- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday & Co Inc. (1 Mar 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385533063
- ISBN-13: 978-0385533065
- Product Dimensions: 16.3 x 3.1 x 24.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 461,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
The Most Human Human is a provocative, exuberant, and profound exploration of the ways in which computers are reshaping our ideas of what it means to be human. Its starting point is the annual Turing Test, which pits artificial intelligence programs against people to determine if computers can “think.”
Named for computer pioneer Alan Turing, the Turing Test convenes a panel of judges who pose questions—ranging anywhere from celebrity gossip to moral conundrums—to hidden contestants in an attempt to discern which is human and which is a computer. The machine that most often fools the panel wins the Most Human Computer Award. But there is also a prize, bizarre and intriguing, for the Most Human Human.
In 2008, the top AI program came short of passing the Turing Test by just one astonishing vote. In 2009, Brian Christian was chosen to participate, and he set out to make sure Homo sapiens would prevail.
The author’s quest to be deemed more human than a computer opens a window onto our own nature. Interweaving modern phenomena like customer service “chatbots” and men using programmed dialogue to pick up women in bars with insights from fields as diverse as chess, psychiatry, and the law, Brian Christian examines the philosophical, biological, and moral issues raised by the Turing Test.
One central definition of human has been “a being that could reason.” If computers can reason, what does that mean for the special place we reserve for humanity?
Named for computer pioneer Alan Turing, the Turing Test convenes a panel of judges who pose questions—ranging anywhere from celebrity gossip to moral conundrums—to hidden contestants in an attempt to discern which is human and which is a computer. The machine that most often fools the panel wins the Most Human Computer Award. But there is also a prize, bizarre and intriguing, for the Most Human Human.
In 2008, the top AI program came short of passing the Turing Test by just one astonishing vote. In 2009, Brian Christian was chosen to participate, and he set out to make sure Homo sapiens would prevail.
The author’s quest to be deemed more human than a computer opens a window onto our own nature. Interweaving modern phenomena like customer service “chatbots” and men using programmed dialogue to pick up women in bars with insights from fields as diverse as chess, psychiatry, and the law, Brian Christian examines the philosophical, biological, and moral issues raised by the Turing Test.
One central definition of human has been “a being that could reason.” If computers can reason, what does that mean for the special place we reserve for humanity?
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34 reviews
44 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Understanding Artificial Intelligence and human interaction
8 Mar 2011
Format:Hardcover
Excellent, well written book on computers that gives a different perspective. After watching "Watson" win on jeopardy, I was amazed at the ability of the computer to seemingly think about endless trivia. Calculations happen at warp speed but it is still hard to imagine that a machine can seem to imitate human thought. Mr Christian does a marvelous job explaining the history of AI, how computers really work to simulate human thought and what computers teach us about ourselves. His prose is clear and concise making for a very enjoyable read. Very well done! Highly recommended.
31 of 35 people found the following review helpful
The Art and Science of Conversation
6 Mar 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is wonderfully readable, timely, informative and intriguing. The author makes potentially difficult subjects such as artificial intelligence and super-computer technologies accessible and entertaining. We learn how even the most sophisticated and complex machines humans can create, struggle mightily to do a simple, basic human activity - engage in conversations.
27 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Great read! Highly recommed!
6 Mar 2011
Format:Hardcover
I picked up this book after seeing the author on television and it was a great read. The book is not only highly informative, but extremely entertaining. It really makes you think about "thought," the advances in the capabilities of computers and what it means to be human. I highly recommend it!
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