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A review by tobyleblancauthor
Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation by Kevin Roose
4.0
A book about how to maintain humanity amidst algorithms speaks to one of the many anxieties we have to consider in this globalizing, climate changing, pandemicking world. Thankfully, it was not all doom and gloom. Similar to the The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, Roose lays out what's at stake with a sense of hope. He is quick to point out how we can avoid Skynet with interesting exceptions in form of people who dodge the automation bullet. And, of course, his nine rules are highly digestible and easy to understand, making staving off the Terminators seem easy.
Roose successfully argues that human's uniqueness (some would say messiness) is what is most valuable in the age of automation. The more we hand over the process of creativity and insight to the machines, the more they control us. The most enlightening concept Roose gave me was the machines will not take our humanity, we will just outsource our humanity to the machines. They, in turn, will just replicate themselves in us, making us as predictable and number driven as they are.
The linchpin in our automation is the current societal problems we already experience: sexism, racism... all the isms. Someone is creating the technology, programming the algorithms, and are subject to the same biases we all experience. Roose did a good job of naming his privilege. He gave examples of how automation has hurt oppressed communities (i.e. benefit applications denied on the basis of race by AI), but spent just a few paragraphs here and there exploring how unchecked AI and automation marginalize communities further, widening the ism gaps. He left his observations on this topic broad, encouraging other authors and innovators to continue the work (people who explore "consequences," as he calls them) instead of using his research to pinpoint specific places where our humanity is already at risk. I would have enjoyed an entire chapter devoted to how we currently automate our ability to oppress. Roose missed a chance to give us enough information to start the revolution to take our humanity back, helping us to be proactive instead of cleaning up the consequences.
Where Roose leaves us is to let us stew on the way we think about ourselves. The more we deliberate on how to include (or exclude) machines from our lives, the more they remain the helpers they are supposed to be. Roose includes an appendix of shortcuts to accomplish this. One place he makes sure to highlight is increasing our Media Literacy. This could be a whole other book.
Roose successfully argues that human's uniqueness (some would say messiness) is what is most valuable in the age of automation. The more we hand over the process of creativity and insight to the machines, the more they control us. The most enlightening concept Roose gave me was the machines will not take our humanity, we will just outsource our humanity to the machines. They, in turn, will just replicate themselves in us, making us as predictable and number driven as they are.
The linchpin in our automation is the current societal problems we already experience: sexism, racism... all the isms. Someone is creating the technology, programming the algorithms, and are subject to the same biases we all experience. Roose did a good job of naming his privilege. He gave examples of how automation has hurt oppressed communities (i.e. benefit applications denied on the basis of race by AI), but spent just a few paragraphs here and there exploring how unchecked AI and automation marginalize communities further, widening the ism gaps. He left his observations on this topic broad, encouraging other authors and innovators to continue the work (people who explore "consequences," as he calls them) instead of using his research to pinpoint specific places where our humanity is already at risk. I would have enjoyed an entire chapter devoted to how we currently automate our ability to oppress. Roose missed a chance to give us enough information to start the revolution to take our humanity back, helping us to be proactive instead of cleaning up the consequences.
Where Roose leaves us is to let us stew on the way we think about ourselves. The more we deliberate on how to include (or exclude) machines from our lives, the more they remain the helpers they are supposed to be. Roose includes an appendix of shortcuts to accomplish this. One place he makes sure to highlight is increasing our Media Literacy. This could be a whole other book.