Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World (MIT Press)

A guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology and why we should never assume that computers always get it right.

In Artificial Unintelligence, Meredith Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally -- hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners -- that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work. Broussard, a software developer and journalist, reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what we can (and should) do with technology. With this book, she offers a guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology -- and issues a warning that we should never assume that computers always get things right.

Making a case against technochauvinism -- the belief that technology is always the solution -- Broussard argues that it's just not true that social problems would inevitably retreat before a digitally enabled Utopia. To prove her point, she undertakes a series of adventures in computer programming. She goes for an alarming ride in a driverless car, concluding "the cyborg future is not coming any time soon"; uses artificial intelligence to investigate why students can't pass standardized tests; deploys machine learning to predict which passengers survived the Titanic disaster; and attempts to repair the U.S. campaign finance system by building AI software. If we understand the limits of what we can do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we should do with it to make the world better for everyone.

《人工非智能》是一本由軟體開發者兼記者Meredith Broussard所著的書籍，旨在幫助讀者理解科技的內部運作和外部限制，並提醒我們不應該假設電腦總是正確的。

Broussard認為，我們對於將電腦技術應用於生活的熱情，導致了大量設計不良的系統。我們如此渴望一切都數位化 - 包括招聘、駕駛、支付帳單，甚至選擇戀愛對象 - 以至於我們已經停止要求我們的科技真正運作。Broussard提醒我們，我們對於科技能做什麼（以及應該做什麼）有著根本的限制。透過這本書，她提供了一個理解科技內部運作和外部限制的指南，同時警告我們不應該假設電腦總是正確的。

Broussard反對「技術至上主義」的觀點 - 即認為科技總是解決方案的信念。她認為，社會問題不會在數位化的烏托邦面前自動消失。為了證明這一點，她進行了一系列的電腦編程冒險。她體驗了一次驚險的無人駕駛車之旅，得出結論說「半機械人的未來不會很快到來」；利用人工智能研究為何學生無法通過標準化測試；運用機器學習預測哪些乘客在鐵達尼號災難中倖存；並試圖通過建立人工智能軟體來修復美國的競選財務系統。Broussard告訴我們，如果我們了解科技的限制，我們就能更好地選擇如何使用科技，使世界對每個人都變得更好。