Some have proclaimed that the rise of artificial intelligence is ‘a milestone on par with the discovery of fire, the invention of the wheel, and the creation of the internet’. In the past few years, especially with the rise of generative AI, it has been met with a bit of reluctance—by writers and artists, for example, who believe it will replace them. The sentiment that AI will take people’s jobs is one that has gained global grounds. But while this is certainly an important conversation to have, many experts argue that this sentiment might be borne largely out of ignorance about the new technology.
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of five books you should read if you think AI will take your job. From a collection of AI-themed short stories from across Africa to an interrogation of the myth of AI’s objectivity, the books on this list will help you think more critically about AI.
Binary Bisecting: An AI Anthology is African literary magazine Brittle Paper’s timely contribution to the AI discourse. It is an anthology of short stories from writers across Africa, from Botswana to Nigeria to Uganda, published by Brittle Paper.
This book is divided into three parts. The first part, ‘Tentative Technology’, explores the hesitance with which AI was met. However, by the second part, ‘Digital Discourse’, that initial hesitance has given way to exploration. The stories in this part examine the various ways Africans have adopted AI in different areas of life. In the third part, ‘Distrust the Rust’, the focus shifts to the ‘fears and anxieties of the digital evolution’, emphasizing the importance of an ethical approach to artificial intelligence.
Edited by South African editor, Tahzeeb Akram, and released in 2023 as a free, downloadable e-book, this book features 17 short stories from 16 authors.
UNMASKING AI AUTHOR: JOY BUOLAMWINI GENRE: NON-FICTION
Canadian computer scientist Joy Buolamwini’s Unmasking AI is a powerful examination of bias in AI systems. Drawing from her research at MIT, where she discovered significant disparities in facial recognition accuracy across different demographic groups, Buolamwini exposes how AI can perpetuate and amplify existing societal inequalities.
Beyond merely critiquing AI, however, this book also offers a vision for more equitable technology. Buolamwini introduces the concept of ‘inclusive coding’—ensuring diverse perspectives throughout AI development—and advocates for transparency, accountability, and regulation in AI systems.
HIDDEN IN WHITE SIGHT AUTHOR: CALVIN D. LAWRENCE GENRE: NON-FICTION
One of the much-touted benefits of AI is that by removing human bias, it helps to achieve greater fairness. In fact, AI has often been referred to as the Great Equalizer. But is this necessarily the case?
In Hidden in White Sight, engineer and AI expert Calvin Lawrence argues to the contrary. In this book, Lawrence helps us understand that technology can often reflect human prejudices (racial, gender, and economic)—and AI is no exception. He argues that since institutions (such as judicial systems, healthcare, etc.) contain human biases, the technology they use, including AI, reflect these biases.
Hidden in White Sight demystifies the algorithmic black box, exposing the internal biases that are present in the seemingly objective inner workings of AI.
AFRICAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AUTHOR: MARK NASILA GENRE: NON-FICTION
Dr Mark Nasila is a South African data science and analytics expert who has been following the rise of AI for over a decade. He has observed its impact in various fields, from entertainment and education to healthcare and policymaking.
In African Artificial Intelligence: Discovering Africa’s AI Identity, Nasila gives a comprehensive overview of the rise of AI. But more than that, he discusses some major use cases of AI, critically exploring how AI can be used to solve Africa’s problems. His argument is simple: AI has come to stay and is set to change the world as we know it, and African nations must adopt it from an African perspective.
According to Nasila, it would be remiss for Africa to ‘simply import AI solutions from afar’. Instead, African countries need to rework and refine AI in a way that more appropriately addresses unique African challenges.
DEATH OF THE AUTHOR AUTHOR: NNEDI OKORAFOR GENRE: FICTION
Zelu is a young university lecturer down on her luck. On the same day that she is fired from her job, she receives yet another rejection on her latest novel. Living with a disability, she feels like the black sheep of her highly successful family.
She is devastated when she returns to her hotel room that night. In her dejection, she begins to write her strangest book yet: a science fictional novel about androids and AI, set at the end of the world, after humans have gone extinct. This becomes an instant best-seller, changing Zelu’s entire life.
In Death of the Author, speculative and science fiction author, Nnedi Okorafor, delights readers with two intriguing tales: one of Zelu’s life, the other about the lives of the androids that populate Zelu’s novel. The result is a book about love and loss and the power of narrative in shaping the world⎈
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