J EREMY P . T ARCHER/ P ENGUIN
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Copyright 2016 by John C. Havens
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eBook ISBN 978-0-698-16903-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Havens, John C., author.
Title: Heartificial intelligence : embracing our humanity to maximize machines / by John C. Havens.
Description: New York : Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015040084 | ISBN 978-0-399-17171-0
Subjects: LCSH: Artificial intelligenceSocial aspects. | Information technologySocial aspects. | Human-computer interactionSocial aspects.
Classification: LCC Q335 .H3927 2016 | DDC 303.48/34dc23 LC
Cover design by Daniel Rembert
Version_2
For Nate and Sophie,
my greatest contributions toward an authentic future
A QUICK NOTE
REGARDING THIS BOOKS FORMAT
Hello, and welcome to Heartificial Intelligence!
We have some exciting news! This book has been created using an old-fashioned publishing process utilizing paper and ink. Our historical research indicates this format allows humans to read, ruminate, and react to ideas without the need to click away to fourteen cat videos, Facebook posts, or tweets.* Our focus groups also indicate that this publishing format will help reinforce your sense of messy yet glorious humanity by forcing you to confront your own thoughts untainted by algorithmic influence.
Furthermore, outside of information regarding your initial purchase of this book, your actions will not be tracked in any way once you start reading it.** While its tempting to try and influence your reaction to the book by modern tracking and profiling methodologies, the title of the book indicates our desire for you to take the time you deserve to analyze how emerging technologies are affecting your humanity.
Apparently humans are equipped with hearts and minds of their own.*** So our advice is to use the ones you already have to increase happiness and well-being before relying on the external ones other people are currently building. Not that these people arent building amazing and worthwhile things, mind you. But our feeling is you wont be able to fully appreciate artificial intelligence until you define your own genuine human values first.
Thanks for your time. We hope you enjoy this more traditional process of reading and the personal introspection weve heard it provides.
Youre worth it.****
* If youve opted to purchase this text as an e-book and prefer to click away to support cat videos, Facebook posts, or tweets, we recommend stating in a loud voice, I am a HUMAN and will not be tracked! This will serve as a centering process to remind yourself of your inherent humanity due to your ability to publicly act illogically and with great fervor. Please note, however, that you will still be tracked by hundreds of external data brokers, advertisers, and other organizations, any of whom may try to sell you sexual vitamin supplements. We have only tried about seven of these and cannot legally attest to their efficacy.
** At least not by the author and publisher. People may stare at you while youre reading in Starbucks or your kids may distract you during the precious seven minutes available to you to read during the day since, if youre like me, you fall dead asleep at some embarrassing time like nine thirty because youre exhausted from parenting all day along with everything else in your life, right?
*** Many doctors have said this. At least one of them looks like Socrates, so were pretty confident this is true.
**** Seriously, you are. If youre like me, artificial intelligence does one of three things to you:
- Terrifies you because you think your toaster is going to kill you.
- Concerns you because your boss just gave your bonus to an algorithm.
- Mystifies you because your humanity is managed more by machines every day.
Dont wait until the Singularity comes and artificial intelligence takes over the world to believe me on this. Toasters are mean little buggers.
AUTHORS NOTE
The challenge in writing about an emerging technology such as artificial intelligence is that between the time you finish your manuscript and when your book is published, theres a strong possibility a new discovery has been made in the field about which youve written. So, in an effort to placate any future commenters on Amazon, Reddit, or any other platform:
- At the time of writing this book, Google has still not announced specifics around its artificial intelligence ethics board. If by the time youre reading this, it has, I say thank you to Google! Hopefully Im expressing my gratitude while even being on that board, enjoying delicious and healthy meals from Googles famed cafeterias between stints in one of their nap pods (where I do my best thinking).
- At the time of writing this book, there is no formal, industry-wide AI ethical standard of which I am aware. I certainly could have missed it, and there are a number of great organizations working in this area, many of whom I interviewed in this book. My focus in Heartificial Intelligence is more to point out the necessity of such standards and why theyre important to individuals than to comment on one organizations accuracy or efficacy.
- If weve been taken over by AI/robots in some way, then Id like to point out how favorable I am regarding our future sentient colleagues. Seriously. This is not an anti-AI book, or anti-transhumanism book. I believe AI ethics is actually a more mature way of looking at our future with machines than creating potential sentient machines we sell and enslave. Call me crazy.
- I think its important to have a sense of humor about AI. This doesnt mean I take the subject lightly. As I point out in the book, I have struggled a great deal with fear and depression on the subjects of automation and loss of agency. But I wrote this book to help you move beyond fear and be constructive as you consider the inevitability of AI in our midst, today. My vote is that we greet the future with curiosity, laughter, and joy versus dread, gloom, and fear.
FINAL AUTHORS NOTE
Im a huge fan of Monty Python, so this authors note serves no purpose except to be silly.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Spring 2021
If you want your daughter to live, this is the only solution.
My wife was in the waiting room with my two kids, my eleven-year-old son and my nine-year-old daughter, the white paper on the examining table freshly crinkled from where Melanie had been examined moments before. The smell of the alcohol swab theyd used after taking her blood still hung in the air.