The Digital Ape : How to Live (in Peace) with Smart Machines

The smart-machines revolution is reshaping our lives and our societies. Here, Sir Nigel Shadbolt, one of the world's leading authorities on artificial intelligence, and Roger Hampson dispel terror, confusion, and misconception. We are not about to be elbowed aside by a rebel army of super-intelligent robots of our own creation. We were using tools before we became Homo sapiens , and will continue to build and master them, no matter how complicated they become. How we exercise that control--in our private lives, in employment, in politics--and make the best of the wonderful opportunities, will determine our collective future well-being. Chapter by chapter, The Digital Ape outline how our choices and the use and adaptation of the tools we've created can lead to opportunities for the environment (both built and natural), health, and our security. Shadbolt and Hampson are uniquely well-suited to draw on historical precedent and technical know-how to offer a vision of the future that is exciting, rather than nerve-wracking, to contemplate. The smart-machines revolution is reshaping our lives and our societies, but we are not about to be elbowed aside by a rebel army of super-intelligent robots of our own creation. We were using tools before we became Homo Sapiens, and will continue to build and master them, no matter how complicated they become. How we exercise that control - in our private lives, in employment, in politics - and make the best of the wonderful opportunities will determine our collective future well-being. The Digital Ape outlines how our choices and the use and adaptation of the tools we've created can lead to opportunities for the environment (both built and natural), health, and our security. Drawing on historical precedent and technical know-how, world-renowned experts Nigel Shadbolt and Roger Hampson offer a vision of the future that is exciting, rather than nerve-wracking, to contemplate. -- back cover How are smart machines transforming us, and what should we do about it? The Digital Ape tackles the misconceptions out of the conversations about AI and web science while showing us, with clarity and wit, that we have all the tools we need to control our futures.