The Age of Algorithms

Serge Abiteboul, Gilles Dowek

Cambridge University Press, Apr 16, 2020 - Business & Economics - 166 pages

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.

Contents

• Algorithms Intrigue Algorithms Disturb: 1
• What Is an Algorithm?: 5
• Algorithms Computers and Programs: 19
• What Algorithms Do: 29
• What Algorithms Dont Do: 36
• Computational Thinking: 45
• The End of Employment: 53
• The End of Work: 61
• The End of Property: 70
• Governing in the Age of Algorithms: 81
• An Algorithm in the Community: 89
• The Responsibility of Algorithms: 96
• Personal Data and Privacy: 104
• Fairness Transparency and Diversity: 115
• Computer Science and Ecology: 125
• Computer Science Education: 133
• The Augmented Human: 143
• Can an Algorithm Be Intelligent?: 150
• Can an Algorithm Have Feelings?: 156
• Time to Choose: 160

About the author

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.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Age of Algorithms
• Authors: Serge Abiteboul, Gilles Dowek
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2020
• ISBN: 1108484573, 9781108484572
• Length: 166 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Industrial Management; Business & Economics / Labor / General; Computers / Artificial Intelligence / General; Computers / General; Computers / Programming / Algorithms; Philosophy / Political; Science / General; Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects; Social Science / Sociology / General; Technology & Engineering / General