A guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology and why we should
never assume that computers always get it right. In Artificial Unintelligence Meredith
Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every
aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems. We are so eager
to do everything digitally—hiring driving paying bills even choosing romantic partners—that
we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work. Broussard a software developer
and journalist reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what we can (and should) do
with technology. With this book she offers a guide to understanding the inner workings and
outer limits of technology—and issues a warning that we should never assume that computers
always get things right. Making a case against technochauvinism—the belief that technology is
always the solution—Broussard argues that it's just not true that social problems would
inevitably retreat before a digitally enabled Utopia. To prove her point she undertakes a
series of adventures in computer programming. She goes for an alarming ride in a driverless car
concluding "the cyborg future is not coming any time soon” uses artificial intelligence to
investigate why students can't pass standardized tests deploys machine learning to predict
which passengers survived the Titanic disaster and attempts to repair the U.S. campaign
finance system by building AI software. If we understand the limits of what we can do with
technology Broussard tells us we can make better choices about what we should do with it to
make the world better for everyone.
