Humans of AI
Understanding the People Behind the Machines
Published on 10. February 2026
Book
Hardback
354 pages
978-1-4875-6165-9 (ISBN)
Description
Unmasking the rituals and cultural norms that define communities of artificial intelligence (AI) workers, Humans of AI demonstrates that there would be no AI without human intervention.
Not a day goes by without breathless commentary on the increasing power of this innovative technology. Hype flows from the sages of Silicon Valley. But who is behind the evolution of this technology, and how does it really work? In Humans of AI, anthropologist Joseph Wilson details his efforts to understand the process and customs of AI development.
Wilson introduces readers to the hidden world of AI - behind the doors of chip design labs, coding bootcamps, and organizations teaching AI to speak dozens of languages. He meets philosophers envisioning a future without disease or death, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who warns of AI's existential risks, and ghost workers whose invisible labor powers the world's biggest tech platforms. He also speaks with writers, artists, and developers wrestling with the promise and peril of AI to find out what they really think of ChatGPT. Wilson's empathetic and thoughtful investigation provides readers a front row view on how AI is actually made.
Humans of AI is indispensable in reminding people that the work of AI is not miraculous or magical, but vividly human.
Not a day goes by without breathless commentary on the increasing power of this innovative technology. Hype flows from the sages of Silicon Valley. But who is behind the evolution of this technology, and how does it really work? In Humans of AI, anthropologist Joseph Wilson details his efforts to understand the process and customs of AI development.
Wilson introduces readers to the hidden world of AI - behind the doors of chip design labs, coding bootcamps, and organizations teaching AI to speak dozens of languages. He meets philosophers envisioning a future without disease or death, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who warns of AI's existential risks, and ghost workers whose invisible labor powers the world's biggest tech platforms. He also speaks with writers, artists, and developers wrestling with the promise and peril of AI to find out what they really think of ChatGPT. Wilson's empathetic and thoughtful investigation provides readers a front row view on how AI is actually made.
Humans of AI is indispensable in reminding people that the work of AI is not miraculous or magical, but vividly human.
Reviews / Votes
"Just the book I've been waiting for! Drawing on years of fieldwork, Joseph Wilson reveals - as only a skilled anthropologist could - the human stories behind the twenty-first century's most hyped technology. Exploring the craft of teaching machines how to sound alive, this wry and accessible book makes clear that language is where AI becomes social." - Graham M. Jones, Professor of Anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"When confronted by AI technologies that seem ever more superhuman, we are often advised to keep the human in the loop. But until I read this fascinating book, I had no idea how ubiquitous and varied those human roles can be. This is a must-read for anyone curious about the social realities of our computer mediated world." - Webb Keane, author of Animals, Robots, Gods: Adventures in the Moral Imagination
"Whether you're curious about artificial intelligence or if it scares you to death, with Humans of AI Joseph Wilson provides us with a deep background field guide to technology that may, or may not, change our entire lives and world."
- Shawn Micallef, author of Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto "There is no better way to understand what's going on with AI than to understand the people who make it, maintain it, and critique it. In this book, Joseph Wilson expertly introduces us to AI through the many communities that make it up, across the whole 'human stack' and its surroundings." - Nick Seaver, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of Science, Technology, and Society, Tufts University
"Written for non-experts, the angle of Humans of AI, focusing on the people involved in envisioning, developing, deploying, and criticizing AI is deeply original and interesting. Its conclusion will be eye- opening to the many potential readers who think of AI as magic." - Vered Shwartz, author of Lost in Automatic Translation
"Tracing the lived experience of the author as an ethnographer in an AI lab and into the broader ecosystem, Humans of AI weaves ethnographic fieldnotes with a broader history of AI and contemporary debates on the subject. Important and timely, it's very exciting to see this book out in the world!" - Anne Lee Steele, Researcher and Writer
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Canada
Publishing group
University of Toronto Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
4 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 163 mm
Width: 239 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
712 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4875-6165-9 (9781487561659)
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
Person
Joseph Wilson has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Toronto and has instructed at York University and Trent University. His work focuses on how scientists communicate with one another and with the general public, and he has written about technology, language, anthropology, and education for The Globe and Mail, CBC, SAPIENS, American Scientist, and Anthropology News.
Content
0. The Anthropologist
1. The Pioneers
2. The Software Developers
3. The Hardware Engineers
4. The Entrepreneurs
5. The Ghost Workers
6. The Content Creators
7. The Volunteers
8. The Linguists
9. The Rationalists
10. The Believers
11. The Doomers
12. The Immortalists
13. The Detractors
14. The Gap
Acknowledgements
References
Bibliography
Index
1. The Pioneers
2. The Software Developers
3. The Hardware Engineers
4. The Entrepreneurs
5. The Ghost Workers
6. The Content Creators
7. The Volunteers
8. The Linguists
9. The Rationalists
10. The Believers
11. The Doomers
12. The Immortalists
13. The Detractors
14. The Gap
Acknowledgements
References
Bibliography
Index