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Machines of Loving Grace
Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots | John Markoff
3 posts | 2 read | 2 to read
As robots are increasingly integrated into modern societyon the battlefield and the road, in business, education, and healthPulitzer-Prize-winning New York Times science writer John Markoff searches for an answer to one of the most important questions of our age: will these machines help us, or will they replace us? In the past decade alone, Google introduced us to driverless cars, Apple debuted a personal assistant that we keep in our pockets, and an Internet of Things connected the smaller tasks of everyday life to the farthest reaches of the internet. There is little doubt that robots are now an integral part of society, and cheap sensors and powerful computers will ensure that, in the coming years, these robots will soon act on their own. This new era offers the promise of immense computing power, but it also reframes a question first raised more than half a century ago, at the birth of the intelligent machine: Will we control these systems, or will they control us? In Machines of Loving Grace, New York Times reporter John Markoff, the first reporter to cover the World Wide Web, offers a sweeping history of the complicated and evolving relationship between humans and computers. Over the recent years, the pace of technological change has accelerated dramatically, reintroducing this difficult ethical quandary with newer and far weightier consequences. As Markoff chronicles the history of automation, from the birth of the artificial intelligence and intelligence augmentation communities in the 1950s, to the modern day brain trusts at Google and Apple in Silicon Valley, and on to the expanding tech corridor between Boston and New York, he traces the different ways developers have addressed this fundamental problem and urges them to carefully consider the consequences of their work. We are on the verge of a technological revolution, Markoff argues, and robots will profoundly transform the way our lives are organized. Developers must now draw a bright line between what is human and what is machine, or risk upsetting the delicate balance between them.
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knotmagick
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I haven't had internet since I moved, and it's hobbling my social media. But I'm stil reading!

review
Schnoebs
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Mehso-so

3⭐️

I feel like the author knew what he was talking about but at the same time he wasn't sure about anything. There was no overarching story or even a time line to follow. He also repeated himself a lot throughout the book as he transitoned from one topic to the next which made me feel like he didn't fully understand how the current sections connected with the others throughout the book.

#nonfiction #required #gradlife #umn #mpls #twincities

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Schnoebs
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Avoiding my other schoolwork responsibilities by reading this book for class.... 🤷‍♀️ I‘m still technically doing homework right?

#audiobook #scribd #requiredreading #assignedreading #gradlife #student #umn #mpls #twincities

wanderinglynn That‘s a lot of tabs! 😂 what is the class you‘re reading it for? 5y
Schnoebs @wanderinglynn It‘s a current issues in science, technology and environmental policy course. I have a to write a summary on my thoughts of it at the end of each book. I have a tendency of highlighting a lot in the scientific articles I read but I just can‘t do that with books so I tab them lol 5y
wanderinglynn Ah, I understand. I have problems marking up books too. But the class sounds interesting. I‘m an environmental attorney, so dealing with environmental policy is a part of my job. And of course, there are huge overlaps with science & tech. 👍🏻 5y
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Schnoebs @wanderinglynn that‘s so interesting!!! Is there a specific focus you have??? I‘m currently working on research on equity and affordability concerns for access to drinking water. 5y
wanderinglynn I work for the US government (currently the Dept of the Navy). So my focus has been mostly on water and one hot topic is PFAS, which among other things is found in firefighting foam. It‘s not currently a listed toxin with the EPA, but many states are looking into it. 5y
wanderinglynn The PFAS chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body—meaning they don‘t break down and they can accumulate over time. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects. So the Navy is trying to get ahead of state regulation & develop policy on the use & potential cleanup of PFAS. 5y
Schnoebs @wanderinglynn so are you guys focused primarily on just looking into potential levels in regulations or are you guys also looking into alternative sources that can be used for the foam? 5y
wanderinglynn Both. 5y
Avanders Hey Chica — I just wanted you to know a #sffs package should arrive for you on Wednesday! 5y
Avanders Oh plus .. I think 2 small amazon packages .. that should be delivered tomorrow ☺️ 5y
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