Welcome to AI: A Human Guide to Artificial Intelligence by David L. Shrier is a quick introduction to the world of artificial intelligence and its place in the modern organization. As a social scientist in organizational communication and artificial intelligence, I was really excited to read this book.

The book itself is a really good introduction for people who are looking to understand the current role that generative AI plays in the modern workplace and what role AI in general may play in the business of tomorrow.

I think Shrier takes a balanced approach to the topic, but I’m sure some of the AI doomers will see his depiction of the positive and negative aspects of AI as being a bit rosy.

If you are looking for a book on how to really use AI in the nitty gritty of machine learning and training AI models as a computer scientist, this book is not for you.

I want to thank the publisher for the opportunity to review this book prior to publication. Although I am thankful for the opportunity, the review is completely mine. I also ended up buying the audio book, which I found enjoyable.

WELCOME TO AI by David L. Shrier was recently published by Harvard Business Review Press to provide "A Human Guide to Artificial Intelligence." The author is described as an "expert on technology-driven innovation .... [who] previously held a dual appointment at MIT and the University of Oxford." He has been working with AI technology for decades but points to three events "within the past few years that changed everything:" Google published Tensor Flow in 2015 making AI information more widely available for development; similarly, BERT was added to open source in 2018; and in December 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT for wide use. Shrier outlines positives (e.g., job evolution) and negatives (e.g., impact on Brexit vote by AI bots) of this technology. He further contends that "by legitimizing fringe extremist sources, AI newsfeed algorithms and unconstrained chat bots were directly responsible for electoral polarization." And he devotes a chapter to emerging policy responses to threats like deep fakes.

Inherent unreliability and hallucinations pose another area of concern and Shrier asserts that "it's important to understand AI, because it is more complicated and less predictable than how it is depicted in the media." He provides definitions and examples of concepts like Centaurs ("powerful human-in-the-loop hybrids that can conduct activities that neither humans nor AI do as well by themselves") or extended intelligence ("emerging field of how AI and humans can work together") or prompt engineering ("the art of how you construct a conversation with generative AI"). Numerous graphs contrast experience by country, by income level, and by industry (e.g., legal tops a chart for job exposure to AI). One of the more actionable chapters is devoted to reskilling and developing cognitive flexibility. In addition, Shrier stresses the need for more education and training on how to better collaborate with AI and he points to the "urgent need" for government policy in terms of ethical use, investment in national security, and improved understanding overall ("hope coupled with responsibility"). Helpful chapter summaries appear throughout which add value to this intriguing and informative "guide.." A glossary is included as well as notes which comprise roughly five percent of the text.

4.5 stars

This was a solid read on AI and the changes that will come. Definitely a book to check out to learn begin learning about AI. It discussed how AI could approached from both positive and negative perspective and the logical result for the future. I most enjoyed examining the different industries involved and the best options to weather the challenges. It was an interesting read that was informative and engaging.

The to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book provides an introductory view of Artificial Intelligence.

As expected, the book starts with the attention chatgpt is receiving and traces the progress from the work done by Google. AI is estimated to have impacted Brexit and the US elections with some players deliberately creating chatter around the topic. Facebook he points out represented a turning point in the polarization we see in many countries today. The impact AI will have on jobs is discussed and the need for cognitive flexibility being important. Getting to Responsible AI, with adequate protection via legislation is an urgent imperative.

I found the coverage very basic in nature. I would have expected to see more content around the impact of AI across industries and job roles. The content is largely based on common sense conjecture and most opinions included do not come across as that based on expertise in the field.

We are living in the future, and AI is just the beginning. If you want to learn something before it is in full bloom, read this one.

I am not a technology guy. I neither work in nor invest in technology, per se. However, I did find the work by David Shrier to be a fascinating read. It did what the title of the book suggests. It provided me a primer to the world of AI and the possibilities it may bring to my future and more likely the future of my grandchildren. Having grown up in the era where all the movies about AI were Science Fiction, I found it captivating to read of the current status of AI and the potential for good and evil that is a very real possibility for the future of it. Given where we are and what is currently being worked on, Shrier points out our responsibility to help direct the future we hope to have in regards to the value of AI. The technical jargon is not enough to overwhelm the average reader, which is a blessing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to help steward this journey through a rapidly changing landscape of machines and humanity working together.

This book provides useful insights about AI and how to navigate the world as this technology becomes more integrated in our lives. Readers will find ways on how we can augment this tech to our daily activities. It also provides sone advice on what we should do to defend ourselves against disruption.

One of the most engaging books about the future of humanity and artificial intelligence with interesting predit, ideas and suggestions can give you a good food for thought. There is a comprehensive overview of artificial intelligence and it's development where you can learn what it took for the technology to get to the level of today's use and ability to support humans. The storytelling in the book helps to understand the topic and learn about application scenarios for artificial intelligence technologies. There are some ideas on where the future lays and how it can influence all of us. Really thoughtful book, would recommend reading.

As an editor I recognize how the prominent emergence of AI over the past year has altered the world of writing. It’s fascinating to consider how AI impacts academia — and with two daughters in private New England universities it’s been interesting to watch the professors adapt and implement strategies and policies to limit the use of AI for students. This book explains the evolution while also shining a spotlight on the numerous realms AI influences that I hadn’t previously considered. It’s quite ubiquitous and it’s important to carefully consider all aspects, and enact policies while simultaneously acknowledging the previously unheard of opportunities AI presents. Hence the reason I read this book. It’s academic for sure, but not only is it a worthwhile read, I feel it’s imperative for us to learn as much as we can about AI to better understand what’s happening now and what's coming.

First of all, Thank You Netgalley for the ARC granted and this is the kinf of content that We need urgent reflection about, not because of how the AI is explored in the media, but because We are not learning and pondering about pros and cons from A.I as a society, and facing possible consequences for it's possible issues. A.I has already a part of our day by decade through decades, it's getting only more sophisticated by the passing years, and We have to expand the knowledge to the generations on how the best way to deal with that. The book explores all of these points in a clear and compelling way, giving the reader a better understanding of this complex and yet necessary subject.