media， so I found this book fascinating。 The Loop was a fascinating if not terrifying non fiction book that looks at AI technology， the way we use social media algorithms， and how pattern recognition technology is changing social behavior and the lack of moral structure surrounding it。 "We are on the verge of reprogramming not only the planet， but one another， for efficiency and profit。 We are turning systems loose that will fundamentally reshape our behavior。"I have always been leary of social media， so I found this book fascinating。 It starts off DEEP。。。going way back to over 100 years ago with scientist doing experiments on soldiers。 Before the book explains AI technology and the ways it is effecting us， the book dives into how our brains work， why we make the decisions we do and how much we don't know about how our bodies work。 The author looks at behavior， technology， marketing， politics， and how we THINK we are getting so autonomous but in reality our choices are shrinking。 "Human behavior is being supercharged by capitalist efficiency， human agency is under threat from systems packaged for our unconscious acceptance。"He uses an array of examples and studies， from gambling apps to surveillance tracking， spotify suggestions to driving routes， facial recognition software to Facebook groups。 He shows us how algorithms built to do one thing may be used to do so much more and you aren't even aware of it。 And why this is NOT a good thing。"AI cannot be trusted to absorb our values， because acting on our values is often inefficient and costly。 Doing the right thing often feels wrong， which is why we should make sure who we want to be in the first place。 We are capable， as a society， of making choices and rules based on something softer and messier and more important than data。"This book is very technological but it is also fascinating and well researched。 If you really want to know what's out there， what we're doing with the technology we have， and where we are going with it， you should read this book！ Thank you to Hachette Books and #hsSocialClub for sending this to me to read and review。 If you want to see more of what I'm reading each day， follow me on my BookstagramTo watch my monthly updates and author chats， check out my Book Tube channelTo read my in depth reviews and see author Q&A's， head to my blogAll audio books are from Libro FM to support my local bookstore， The Book Bar in Denver。 。。。more
Marie
，
Mars is the most survivable planet in our solar system。 Except that the poles are -200 degrees Fahrenheit at night and there is not much oxygen at many locations。 The journey to Mars takes between 300 and 400 days。 Humans have ever been in space for that long of a period of time。 Besides the endless possibilities of danger in space travel， 300 to 400 days of confinement has proven in test studies to not have positive outcomes。Scientists look for planets not in our solar system to sustain human l Mars is the most survivable planet in our solar system。 Except that the poles are -200 degrees Fahrenheit at night and there is not much oxygen at many locations。 The journey to Mars takes between 300 and 400 days。 Humans have ever been in space for that long of a period of time。 Besides the endless possibilities of danger in space travel， 300 to 400 days of confinement has proven in test studies to not have positive outcomes。Scientists look for planets not in our solar system to sustain human life。 Proxima Centauri is only 4。2 light years away。 Which at a speed of 20，000 miles per hour， translates to more than 130，00 years of space travel。 。。。more
Fred Moody
，
Lucid， persuasive， thorough…beautifully written and arguedThis book is infinitely deeper and broader than its title and subtitle suggest。 Ward draws on research and study of the brain going back more than 100 years， and spends a good half of this book delineating the human context within which artificial intelligence is beginning to wreak its havoc。 He then takes us through the current state of artificial intelligence， and its deployment in social casino gaming （as insidious a product as has eve Lucid， persuasive， thorough…beautifully written and arguedThis book is infinitely deeper and broader than its title and subtitle suggest。 Ward draws on research and study of the brain going back more than 100 years， and spends a good half of this book delineating the human context within which artificial intelligence is beginning to wreak its havoc。 He then takes us through the current state of artificial intelligence， and its deployment in social casino gaming （as insidious a product as has ever been marketed）， consumerism， law enforcement， and many other areas of our lives where we have no idea how powerfully it is constricting us。 It is important to note that， as dire as prospects are for those of us living in a capitalist society in thrall to the deployment of AI， Ward offers a good recipe for hope。 I’ve read countless jeremiads about technology， but his stands alone for that note of hope， as well as for the clarity of its writing， the gentle persuasiveness of its argument， and for its narrative power。 Ward has been on a long journey （nearly 20 years long）， and he gives us just enough of his personal story throughout to add a compelling dimension to his book。 He is an exceptionally eloquent writer on this subject—a rarity in technology coverage。 An example: “We are capable as a society of making choices and rules based on something softer， messier， more important than the data， something we can all sense but can’t quite see， something that touches on the human emotions we all share， the immeasurable but unmistakable dark matter of our minds。” 。。。more
femily
，
Read IT in ONE DAY。 #audible OMG pretend you are having a dinner party with your smartest， funnest friends - and you're talking about how technology is （negatively） affecting our agency and authenticity and what the eff we can do about it。 This is literally that book and I am HERE for it。 Fresh。 Surprising。 Very informed （not just opinions）！Not a "downer" but makes me feel I can make a change that will matter。 Read IT in ONE DAY。 #audible OMG pretend you are having a dinner party with your smartest， funnest friends - and you're talking about how technology is （negatively） affecting our agency and authenticity and what the eff we can do about it。 This is literally that book and I am HERE for it。 Fresh。 Surprising。 Very informed （not just opinions）！Not a "downer" but makes me feel I can make a change that will matter。 。。。more
Kari
，
Does it seem that algorithms， AI and other forms of technology are now making decisions on what we see， changing the way we do things， taking over the things we used to do and slowly limiting our choices over our own lives？ Well that is why THE LOOP is such a sensational read in opening our eyes and grasping the knowledge of just how little control we will have left if we don’t make a change。 When we allow a machine to make decisions and to think for us; we are giving up on our humanity。 We need Does it seem that algorithms， AI and other forms of technology are now making decisions on what we see， changing the way we do things， taking over the things we used to do and slowly limiting our choices over our own lives？ Well that is why THE LOOP is such a sensational read in opening our eyes and grasping the knowledge of just how little control we will have left if we don’t make a change。 When we allow a machine to make decisions and to think for us; we are giving up on our humanity。 We need to take the best parts of ourselves and keep it， instead of putting it into a machine。 。。。more
Anneke
，
Book Review: The Loop - How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight BackAuthor: Jacob WardPublisher: Hachette BooksPublication Date: January 25， 2022Review Date: December 30， 2021I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。From the blur:“This eye-opening narrative journey into the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence reveals the dangerous ways AI is exploiting the unconscious habits of our minds—and the real threat it p Book Review: The Loop - How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight BackAuthor: Jacob WardPublisher: Hachette BooksPublication Date: January 25， 2022Review Date: December 30， 2021I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。From the blur:“This eye-opening narrative journey into the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence reveals the dangerous ways AI is exploiting the unconscious habits of our minds—and the real threat it poses to humanity。Artificial intelligence is going to change the world as we know it。 But the real danger isn't some robot that's going to enslave us: It's our own brain。 Our brains are constantly making decisions using shortcuts， biases， and hidden processes—and we're using those same techniques to create technology that makes choices for us。 In The Loop， award-winning science journalist Jacob Ward reveals how we are poised to build all of our worst instincts into our AIs， creating a narrow loop where each generation has fewer， predetermined， and even dangerous choices。 Taking us on a world tour of the ongoing， real-world experiment of artificial intelligence， The Loop illuminates the dangers of writing dangerous human habits into our machines。 From a biometric surveillance state in India that tracks the movements of over a billion people， to a social media control system in China that punishes deviant friendships， to the risky multiple-choice simplicity of automated military action， Ward travels the world speaking with top experts confronting the perils of their research。 Each stop reveals how the most obvious patterns in our behavior—patterns an algorithm will use to make decisions about what's best for us—are not the ones we want to perpetuate。 Just as politics， marketing， and finance have all exploited the weaknesses of our human programming， artificial intelligence is poised to use the patterns of our lives to manipulate us。 The Loop is call to look at ourselves more clearly—our most creative ideas， our most destructive impulses， the ways we help and hurt one another-so we can put only the best parts of ourselves into the thinking machines we create。”———This is a fantastic look at our world as it is， right now technologically， especially revelations about how AI is making its way into our world。 This is a very technical book， and I could take in only maybe 50% of it。 But if you’re technically minded， I highly recommend reading The Loop。Thank you to Hachette Books for giving me early access to this important book。 And best of luck to science writer Jacob Ward in his continued career。This review will be posted on NetGalley and Goodreads。#netgalley #TheLoop #JacobWard #HachetteBooks #artificialintelligence #AI 。。。more
Steve's Book Stuff
，
Jacob Ward is an experienced science and technology journalist， and he's worried about where we humans are headed in our pursuit of， and relationship to Artificial Intelligence （AI）。 In this thought-provoking book Ward lays out his concerns and demonstrates how some of them are already playing out。Artificial Intelligence as a concept has been around since at least the 1950s。 Over the years funding for AI has waxed and waned as has the enthusiasm for， and perception of， its usefulness。 Roughly de Jacob Ward is an experienced science and technology journalist， and he's worried about where we humans are headed in our pursuit of， and relationship to Artificial Intelligence （AI）。 In this thought-provoking book Ward lays out his concerns and demonstrates how some of them are already playing out。Artificial Intelligence as a concept has been around since at least the 1950s。 Over the years funding for AI has waxed and waned as has the enthusiasm for， and perception of， its usefulness。 Roughly defined， AI is the ability of computers to reason， plan， and learn as a human would。 Today a form of AI known as machine learning is predominant， and is an often used tool of tech companies trying to influence us as we use the internet。 Machine learning software is based on pattern recognition。 The software is shown numerous examples of things and over time begins to recognize patterns and to be able to act on those patterns。 An easy to understand example might be the Netflix software that monitors your viewing habits and recommends movies and shows it thinks you might like。 It does this based on its observations of the viewing choices of others who've watched the shows you've watched。That pattern recognition is at the heart of Ward's concerns。 He argues that humans are not as rational as we might like to think we are。 We tend to make decisions based on instinct， gut feel and compulsions rather than on any logical reasoning of risk and probability。 As any Star Trek fan knows， we humans are much more the instinctual Captain Kirk than the logical Mr。 Spock。 Now with AI we are coupling our instincts and compulsions to computer systems designed to generate profits by feeding us what those instincts and compulsions will respond to。In the first part of the book the author lays out the research into how we humans make decisions and how much of our decision making is done from a subconscious level。 In the second part of the book he demonstrates how AI is finding patterns in our subconscious decision making and reinforcing them， and showing us how much of that reinforcement is for the profit of others， leaving us in a restricting loop of smaller and smaller individual choice。These AI deployments designed "not just [to] spot patterns in human behavior， but also to shape them" include finding ways to make online "for fun casino" gaming software more addictive and to entice players to move on to real gambling。 It can also include automating the placement of ads as we move around the internet to optimize sales。 Notice that the primary aim in both these examples is not to benefit us， the people who are subject to this software， but rather the companies deploying the software for profit。The book is， as I said， thought provoking， and Ward's metaphor of loops within loops constricting our choices is helpful。 But he does a better job in his discussion of our human decision-making mechanisms than in describing the ways in which AI is already harming us。 There is no discussion at all， for example， of how social media algorithms reinforce tribal responses to online （and real world） political discussion， at least a portion of which I suspect is the product of the deployment of AI。 Even so， if you are interested in a better understanding of the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence as it's being deployed right now you will find this book well worth the read。 Despite the topic it is not overly technical but rather is highly readable。 I give The Loop Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐。NOTE: I received an advanced reviewer's copy of this book through NetGalley and Hachette Books in exchange for a fair and honest review。 The book is generally available Saturday， January 25， 2022。 。。。more
shan
，
I was interested in THE LOOP because I’ve always been curious about AI & machine learning。 I would also say I’ve believed that the ease of technology does more good than harm; but after pouring over the chapters I had to admit that points were being made。 Pulling on his experience as a News Technology Correspondent & relationships he’s maintained with academics Jacob Ward presents a compelling case of why we all may be stuck in ‘the loop’。 Consider this: human nature is a series of patterns， we I was interested in THE LOOP because I’ve always been curious about AI & machine learning。 I would also say I’ve believed that the ease of technology does more good than harm; but after pouring over the chapters I had to admit that points were being made。 Pulling on his experience as a News Technology Correspondent & relationships he’s maintained with academics Jacob Ward presents a compelling case of why we all may be stuck in ‘the loop’。 Consider this: human nature is a series of patterns， we are predictable which makes us the perfect data set for AI & we’re content offloading mental work to machines。 Ward presents a series of recent happenings that demonstrates just how unchecked AI can misidentify， bankrupt & disorient people。 He also presents a starting point for a solution。 Perhaps， more industry players & businesses that rely heavily on AI could decide to train the machines to predict future outcomes instead of using our already unfair & unreliable behavioural patterns。 If refocused， we can break out of the feedback loop。 As the blurb puts it “The Loop is a call to look at ourselves more clearly--at our most creative ideas， and our most destructive impulses-so we can put only the best parts of ourselves into the thinking machines we create。” Interesting read & you have a recommendation from me if you’re interested in AI， machine learning， psychology & interesting developments around the world。 。。。more
Gabriel Nicholas
，
This book falls into the "Wake Up， Sheeple！" strain of anti-tech books。 Society， it argues， has been lulled into obsequiousness by capitalistic AI systems that prey on our unconscious instincts。 And we need to do something！ Before in one or two generations， we're all sheep！ Ward is a fine storyteller， but "The Loop" is filled with anti-tech tropes that feel at best， uninteresting and at worst， dogmatic。 This book falls into the "Wake Up， Sheeple！" strain of anti-tech books。 Society， it argues， has been lulled into obsequiousness by capitalistic AI systems that prey on our unconscious instincts。 And we need to do something！ Before in one or two generations， we're all sheep！ Ward is a fine storyteller， but "The Loop" is filled with anti-tech tropes that feel at best， uninteresting and at worst， dogmatic。 。。。more
Becky S
，
This non fiction book explores an important topic that affects all of us but we are mostly oblivious of。 The author discusses some thought provoking ideas， overall leaving me with more questions than answers。 If you’re interested in increasing your awareness about the ways technology is used to gather data about you and how this information is used to manipulate your choices， this book is a great place to start。Thank you to the publisher for a gifted ARC。
Patrick Pilz
，
One can just hope that "The Loop" will hit the top of the non-fiction best seller lists once it is being released。 While a few books have been written about AI and it impact， Jacob Ward takes it to a new level。 The theme of the book is that we basically give up our free will by consuming too much algorithmically calculated content instead of the human curated type of content。 It is not only that AI solution in our lives make sometimes harsh and bad decisions， we make these as well influenced by One can just hope that "The Loop" will hit the top of the non-fiction best seller lists once it is being released。 While a few books have been written about AI and it impact， Jacob Ward takes it to a new level。 The theme of the book is that we basically give up our free will by consuming too much algorithmically calculated content instead of the human curated type of content。 It is not only that AI solution in our lives make sometimes harsh and bad decisions， we make these as well influenced by AI。 Lots of references to previous books provide great context for the scholar as well as the novice on the topic。 。。。more
Jocelyn
，