Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine

‘Wise, sharp and witty, the definitive guide to living in the age of social media, algorithms and automation.’ Adam RutherfordYou are accused of a crime. Who would you rather determined your fate – a human or an algorithm?An algorithm is more consistent and less prone to error of judgement. Yet a human can look you in the eye before passing sentence.You need a liver transplant to save your life. Who would you want in charge of organ allocation?An algorithm can match organ donors with patients, potentially saving many more lives. But it may send you to the back of the queue.You’re buying a (driverless) car. One vehicle is programmed to save as many lives as possible in a collision. Another promises to prioritize the lives of its passengers. Which do you choose?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. So how much should we rely on them? What kind of future do we want?Hannah Fry takes us on a tour of the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us. 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.

Reviews of Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine

"Computers used to be tools, then they were toys, and now they're all around us. You couldn't ask for a better guide to this bewildering new world than Hannah Fry, who fills Hello World with wit, storytelling and superbly clear insight. Bravo!" — Tim Harford, author and presenter of The Undercover Economist and more recently Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy. "Hello World is an action-packed, quick read during which you will be outraged, provoked, and challenged. The numerous, meticulously researched examples reveal the astonishing new world we're living in, one where secret decisions with ambiguous goals are deciding our individual and collective fates. Welcome to the modern world of big data, you're quite possibly screwed." — Cathy O'Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction "Expertly told, wise and with a lightness of touch, Hannah Fry's brilliant exploration of how we live our lives in the age of AI will prompt arguments in pubs and over dinner tables for years to come. " — Adam Rutherford "Hello World is a brisk and friendly guidebook to the algorithms all around us" — Jordan Ellenberg