Automate This
How Algorithms Took Over Our Markets, Our Jobs, and the World
Author: Christopher Steiner
What happens to businesses when we automate judgment and eliminate human instinct? And what role will be left for doctors, lawyers, writers, truck drivers, and many others? This book tells the story of how algorithms took over - and shows why the "bot revolution" is about to spill into every aspect of our lives.
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Summary
What happens to businesses when we automate judgment and eliminate human instinct? And what role will be left for doctors, lawyers, writers, truck drivers, and many others? This book tells the story of how algorithms took over - and shows why the "bot revolution" is about to spill into every aspect of our lives.
Description
How the rise of computerized decision-making affects every aspect of business and daily lifeThe bot takeover began with high frequency trading on Wall Street, and from there it spread to all manners of high-level tasks-such as diagnosing illnesses or interpreting legal documents. There is no realm of human endeavor safe from algorithms that employ speed, precision and nuance.In this fascinating book, Steiner tells the story of how algorithms took over and shows why the "bot revolution" is about to spill into every aspect of our lives. We meet bots that are driving cars, penning haikus, and writing music mistaken for Bach's. They listen in on customer service calls and figure out what Iran would do in the event of a nuclear standoff.On Wall Street, pre-programmed algorithmic deals are executed by machines faster than any human could-leaving human investors at a severe disadvantage.But what will the world look like when algorithms control our hospitals, our roads, and our national security?Is a stock marketcontrolled by high-speed trading bots worth investing in?And what role will be left for doctors, lawyers, writers, truck drivers, and many others?
Critic Reviews
“"[Steiner] excels in bringing a dry subject to life." -- Financial Times "As readers follow Steiner in his whirlwind tour of algorithm applications, they will marvel at the versatility of a mathematical tool understood only by a small circle of experts. Readers peer over the experts' shoulders long enough to trace the decision-tree logic of an individual algorithm and to follow the cascading dynamics of the linked algorithms that drive the "bots" now handling everything from putting astronauts into space to matching compatible personalities venturing into the dating scene.... An accessible foray into computer programming that has become a hidden but pervasive presence." --Bryce Christensen, Booklist "Algorithms are affecting every field of human endeavor, from markets to medi”
A fascinating exploration of how the mathematics behind automated trading revolutionized business worldwide USA Today He excels in bringing a dry subject to life. The characters he traces help to dramatise one of the central tenets of the book: that techniques invented for solving problems in one field are spilling over into others, accelerating the pace of change -- Richard Waters Financial Times An accessible foray into computer programming that has become a hidden but pervasive presence -- Bryce Christensen Booklist
About the Author
Chris Steiner is the author of $20 Per Gallon, a New York Times bestseller. His writing has appeared in Forbes, the Chicago Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and more. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a masters in journalism from Northwestern University. Steiner lives in Evanston, Illinois, with his family.
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