Genius Makers

February 15, 2021
In the late 1950s, Frank Rosenblatt debuted the Mark I Perceptron, an early neural network that could learn to recognize marked cards. The Perceptron was the first foray into artificial intelligence, but was met with derision by other scientists. The field stagnated until the 1980s, when a new wave of researchers including Geoff Hinton, Yann LeCun, and Yoshua Bengio began making strides in what became known as "deep learning." Decades later, major tech companies such as Google and Facebook began developing their own research labs to compete in the AI field. In Genius Makers, journalist Metz chronicles the history of artificial intelligence through the people who built it. Metz explores celebrated milestones of AI, such as DeepMind's AlphaGo computer program defeat of champion Go player Lee Sedol in 2016. While the technology promises extensive benefits, recent controversies around facial recognition software, learned racial and gender bias in AI, and autonomous weapons have brought the ethical implications of AI to the forefront. With well-crafted storytelling and extensive research, Metz captures the thrill and promise of technological innovation.

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Starred review from March 1, 2021

In this debut, Metz, technology correspondent for the New York Times, has crafted an engaging narrative focused on the figures who have been working on artificial intelligence (AI) over the decades. Some of the world's most significant AI researchers and companies form the matrix of this history, as do their comings and goings into and out from the field. Metz covers early pioneers, such as Geoff Hinton and Alan Eustace, along with the development of technology and its terminology. This fast-paced account of people and place brings into context the historical roots of Internet giants Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon, and how their paths to success were not always guaranteed. Alongside stories of progress, Metz reveals tensions among prominent figures within Silicon Valley as well as tech hubs in New York and London. Competition is a recurring theme throughout this well-written narrative, as Metz brings to life personalities that dominated start-ups and other tech companies. VERDICT An informative, enjoyable work that connects the history of technology to our current world of gadgets and devices. With vivid detail, Metz has crafted an accessible narrative that will keep readers turning the pages.--Jesse A. Lambertson, Univ. of Chicago Law Libs.

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Starred review from January 15, 2021
Many books proclaim that true artificial intelligence is on the horizon, and this expert overview makes a convincing case that genuine AI is...on the horizon. New York Times technology correspondent Metz tells his engrossing story through the lives of a dozen geniuses, scores of brilliant men (mostly), and an ongoing, cutthroat industrial and academic arms race. He begins with a history of neural networks, an idea developed in the 1950s when it became clear that sheer calculating speed would never produce a smart computer. A neural network is an engineering system modeled on the web of neurons in the brain. Such systems can be "trained" by passing signals back and forth through multiple layers without being programmed with specific rules. Vastly overhyped, the concept led to few accomplishments--until the 21st century, when massive computer power and breakthroughs by Metz's heroes have produced spectacular achievements. As the author astutely points out, calling it "artificial intelligence" may be a mistake. Today's neural nets capable of "deep learning" don't think, but they're superb at pattern recognition. They can identify photographs and handwriting and respond with modest sophistication to verbal commands (Siri and Alexa). A computer employing deep learning is not a brain; it requires access to a titanic database and accomplishes a single task. The unbeatable chess player can't play Jeopardy! That requires a different computer. Despite massive challenges, a handful of mega-companies (Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon) and one mega-nation (China) have no doubts. For Elon Musk, "it was all wrapped up in the same technological trend. First image recognition. Then translation. Then driverless cars." Then AI. Metz expresses optimism for the next decade but does not pin his hopes on the U.S. The Trump administration's clampdown on immigration has diverted foreign talent and American investment elsewhere. Meanwhile, China has "built a domestic industry worth more than $150 billion...treating artificial intelligence like its own Apollo program." A must-read, fully-up-to-date report on the holy grail of computing.

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