Review: L'intelligenza artificiale per il futuro dell'Italia: Competenze, casi d'uso e valore nell'Europa che innova

L'intelligenza artificiale per il futuro dell'Italia: Competenze, casi d'uso e valore nell'Europa che innova by Giuseppe Di Franco
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Part of me wishes there were sources for all the data in this book, since I found myself wondering where many of the numbers came from. As far as I can tell, they all check out, but still.

This book is sort of a catch-all about technology and its potential in Italy in the near future. Obviously AI seems to permeate every crack and crevice, if not in fact then in terms of possibilities.

Of course, detailing all the possibilities without once mentioning how to mitigate the issues that we are seeing every day (Hallucinations, toxicity, IP issues, confidentiality, Agents going rogue, etc. etc.) seems a bit naive.

It is interesting to read about the possibilities, as well as what is being worked on. Also, despite coming out this year, it feels a bit out of date at points (it mentions Leonardo, but I thought there were better computers out now in Italy).

Anyway, I’m still waiting for a more practical, actionable book about AI possibilities in Italy. I guess we’ll see…


https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is interesting to read this right after Nate Silver's "On the edge". My guess is we will start reading many more books dealing with AI and its changes to society, governments, business, and everyone's life.

This is written with the usual in-depth historical research typical of Harari, with some repetitions from his old books.

There are some fascinating points, such as how conservative political movements have become untenable with all this change, so they have morphed into radical movements touting revolutionary slogans.

Also some interesting analyses, such as how the Catholic church has been able to change with the times without ever admitting it was wrong (it cannot, since technically it follows God's word), but rather due to "bad actors". I don't know if this holds true, but it's an interesting perspective.


Either way, Harari remains a must-read.



https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: Co-Intelligence: The Definitive, Bestselling Guide to Living and Working with AI

Co-Intelligence: The Definitive, Bestselling Guide to Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a must-read for anyone interested in using AI in a professional setting. I'm not sure for how long this will remain up-to-date, but if you are just starting out with AI, this is probably the best introduction to its use that you will find.

It doesn't contain direct prompts, and it also doesn't get too much into the philosophical ideas as to whether AI will take over (it does a little of this). But it gives a great broad idea as to how to approach AI in general.



https://4201mass.blogspot.com/

View all my reviews

Review: Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China's Countryside

Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China's Countryside by Xiaowei Wang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this would have made 2 excellent books. One could have been about tech in rural China, focusing on the different areas mentioned in the book (blockchain, AI, drones, online orders, etc.) while the other could be a very interesting travelogue, detailing the different scenes, people, experiences, etc. encountered by the author throughout China. As it stands, it had extremely interesting content, but felt rather disjointed. I confess I'm still not sure about the random recipes interspersed throughout. 

Having said that, this book should probably be required reading for anyone outside China who is interested in an update on what is going on tech-wise, especially outside of the big cities, and how tech is affecting everyday lives. 

I was looking for more examples of how blockchain technology was being used in rural China, especially after having seen a story about how it was being used in rural Taiwan, so I was a bit disappointed that it didn't have more on that, but the rest of the material was still quite fascinating. 

One story that stuck with me was about the author, when staying among the Dong (Kam) people, having tried a spicy paste they liked so much that they asked if they could buy it. This caused confusion, since the people in the village weren't used to this type of commerce and weren't prepared to sell to outside markets. In the end the boss put some of the paste in an empty Sprite bottle for them to carry. When asked how much it cost, the person thought about it, and replied, "Would RMB 10 be a fair price? Also, can you pay me on Wechat?". This really brought home the juxtaposition of rural life and modern technology for me.

View all my reviews