The Age of Algorithms
Published on 16. April 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
166 pages
978-1-108-74542-0 (ISBN)
Description
Algorithms are probably the most sophisticated tools that people have had at their disposal since the beginnings of human history. They have transformed science, industry, society. They upset the concepts of work, property, government, private life, even humanity. Going easily from one extreme to the other, we rejoice that they make life easier for us, but fear that they will enslave us. To get beyond this vision of good vs evil, this book takes a new look at our time, the age of algorithms. Creations of the human spirit, algorithms are what we made them. And they will be what we want them to be: it's up to us to choose the world we want to live in.
Reviews / Votes
'... written by two computer scientists offering a most accessible view on both what algorithms are (the book starts with a clearest analogy between algorithms and recipes) and how algorithms are severely changing human life.' Simona Chiodo, Metascience 'This short and interesting book provides a non-technical introduction to the age of algorithms. The book is worth reading many times even by those unfamiliar with algorithms or computer science.' S.V. Nagaraj, The SIGACT NewsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 143 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
225 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-74542-0 (9781108745420)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Serge Abiteboul | Gilles Dowek
The Age of Algorithms
Book
04/2020
Cambridge University Press
€65.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Serge Abiteboul | Gilles Dowek
The Age of Algorithms
E-Book
04/2020
Cambridge University Press
€15.49
Available for download
Persons
Serge Abiteboul is a member of the Board of Arcep and a computer scientist at Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA), Rocquencourt. He has been visiting professor at Stanford University, California, and is a founder of the Xyleme company. He is fascinated by and likes to write about societal issues related to the digital world. Gilles Dowek is a researcher in computer science. He has published several popular science books, as well as books on epistemology of computer science and ethics in the digital world. His book Computation, Proof, Machine (Cambridge, 2015) has received the French Academy philosophy award.
Content
1. Algorithms intrigue, algorithms disturb; 2. What is an algorithm?; 3. Algorithms, computers, and programs; 4. What algorithms do; 5. What algorithms don't do; 6. Computational thinking; 7. The end of employment; 8. The end of work; 9. The end of property; 10. Governing in the age of algorithms; 11. An algorithm in the community; 12. The responsibility of algorithms; 13. Personal data and privacy; 14. Fairness, transparency, and diversity; 15. Computers and ecology; 16. Computer science education; 17. The augmented human; 18. Can an algorithm be intelligent?; 19. Can an algorithm have feelings? 20. Time to choose.