Anna Demming reviews Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry
“A light read” may seem a disingenuous descriptor for a book about algorithms, but Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine by Hannah Fry arguably reads more as an anthology of algorithm-related anecdotes. Indeed, the sheer range of narratives speaks volumes for how far algorithms have penetrated all aspects of human life. Ranging from Bach simulators to self-taught tumour identifiers and bluffing chess computers; from racist automated taps and dodgy recidivism calculators to apocalyptic-error-prone Cold War nuclear strike detectors; algorithms are “as much a part of our modern infrastructure as bridges, buildings and factories ever were” says Fry.
The chatty anecdotal illustration of each point makes the book anything but information-dense, and reading it is a pleasure. It seems no scenario is too foolish when it comes to our interaction with machines – someone, somewhere has been there and done that. Despite geekily entertaining and sometimes irreverent humour – I particularly liked the online shopping website algorithm coming up with a balaclava as a likely follow-up sale to someone trying to buy a baseball bat – Fry’s caveats to handing over responsibility to algorithms can be no laughing matter. Bearing in mind that these stark warnings come from a self-professed algorithm nerd, if she has such grave concerns you might wonder whether your regular non-binary reading public would trust an algorithm to help with even the most banal chores of daily life.
While Hello World does seem to give less airtime to the success stories than instances of algorithms failing on the values or illogical expectations of the people using them, the book does something to unpick what strengths to elicit from both sides for a fruitful human–machine partnership. Fry weaves these lines of reasoning so deftly through her convivial prose that by the end the conclusions seem self-evident. Of course, when it comes to the stars of the numerous hapless human–machine encounters recounted throughout the book, their ill-advised approach was far from obvious.
- 2018 Penguin Random House 243pp £18.99hb
