In Hello World she lifts the lid on their inner workings, demonstrates their power, exposes their limitations, and examines whether they really are an improvement on the humans they are replacing. Hannah Fry takes us on a tour of the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us. So how much should we rely on them? What kind of future do we want?

Welcome to the age of the algorithm, the story of a not-too-distant future where machines rule supreme, making important decisions - in healthcare, transport, finance, security, what we watch, where we go even who we send to prison. Yet a human can look you in the eye before passing sentence. Hello World Being Human in the Age of Algorithms by Hannah Fry (Author, University College London) Shortlisted for the 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize and the 2018 Royal Society Investment Science Book Prize 'A beautifully accessible guide.One of the best books yet written on data and algorithms. Who would you rather determined your fate - a human or an algorithm?Īn algorithm is more consistent and less prone to error of judgement. 'One of the best books yet written on data and serves a place on the bestseller charts.' ( The Times) Mixing mathematics and storytelling, this book asks the big questions about algorithms and humans-and their future together.Ī well-constructed tour of technology and its discontents?timely, too, given the increasing prominence of AI in our daily lives.Shortlisted for the 2018 Royal Society Investment Science Book Prize and 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize.

Hannah Fry makes algorithms sound not only quite interesting but an idea that we must understand better as they dominate more and more of our daily lives in ways we see and in many ways we don’t.

Hannah Fry is one of the best STEM explainers and popularizers today.įor a reader unfamiliar with the technical aspects of AI, this book offers among the best lay explanations of how algorithms work. ‘I think reading it will scare me.’ I can understand why. This short, sharp book on the power and dangers of algorithms offers one of the clearest explanations of a complex subject. Hannah Fry Doubleday 2018 256pp £18.99 ISBN 9780857525246 Buy this book from .uk ‘I don’t like the look of your book,’ my housemate says. Cathy O’Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction

I learned something on every page.Īn action-packed read during which you will be outraged, provoked, and challenged. With refreshing simplicity, Fry explains what AI, machine learning and complicated algorithms really mean.įascinating and funny.

Hello world book hannah fry