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Hannah Fry

Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine Hardcover – 6 Sept. 2018

by Hannah Fry (Author)

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Shortlisted for the 2018 Royal Society Investment Science Book Prize and 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize.

'One of the best books yet written on data and algorithms. . .deserves a place on the bestseller charts.' (The Times)

You are accused of a crime. Who would you rather determined your fate - a human or an algorithm?
An algorithm is more consistent and less prone to error of judgement. Yet a human can look you in the eye before passing sentence.

Welcome to the age of the algorithm, the story of a not-too-distant future where machines rule supreme, making important decisions - in healthcare, transport, finance, security, what we watch, where we go even who we send to prison. So how much should we rely on them? What kind of future do we want?

Hannah Fry takes us on a tour of the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us. In Hello World she lifts the lid on their inner workings, demonstrates their power, exposes their limitations, and examines whether they really are an improvement on the humans they are replacing.

'Fry is fast becoming the David Attenborough of maths' - TELEGRAPH
A BBC RADIO 4: BOOK OF THE WEEK

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Doubleday
Publication date

6 Sept. 2018
Dimensions

16.2 x 2.6 x 24 cm
ISBN-10

0857525247
ISBN-13

978-0857525246
See all details

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From the Publisher

would you trust a machine with life changing decisions


A Human? You may get a harsher sentence. A Machine? Your sentence will be in line with similar crimes.	A Human? You may receive unnecessary treatment. A Machine? The real cause of your illness may be missed.	A Human? The family survive but you die. A Machine? You save yourself but not the family.

About the Author

Hannah Fry is an Associate Professor in Mathematics of Cities from University College London. In her day job she uses mathematical models to study patterns in human behaviour, and has worked building algorithms used by governments, police forces, health analysts and supermarkets.

Hannah’s TED Talks have also amassed millions of views and she was listed as one of London’s most influential people by the Evening Standard in 2017.

Did you know

. . .a machine can produce music in the style of Bach?
. . .the police force can predict crimes hours before they actually happen?
. . .Target once ran a campaign scoring female customers on the likelihood they were pregnant?

Wise guide to benefits and horrors of our data driven world

Product description

Review

A stylish, thoughtful, and scrupulously fair-minded account of what the software that increasingly governs our lives can and cannot do ... A beautifully accessible guide that leaps lightly from one story to the next without sparing the reader hard questions... deserves a place in the bestseller charts. -- Oliver Moody ― The Times

With refreshing simplicity, Fry explains what AI, machine learning and complicated algorithms really mean, providing some succinct explanations of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, driverless cars and many other unnerving modern phenomena…This book illustrates why good science writers are essential. -- Katy Guest ― Guardian

Brilliantly clear...Fry succinctly outlines the ethical issues that beset AI -- James McConnaiche ― Sunday Times

Hello World is a gem of accessible science writing. With eloquence and charm, Hannah Fry outlines the maths of computer algorithms and explains how they are transforming fields such as health, justice, transport and the arts. She is a wise guide to the benefits - and horrors of our increasingly data-driven world. -- Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland

Expertly told, wise and with a lightness of touch, Hannah Fry's brilliant exploration of how we live our lives in the age of AI will prompt arguments in pubs and over dinner tables for years to come. -- Adam Rutherford

Computers used to be tools, then they were toys, and now they're all around us. You couldn't ask for a better guide to this bewildering new world than Hannah Fry, who fills Hello World with wit, storytelling and superbly clear insight. Bravo! -- Tim Harford, author and presenter of The Undercover Economist and more recently Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy.

Hannah Fry's masterful and entertaining call to arms needs to be read by every last human who unthinkingly entrusts our destiny to algorithms. Because, what do you know, the machine-determined future may just work against our best interests, people. -- David Rowan, Founder editor of WIRED UK

Hello World is an action-packed, quick read during which you will be outraged, provoked, and challenged. The numerous, meticulously researched examples reveal the astonishing new world we're living in, one where secret decisions with ambiguous goals are deciding our individual and collective fates. Welcome to the modern world of big data, you're quite possibly screwed. -- Cathy O'Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction

Hello World is a brisk and friendly guidebook to the algorithms all around us -- Jordan Ellenberg

Editor's Choice: consistently illuminating -- Caroline Sanderson ― The Bookseller

Fascinating and funny. I learned something on every page. -- Tom Chivers, science correspondent of Buzzfeed

Hannah Fry is one of the best explainers on the planet. In Hello World she examines the ups and downs of living with algorithms everywhere, online and off, in our homes and workplaces, hospitals and supermarkets. She takes a serious subject and leavens it delightfully with her clear writing and captivating stories, and her trademark sense of humour and fun. -- Steven Strogatz, author of The Joy of X

Books of the Year ― The Times

Books of the Year
This short, sharp book on the power and dangers of algorithms offers one of the clearest explanations of a complex subject

― FT

Books of the Year
A perky, brief introduction to big data and algorithmic crunching…enjoyably sceptical

― The Guardian

About the Author

Hannah Fry is an Associate Professor in the mathematics of cities from University College London.She is also the author of The Mathematics of Love, The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus and Hello World. In her day job she uses mathematical models to study patterns in human behaviour, and has worked with governments, police forces, health analysts and supermarkets. Her TED talks have amassed millions of views and she has fronted television documentaries for the BBC and PBS; she also hosts the long-running science podcast, 'The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry' with the BBC.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday (6 Sept. 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0857525247
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0857525246
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.2 x 2.6 x 24 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 149,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 56 in Mathematical Physics (Books)
- 62 in Algorithmic Programming
- 238 in Computer Security

Customer reviews:
1,011 ratings

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About the author

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Hannah Fry

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Hannah Fry is an Associate Professor in the mathematics of cities at University College London. In her day job she uses mathematical models to study patterns in human behaviour, and has worked with governments, police forces, health analysts and supermarkets. Her TED talks have amassed millions of views and she has fronted television documentaries for the BBC and PBS; she also hosts the long-running science podcast The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry with the BBC.

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		21%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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S Jones

Great introduction and poses some important questions

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2018

Verified Purchase

Richard Feynman is alleged to have said "If you can't explain something in simple terms, you don't understand it". On that basis, mathematician and broadcaster Hannah Fry definitely understands how algorithms are increasingly used in decision making in our society - this book is a chatty, amusing and straightforward introduction to the subject, avoiding all the "Robots are taking over" nonsense that too often fills the debates about artificial intelligence.

Not sure what an algorithm is? Dr Fry provides a lucid explanation of what they are, how they work and the different types, together with a clear and basic explanation of the maths behind them.

After that, she focuses on how they are used in the justice system, medicine and crime as well as the creative arts, and ultimately leaves the reader with a lot of philosophical and ethical questions, such as "Do we rely on them too much?" "How accurate are they and can we ever make them 'fair'?" "At what point do we question their decisions?" and "who decides ultimately?"

Probably my only criticism is relating to the Kindle edition - there are several photographs used to illustrate points (such as how a tiny change to a picture can make a machine see a dog instead of a truck). These don't work well on a Kindle where the picture quality is too poor for the illustration to be meaningful.

53 people found this helpful

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Mark

Great summary of the current state of play of algorithms.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 December 2018

Verified Purchase

I like Hannah Fry on her regular TV shows as one of a burgeoning army of academics promoting ‘hard’ subjects.
This book is really well written for the current times and I couldn’t put it down. It’s written in an accessible discursive style that doesn’t intimidate the reader, but at the same time, is well referenced. I’ve knocked one star off because the book is clearly pitched at a North American audience - perhaps the publisher’s algorithm suggested this was a good idea. While I have no objective reasons to dislike this feature of the narrative- I do wonder why similar facts and examples couldn’t have been found nearer to home - like mainland Europe!

13 people found this helpful

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ned

A thrilling ride into the ethical conundrums of a technology that we don't yet full understand

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 October 2018

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This book deserves 5 stars because the author achieves her aims.

As a technical read it is not especially educational. However, as a well-researched, thrilling ride into the ethical conundrums of a technology that we don't yet full understand it is exceptional.

Fry scatters the book with brilliant anecdotes which portray some of the surprising and sometimes downright scary 'emergent' behaviours that these statistical decision making tools can produce. These make for excellent dinner party conversations for the uninitiated!

I personally would have liked more mathematical detail. And perhaps the author could have shared her own ideas of how to 'tame the beast of AI' besides advocating for constant human supervision.

But a book like that would not meet nearly the same readership. I expect Fry will successfully engage thousands more people into the debate that really must accelerate into the public sphere. I will have to wait for the more thorough technical summary that I am sure Fry could write.

14 people found this helpful

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Serghiou Const

Simply, clearly, and judiciously written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2018

Verified Purchase

The author is an Associate Professor in the Mathematics of cities at University College London. While the merit of the book rests on several gratifying traits, an important recurring theme is that algorithms should be correctly viewed as an aid to humans in arriving at better decisions rather than as an infallible authority.

The book is concise while it is simply, clearly, and judiciously written. Despite its brevity, the reader will obtain a valuable insight into the merit and limitations of algorithms, even on their unintended consequences. The author explains the nature of the algorithms and their application in different areas such as the games of chess and jeopardy, justice, medicine, self-driving cars, crime, even art.

The author emphasizes the complementarity of humans and algorithms: humans are good at understanding subtleties, at analyzing content, applying experience and distinguishing patterns. Humans are bad paying attention,at precision,at consistency and at being fully aware of their surroundings, skills in which algorithms excel.

10 people found this helpful

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Hello World

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 July 2019

Verified Purchase

Let me start off by saying I enjoyed this book immensely. Hannah Fry manages to offer up a book that explores algorithms and their place in various areas of society and she manages to do so in an engaging and fascinating way.

This book looks at how algorithms have crept into society and how they impact upon Data collection, Justice systems, Medicine, autonomous cars and other transportation, Crime prevention/prediction and Art. It is eye opening and even shocking at times to learn how algorithms are already an integral part of wider society. You also gain a deeper appreciation of what they're capable of achieving.

Fry also explores to what level we already trust algorithms and allow them to make decisions for us and this leads on to one of her key arguements; that algorithms should be used to supplement and support human decisions, not take over and make them for us.

Fry writes in such a clear and engaging way that I zipped through this in no time at all. It is a little light on technical information, but perfectly pitched as an accessible popular science read to give you food for thought and ideas to mull over and research more if you so wish. The anecdotes and case studies used to illustrate various points were often compelling to read in their own right.

I thought this was a fascinating topic, extremely well written and pitched perfectly as an introduction to algorithms to the layman on the street. Highly recommended.

5 people found this helpful

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