Ai Snake Oil

From two of the 100 most influential people in AI according to TIME, this book provides essential knowledge about AI and guidance on how to defend against misleading AI claims and products. Confused about AI and concerned about its impact on your future and the world? You are not alone. AI is ubiquitous but is often surrounded by hype, misinformation, and misunderstandings.

In "AI Snake Oil," computer scientists Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor cut through the confusion and offer a clear understanding of how AI works, its limitations, and the potential benefits and harms it brings. They help you recognize when companies are leveraging AI hype to sell ineffective products that are unlikely to deliver on their promises.

While acknowledging the potential of certain AI applications, such as ChatGPT, "AI Snake Oil" exposes the widespread misleading claims about AI capabilities and highlights the serious harms it has already caused in areas like education, medicine, hiring, banking, insurance, and criminal justice. The book clarifies the critical differences between types of AI, examines why organizations fall for the AI hype, and discusses why AI cannot solve social media problems, why it does not pose an existential threat, and why we should be more concerned about human actions related to AI than about AI's independent capabilities.

Furthermore, the book warns of the dangers of a world where AI remains under the control of largely unaccountable big tech companies. By revealing the limitations and real risks of AI, "AI Snake Oil" will empower you to make informed decisions about how to use AI in both your professional and personal life.