The Age of Algorithms

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title The Age of Algorithms
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Serge Abiteboul
By (author) Gilles Dowek
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:166
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 140
Category/GenreSocial and political philosophy
Labour economics
Philosophy of science
Impact of science and technology on society
Popular science
Technology - general issues
Algorithms and data structures
Artificial intelligence
ISBN/Barcode 9781108745420
ClassificationsDewey:005.1
Audience
General
Professional & Vocational
Illustrations Worked examples or Exercises

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 16 April 2020
Publication Country United Kingdom

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.

Author Biography

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.

Reviews

'... 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 News