Can we build moral machines?

Artificial intelligence is an essential part of our lives – for better or worse. It can be used to influence what we buy, who gets shortlisted for a job and even how we vote. Without AI, medical technology wouldn’t have come so far, we’d still be getting lost in our GPS-free cars, and smartphones wouldn’t be so, well, smart. But as we continue to build more intelligent and autonomous machines, what impact will this have on humanity and the planet?

Professor Toby Walsh, a world-leading researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, explores the ethical considerations and unexpected consequences AI poses. Can AI be racist? Can robots have rights? What happens if a self-driving car kills someone? What limitations should we put on the use of facial recognition? Machines Behaving Badly is a thought-provoking look at the increasing human reliance on robotics and the decisions that need to be made now to ensure the future of AI is a force for good, not evil.

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“[Walsh] makes a persuasive case that AI will eventually have as big an impact as the Industrial Revolution. … [his] sparky book provides a useful history of AI, a good analysis of our current state of knowledge, and a provocative guide to the future.”

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'‘Walsh reminds us that machines can gather data really well but they can’t think, so we’re in charge.’'

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Author featured in the Guardian.

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‘'Machines Behaving Badly is a good introduction to the unintended consequences of AI, and contains some genuinely thought-provoking insights into the quirks of the people behind them.’'

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'‘Walsh speaks from a position of authority about the benefits of caution and reflection, which serves as a critical counterweight to the breathless utopianism that is not uncommon in the field.’'

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'‘Walsh demystifies the utopian promises of AI and attacks the dangerous but resilient fallacy that computers never lie.’'