Publishers Weekly
12/19/2022
The threat posed by artificial intelligence isn’t mass unemployment or murderous droids but subtler mental derangements, according to this astute study. Columbia psychology professor Chamorro-Premuzic (Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?) suggests that AI’s use in search engines, social media, and gadgetry is part of an effort by tech companies to harvest attention and money by identifying and manipulating human patterns of behavior. AI, he contends, prods users to scan and click in predictable, routinized ways; saps attention and patience with information overload; reinforces biases (hiring algorithms, for instance, can recreate bosses’ racial prejudices); and feeds narcissism by courting obsession over the likes garnered by selfies. Chamorro-Premuzic sees little psychic upside to AI, though he’s hopeful that using better data could enable it to challenge rather than amplify biases. The author sometimes meanders away from AI, as when he offers a stimulating celebration of humility as a prerequisite for competence, and the elegant prose ensures his perceptive analysis goes down smoothly (“While we optimize our lives for AI... our very identity and existence have been collapsed to the categories machines use to understand and predict our behavior, our whole character reduced to the things AI predicts about us”). The result is a shrewd, insightful take on the dangers of AI. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
Named one of the best management books of 2023 by Børsen.
"I, Human argues compellingly that artificial intelligence is altering human intelligence—fuelling narcissism, diluting self-control, reinforcing prejudice—and reveals how human learning can still counteract the malign effects of machine learning. Tomas's easy style and dry humour belie the seriousness with which he tackles this vital issue of our time. Take note before the robots take over how you think." — City A.M.
"Fascinating, original and thought-provoking." — E&T magazine
"The book's final chapter, How to Be Human, is headed with a quote from Maya Angelou: "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." This encapsulates the purpose of this unique book: to explain how AI is changing our lives, values, and ways of being—right now, never mind what this implies for the future—and to propose the means by which AI should and can enhance and enrich human experience rather than reduce it." — Developing Leaders magazine
"…this is not an AI book like others. It does not try to predict the future or bamboozle readers with technological geekery. Instead, it assesses where this technology has brought us thus far and what we can do with it to retain what is most important to us as people." — Financial Times
"…a shrewd, insightful take on the dangers of AI." — Publisher's Weekly
Advance Praise for I, Human:
"A compelling read about how AI is shaping us—and how we should shape it. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic examines how technology can augment our intelligence and reminds us to invest in the human skills that robots can't replace." — Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Think Again; host, TED podcast Re:Thinking
"A must-read for anyone who has wondered how we can maintain our humanity amid the superpowerful prediction machines we've created." — Angela Duckworth, author, New York Times bestselling Grit
"Techno-zealots and doomsayers dominate the debate about artificial intelligence, which is why this unique book is such a breath of fresh air. I, Human is a strikingly clear-eyed account of the fraught but fertile relationship we already have with AI—and an inspiring argument for how, in the future, it can help us maintain and enhance rather than degrade what makes us essentially human." — Oliver Burkeman, New York Times bestselling author, Four Thousand Weeks
"If you want to understand how we can best thrive in a world that is rapidly changing because of AI, and feel hopeful and confident about the role you can play, you'll find this book to be both brilliant and essential. Full of insights and practical tips, I, Human will prepare you for the future by focusing your attention on the very traits that make human nature unique." — Francesca Gino, professor, Harvard Business School; author, Rebel Talent
"I, Human argues compellingly that artificial intelligence is altering human intelligence—fueling narcissism, diluting self-control, reinforcing prejudice—and reveals how human learning can still counteract the malign effects of machine learning. Tomas's easy style and dry humor bely the seriousness with which he tackles this vital issue of our time. Take note before the robots take over how you think." — Octavius Black, founder and CEO, MindGym
"At last, a book on AI that focuses on humans rather than machines. A powerful case for reclaiming some of our most valuable neglected virtues." — Dorie Clark, Wall Street Journal bestselling author, The Long Game; executive education faculty, Duke UniversityFuqua School of Business
