Hello World
How to Be Human in the Age of the Machine
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Hello World
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Narrated by:
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Hannah Fry
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By:
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Hannah Fry
About this listen
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Hello World, written and read by Hannah Fry.
You 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.
'Wise, sharp and witty, the definitive guide to living in the age of social media, algorithms and automation.' Adam Rutherford
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dave Barns
- 02-09-18
A fascinating journey through the murky world of algorithms!
An amazing listen. Beautifully written with wonderful narration from hannah. Packed with engaging stories that bring the world of algorithms to life.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-10-19
Essential listening for any knowledge worker
There are few in the developed world that don't work with data and algorithms to some extent, but this beautifully crafted set of examples highlights the tradeoffs in the name of simplicity.
Everyone should have an awareness, from private organisations burying consent in T&C's to individuals relinquishing their [previously considered] private information for a "free" service. This book draws the patterns but let's the listener draw their own conclusions - superb.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Matthew
- 11-11-18
Very well explained and just as well performed
You don't necessarily expect a maths/computing professor to read so well, but Hannah's performance is brilliant. It is clear, has a good tone and adds personality and really makes the book tick.
The book explains a broad array of aspects relating to algorithms. Hannah explains the concepts really well using real world examples. Very clearly done and well executed!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christian Vezjak
- 06-03-21
Great concepts. Reading not at all
The book's concepts and the stories that present them are great. I would enjoy the book much more though if I didnt have to constantly go back to try to figure out what the reader said.
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- Giles
- 13-03-23
Really enjoyable
Wasn't sure what to expect but, thoroughly enjoyed it.
The author / performer really knew their stuff, make me an easy for everyone to understand.
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- Paul Hinds
- 23-08-18
Wow! What a great listen
I was really looking forward to this book being released and I wasn’t disappointed.
I have read a lot of books already about ‘big data’, artificial intelligence and algorithms, but the difference with Dr Fry’s work is that it weaves in human stories alongside the description of the technology. Many of the examples given in the book are well established, such as Deep Blue beating Gary Kasparov at chess, but the book discusses as much about Kasparov’s emotional response to Deep Blue’s strategy as much as the algorithm behind it. This really brings home the idea that the future of this technology is as much about the human condition as it is about the technology itself.
This book has something for everyone irrespective of whether you are looking for an introduction to the subject or already have a good understanding. The narration is excellent and the book flows so easily that I ended up listening to the whole thing in one day.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Pod
- 21-12-20
Thought provoking
Some excellent points, well narrated. I wish the book were longer and with more examples. it's make great essential reading for Computer Science ethics classes.
though she pronounced "precisely" strangely at the end there.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 04-10-20
best reader, really good but skip chapters 9-10
if you've seen her on TV or YouTube till understand how well read this book is, it's very interesting expect gets abstract in three last chapter and I really switched off. definitely worth a listen if you like to learn.
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- Andrea Salvatori
- 15-02-19
Amazingly well written
Nothing earth shattering but a thoroughly enjoyable reading, perfectly narrated by the author who sounds like a consummate actor (you can tell she’s the writer). Highly recommended, the chapter about art is the best introduction ever to the tv series Westworld
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- lhrsydjfk
- 24-03-19
Good Accessible Introduction
I saw Hannah Fry present at a conference a few weeks ago and she was exceptional. Bought this immediately afterwards and it is very good for those not in the industry to know more about the topics covered. The dunnhumby story isn’t how I remembered it when I worked there, but the overall point is still the same.
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