You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-25 09:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Janelle Shane
- ISBN：0316525227
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Summary
“A deft， informative， and often screamingly funny primer on the ways that machine learning can （and often does） go wrong。” —Margaret Harris， Physics World
“You look like a thing and I love you” is one of the best pickup lines ever…according to an artificial intelligence trained by the scientist Janelle Shane， creator of the popular blog AI Weirdness。 Shane creates silly AIs that learn how to name colors of paint， create the best recipes， and even flirt （badly） with humans—all to understand the technology that governs so much of our human lives。
We rely on AI every day， trusting it for matters both big and small， from unlocking our phones to hospital care。 But how smart is AI really…？ Shane delivers the answer to every AI question you’ve ever asked， and some you definitely haven’t—such as: How can a computer design the perfect sandwich？ What does robot-generated Harry Potter fan fiction sound like？ And is the world’s best Halloween costume really “vampire hog bride”？
In this smart， often hilarious introduction to the most interesting science of our time， Shane shows how these machines learn， fail， and adapt—and how they reflect both the best and worst of humanity。
"I can't think of a better way to learn about artificial intelligence， and I've never had so much fun along the way。" —Adam Grant， New York Times bestselling author of Originals
“You look like a thing and I love you” is one of the best pickup lines ever…according to an artificial intelligence trained by the scientist Janelle Shane， creator of the popular blog AI Weirdness。 Shane creates silly AIs that learn how to name colors of paint， create the best recipes， and even flirt （badly） with humans—all to understand the technology that governs so much of our human lives。
We rely on AI every day， trusting it for matters both big and small， from unlocking our phones to hospital care。 But how smart is AI really…？ Shane delivers the answer to every AI question you’ve ever asked， and some you definitely haven’t—such as: How can a computer design the perfect sandwich？ What does robot-generated Harry Potter fan fiction sound like？ And is the world’s best Halloween costume really “vampire hog bride”？
In this smart， often hilarious introduction to the most interesting science of our time， Shane shows how these machines learn， fail， and adapt—and how they reflect both the best and worst of humanity。
"I can't think of a better way to learn about artificial intelligence， and I've never had so much fun along the way。" —Adam Grant， New York Times bestselling author of Originals
Reviews
K Nijs
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Great introduction and somehow funny。 Somewhat repetitive in the end。 Same examples coming back in other AI literature。
StarMan
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IN SHORT: What the media calls "Artificial Intelligence" is anything but。 We are nowhere near such an accomplishment。 But our feeble attempts are not without some surprises and entertainment。VERDICT: 2。33 stars。 Repetitive and not deep enough。 But the tales of so-called "intelligent" programs/robots doing stupid things--or， more precisely， "solving" tasks in unexpected ways due to inadequate programming by humans--made this read worthwhile。P。S。 Do not volunteer to ride in a self-driving vehicle。 IN SHORT: What the media calls "Artificial Intelligence" is anything but。 We are nowhere near such an accomplishment。 But our feeble attempts are not without some surprises and entertainment。VERDICT: 2。33 stars。 Repetitive and not deep enough。 But the tales of so-called "intelligent" programs/robots doing stupid things--or， more precisely， "solving" tasks in unexpected ways due to inadequate programming by humans--made this read worthwhile。P。S。 Do not volunteer to ride in a self-driving vehicle。 。。。more
Aniketvishwarupe
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I have not read much on the AI but this gives a good idea about where the world is going with AI and what the future holds。 Easy read for non-technical guy like me。
Leo Alessi
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Pretty complete overviewA layman’s guide to why we don’t have to fear our robot overlords quite yet。 And hilarious to boot。 A+
Avolyn Fisher
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As someone who works in data science this book wasn't entirely new or groundbreaking but it does manage to cover some good ground， technically explicit， while speaking to the average reader who may not have a robust background in data or AI。 As someone who works in data science this book wasn't entirely new or groundbreaking but it does manage to cover some good ground， technically explicit， while speaking to the average reader who may not have a robust background in data or AI。 。。。more
Kylie
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Great， fun and informative look at artificial intelligence。 Makes me wonder if this review is going to be used in a training dataset。
Andy Parkes
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A really fun and accessible book about the current state of AI with genuine laugh out loud moments Having read this you'll be pleased to learn we're nowhere near the point where robots are about to rise up and take over the world， but still equally worried about some applications that are currently in use for the technology。 A really fun and accessible book about the current state of AI with genuine laugh out loud moments Having read this you'll be pleased to learn we're nowhere near the point where robots are about to rise up and take over the world， but still equally worried about some applications that are currently in use for the technology。 。。。more
Meghan Maloy
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Really fun read。 The first time in a while that I've read a book from cover to cover in one day。 Shane's writing style and sense of humor make a very complex topic accessible to people of all sorts of backgrounds。 Really fun read。 The first time in a while that I've read a book from cover to cover in one day。 Shane's writing style and sense of humor make a very complex topic accessible to people of all sorts of backgrounds。 。。。more
Glen Oliver
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Audience: Sci-tech nuts， Terminator fans， Entrepreneurs， Conspiracy Theorists， People afraid of AI after watching the "Alphago" documentary on YouTube， Siri and Alexa。The Good: Anecdotes about machine learning that will drop your jaw （either in profound amazement or laugh-out-loud hysterics）。 The Bad: The book could have gone into a bit more detail about the science behind machine learning and the big players in the world today。The Ugly: None。Verdict: A highly entertaining and informative read t Audience: Sci-tech nuts， Terminator fans， Entrepreneurs， Conspiracy Theorists， People afraid of AI after watching the "Alphago" documentary on YouTube， Siri and Alexa。The Good: Anecdotes about machine learning that will drop your jaw （either in profound amazement or laugh-out-loud hysterics）。 The Bad: The book could have gone into a bit more detail about the science behind machine learning and the big players in the world today。The Ugly: None。Verdict: A highly entertaining and informative read that makes one feel less anxious about the threat of AI running amok （but slightly more anxious about it not being smart enough for what we expect it to do）。 。。。more
Joanna
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Shane does a really good job of explaining a lot of complicated information clearly and coherently。 She’s also really funny: I love the affection that she evinces for these “creatures。”
Wafa Foufa
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"Our world is too complicated， too unexpected， too bizarre for an AI to have seen it all during training。 The emus will get loose， the kids will start wearing cockroach costumes， and people will ask about giraffes even when there aren’t any present。 AI will misunderstand us because it lacks the context to know what we really want it to do。"I'm glad I picked up this book because I was interested in AI but was afraid that the subject would be too hard to understand because I have zero knowledg "Our world is too complicated， too unexpected， too bizarre for an AI to have seen it all during training。 The emus will get loose， the kids will start wearing cockroach costumes， and people will ask about giraffes even when there aren’t any present。 AI will misunderstand us because it lacks the context to know what we really want it to do。"I'm glad I picked up this book because I was interested in AI but was afraid that the subject would be too hard to understand because I have zero knowledge of it。 Fortunately， this book was easy to follow， and the information was simply explained。 It was funny too， especially the examples and the illustrations。 It made me also realise that our brain is a masterpiece that no one but Allah can recreate。 "There’s every reason to be optimistic about AI and every reason to be cautious。 It all depends on how well we use it。And watch out for those hidden giraffes。" 。。。more
Jamie Emerson
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I picked this book up influenced by Yuval Noah Harari’s suggestion in Homo Deus that people wanting to understand the future should read all they can about AI and biotech。 It’s well worth a read。 Shane writes in a breezy， endearing and funny style but explains the key concepts clearly （for the most part）。 At times the book is a little repetitive， with a lot of signposting back to things previously outlined。 Moreover， there are a few assertions about the wider world that some readers will find ja I picked this book up influenced by Yuval Noah Harari’s suggestion in Homo Deus that people wanting to understand the future should read all they can about AI and biotech。 It’s well worth a read。 Shane writes in a breezy， endearing and funny style but explains the key concepts clearly （for the most part）。 At times the book is a little repetitive， with a lot of signposting back to things previously outlined。 Moreover， there are a few assertions about the wider world that some readers will find jarring。 However， overall I think this is a thoroughly worthwhile read that will entertain and educate in equal measure。 。。。more
Siobhan
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Funny and informative。 You won't come away from this thinking that AI is going to take over the world。 Instead， you'll get a better idea of how AI works and you'll be amused doing so。 Funny and informative。 You won't come away from this thinking that AI is going to take over the world。 Instead， you'll get a better idea of how AI works and you'll be amused doing so。 。。。more
Aggie Szymanska
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I didn't get very far into this book。 As someone with some ML experience from grad school， I didn't find this interesting or compelling in anyway。 What is the value （educational or entertainment wise） in unconstrained training with limited data to yield predictably stupid models / solutions？ Any other interesting tid bits I've already heard about。 I know others with my background who enjoyed it， but it's not for me。 I didn't get very far into this book。 As someone with some ML experience from grad school， I didn't find this interesting or compelling in anyway。 What is the value （educational or entertainment wise） in unconstrained training with limited data to yield predictably stupid models / solutions？ Any other interesting tid bits I've already heard about。 I know others with my background who enjoyed it， but it's not for me。 。。。more
Mary
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Very informative - I never thought of AI this way！
AJ Dickens
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I LOVE AI！ THEY'RE SO CUTE！ I LOVE AI！ THEY'RE SO CUTE！ 。。。more
Lucie
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If you have ever wondered about artificial intelligence （AI）， what it is， what it can and cannot do， and how does it affect me， this is the book for you。 Janelle Shane writes in a straightforward style that is easy to understand， reducing complex ideas into comprehensible language。 What can AI do？ What are the drawbacks of self-driving cars？ Do AI generated selections show human bias？ A fascinating subject written for the non scientific， non computer major， ordinary people that explains a comple If you have ever wondered about artificial intelligence （AI）， what it is， what it can and cannot do， and how does it affect me， this is the book for you。 Janelle Shane writes in a straightforward style that is easy to understand， reducing complex ideas into comprehensible language。 What can AI do？ What are the drawbacks of self-driving cars？ Do AI generated selections show human bias？ A fascinating subject written for the non scientific， non computer major， ordinary people that explains a complex subject in simple terms。 Highly recommended to anyone who has ever talked to a telephone computer， or interacted with a chat box on a website。 。。。more
Susannah
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A very entertaining read， with enough depth to at least help the reader start to understand what AI can and can't do， and why。 For my preferences it could have gone a little bit deeper in places， but it's a tricky balance and certainly having plenty of examples/illustrations of AI behaviour instead goes a long way towards making the broader concepts more intelligible。 A very entertaining read， with enough depth to at least help the reader start to understand what AI can and can't do， and why。 For my preferences it could have gone a little bit deeper in places， but it's a tricky balance and certainly having plenty of examples/illustrations of AI behaviour instead goes a long way towards making the broader concepts more intelligible。 。。。more
Emily
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What a fantastic， fun way to be introduced to the world of AI！ The examples Shane uses to illustrate her points about AI functionality and impact are hilarious and entertaining。 If you have no background or education in AI whatsoever， you can still enjoy this book and learn at the same time。 I strongly recommend the audiobook！
Dixie
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I laughed so hard， and I learned so much about AI！ I recommend this book whole-heartedly。
Jacob
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This was an excellent introduction to the world of AI and Machine Learning。 I loved the authors use of humor and illustration to break down the complexity of the material。
Dani
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This was fun。 The examples had me chuckling aloud。 Since I'm already somewhat familiar with machine learning and this is a very light touch， I don't know that I learned anything， but I enjoyed reading it anyhow。 This was fun。 The examples had me chuckling aloud。 Since I'm already somewhat familiar with machine learning and this is a very light touch， I don't know that I learned anything， but I enjoyed reading it anyhow。 。。。more
Alex Johnson
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A really fun and decently accessible read on AI。 To be fair， there were a few instances where even I， semi-knowledgeable comp sci person， didn't understand what Shane was explaining。 However， her plethora of real-life examples， clear explanations of what AI is good at and what it isn't and the various issues that can arise， and the adorable AI drawings made this great！ Recommend to anyone who wants to know a little more about the black box that is AI。 A really fun and decently accessible read on AI。 To be fair， there were a few instances where even I， semi-knowledgeable comp sci person， didn't understand what Shane was explaining。 However， her plethora of real-life examples， clear explanations of what AI is good at and what it isn't and the various issues that can arise， and the adorable AI drawings made this great！ Recommend to anyone who wants to know a little more about the black box that is AI。 。。。more
Tamara Bartlett
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I listened to this book and I loved it。 It's such a great explanation of the quirks and the pitfalls of AI。 As someone who works in tech， I know AI can't do everything。 It was great to hear a breakdown of all the interesting ways it fails I listened to this book and I loved it。 It's such a great explanation of the quirks and the pitfalls of AI。 As someone who works in tech， I know AI can't do everything。 It was great to hear a breakdown of all the interesting ways it fails 。。。more
Robert
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Irresistibly humorous and equally informative book about the weird pitfalls of AI。 While it does not contain any explanations of how AI algorithms actually do their pattern matching on a mathematical level， this book does an excellent job at summarizing the quirks and behaviors regarding input and output for AI。 Strongly recommended！
Daniel Beer
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Hilarious and informative。 You do not need to be familiar with this industry to enjoy the book。 I read a good portion out loud to the kids and they were laughing along with me。
LC
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Read this in almost one sitting - perfect for the interested layman who doesn't want to get involved with the technical detail。 Funny and concerning at the same time， the issue isn't that AI is too advanced， but rather， it's not advanced enough。 Examples include a recruitment AI， going by previous successful candidates and thus deselecting the women and ethnic minorities（！）， or a self-driving car unable to compute a kangaroo。 Funnier ones were suggesting "The Silence of Coconuts" as a heavy meta Read this in almost one sitting - perfect for the interested layman who doesn't want to get involved with the technical detail。 Funny and concerning at the same time， the issue isn't that AI is too advanced， but rather， it's not advanced enough。 Examples include a recruitment AI， going by previous successful candidates and thus deselecting the women and ethnic minorities（！）， or a self-driving car unable to compute a kangaroo。 Funnier ones were suggesting "The Silence of Coconuts" as a heavy metal band， and not knowing when to stop repeating the chorus of a song。This book isn't too long， though some may be tired by the frequent examples - I treated these as funny anecdotes rather than specifically illustrating points and enjoyed them。 。。。more
Sam Pidgeon
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Amazing book that gives a wonderful introduction into AI。 Recommend to everyone because algorithms are everywhere and it is useful to know how they work。
Brook
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A book about AI written by a very smart person who works with AI。 I enjoyed it thoroughly。 I think the author tries a bit to hard to make jokes in some places， coming out like a joke your uncle or aunt might say， but it's endearing more than anything else。 This author reminds me of one of my favorite authors， Mary Roach， in that it takes what are very complicated and inside-baseball topics and makes them more accessible to the average Joe/Jane。 While the writing is not as good as Roach （not a di A book about AI written by a very smart person who works with AI。 I enjoyed it thoroughly。 I think the author tries a bit to hard to make jokes in some places， coming out like a joke your uncle or aunt might say， but it's endearing more than anything else。 This author reminds me of one of my favorite authors， Mary Roach， in that it takes what are very complicated and inside-baseball topics and makes them more accessible to the average Joe/Jane。 While the writing is not as good as Roach （not a dig， Roach is one of the best conversational storytelling nonfiction writers out there）， it is still enjoyable and *very* clear。 For a young adult or adult who wants to learn more， from a layperson's perspective， about machine learning， this would be a great read。You will also see countless examples of times when you， you the reader of this review， have interacted with AI。 Most you know about， some you honestly did not。 And for those that you knew about， you learn how the AI interacts with you。 It also makes me never want to own a self-driving car。 Jeebus no。Very highly recommend this to fans of technology， and just smart folks explaining complex things simply。 Great， quick read。 。。。more
Iggi
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