Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots discusses evolution of robotic technology through observed advances in artificial intelligence and intelligence augmentation. The author brings into light and contrasts the varying views and opinions of multiple individuals in the computer science realm who have contributed to these advancements.
John Markoff is a technology and science reporter for the New York Times, and also a former recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps due to his work in journalism, he focuses mainly on the industry and machines as workers and assisting utilities for workers. Markoff expresses support in the increasing use of robotics in the job industry, though he does acknowledge the negative short-term consequences at the expense of longer-term gains. He emphasizes the implementation of human-centered technologies, in which new machineries are designed in such a way as to aide and work with human users, as opposed to entirely replacing them. The book was published in 2015 and is quite current. Though the author discusses many views and examples from the mid-late 1900s, he also does a thorough job of relating these sometimes-outdated opinions to the current state of the computer science realm. In fact, each chapter itself seemed to flow in a chronological fashion, showing the evolving human-machine relationship over the past 70 years or so. In addition, Markoff also shares and interprets the visions of the future given by many in the field.
Much of the book is devoted to discussing or offering examples of the differing opinions and stances of those in the field of artificial intelligence and intelligence augmentation, and the collaboration between the two. Briefly, artificial intelligence looks to mimic and replicate human features and functions in such a way that a robot could sufficiently replace a human, while intelligence augmentation looks to design robots in such a way as to optimally enhance human functions in a collaborative way. Though I find the design and creation of artificial intelligences to be truly fascinating, I strongly support the goals of intelligence augmentation. I agree with many of Sherry Turkle’s points, both stated in this book and in her own novel, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, addressing the loss of features of interactions, relationships and developments that make us uniquely human as technology use increases. I am wary, not of machines of artificial intelligence turning on humans, but of the negative impacts that further increases in human reliance on and trust in technology and machines will cause for the future of humankind. The author did not discuss this consequence nearly as much as I would have liked, but instead focused more on the emergence of robotics in industries, and the effects that would be observed for companies, employed workers, consumers, and the economy.
Markoff does an excellent job of presenting the work of numerous machine intelligence contributers and voices in the computer science realm, including those of Sherry Turkle and Ray Kurzweil. Additionally, he ties multiple aspects of technology impacts, including discussing the topics of social media, the “job apocalypse” and the movie Transcendence. To anyone interested in the exponential growth of advancing technologies, especially in the work realm, I would highly recommend this book for its insightfulness, its substantial offering of varying views and interpretations, and the authors well-explained means for the future and what may lie ahead of us.
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