Official Review: Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human i...

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI" by Ayanna Howard.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Have you ever wondered why our digital assistants have female identities, such as Alexa, Siri, or Cortana? Ayanna Howard on Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI explains how the same biases that pervade our society reflect and amplify on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) we create and operate. Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI covers all the topics that make us feel uncomfortable about technology, such as the slight possibility of AI becoming smarter than us, the prospect of AI taking our jobs, and online echo chambers that reinforce our prejudices. The author also addresses current social issues that hit close to home: the tracking of patients with COVID-19, and the relationship of tech with the Black Lives Matter movement. She also surprises us with subjects like vandalism against AI. Best of all, Dr. Howard offers solutions and actions that all of us can take to make technology work for us ethically.

Ayanna Howard, the oldest black woman roboticist alive, is the most qualified person to write a book like this. She is not only a renowned roboticist that has worked, for example, for NASA, but she also belongs to a double minority, an African-American woman that had to fight to make her way in STEM.

My favorite asset from Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI is the narrative tone. The author addresses the reader directly. She uses colloquialisms and sarcastic humor, and she takes examples not only from her own experiences but from our daily lives to make touchy subjects relatable and as amusing as possible. Dr. Howard captures our love-hate relationship with AI flawlessly. She also keeps technical jargon to the minimum, making this book understandable to a broad audience. I applaud the way she rose above people who discriminated against her by not naming them and just giving funny pseudonyms like “Professor Jerk.”

My main qualm with the book comes from the author using Albert Einstein as an example of the power of quiet activism. I understand that dropping Einstein’s name creates an instant argument of authority, and I’m in favor of any arguments against racism. However, the Washington Post, among other reputable media, has shown that in his travel journals Mr. Einstein showed he was racist, and in his marriage, misogynistic. I would urge the author to pick a better example for a further edition.

I was left with a few unanswered questions. The author states that AI programmed with biases affects all of us. But how does it affect the elite (white, male, US-centric) that creates it? I also never fully understood why we shouldn’t worry about losing our jobs to AI. The basic argument the author presents, that humans are good at making ourselves indispensable, seems flimsy. What about some of us that don’t want futuristic jobs?

The book is only available as an audiobook, so I cannot speak with certainty to the quality of the text, but it appears to be flawlessly edited. Because of the relatable and sincere narrative, the expertise of the author, the practical solutions she offers, and the meaningful topics addressed I rate Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI by Ayanna Howard 4 out of 4 stars.

I would recommend this book to everyone. We need to be active and informed users of AI, but this is only an Audible Original, so I wouldn’t suggest it for people who prefer printed books or readers who prefer fiction.

Truth is, we are all prejudiced, and self-awareness is essential to change this. I advise taking Harvard’s tests on Project Implicit to discover some of your biases. The author concludes that we need to become better humans so that our creations, AI, in this case, are not discriminating and plain dangerous. Why don’t you start by asking Alexa to order Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI?

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Sex, Race, and Robots: How to Be Human in the Age of AI
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[RHD]

This is certainly a good read. We can put off the past, as it won't change much, but the future is a whole other story. AI is the future. Great review, Lunastella!

[Mtibza eM]

Wow, this book's subject is indeed unique, can't wait to read it.

[Yvonne Monique]

A very original topic and by the looks of it, written by somebody very knowledgeable.

[Goodness C N]

Like someone said, the premise of this book is original, as such, it cannot be ignored. Great review here!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

This is certainly a good read. We can put off the past, as it won't change much, but the future is a whole other story. AI is the future. Great review, Lunastella!

Exactly. And we can't change the reality that AI is here, but we can change our attitudes. Thank you for your comment!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Wow, this book's subject is indeed unique, can't wait to read it.

I've never heard anything like this. We have sci-fi books or other kinds of analysis that pretty much say that technology is "ruining our lives" but this is an honest account of the genuine problems of AI and what we can do to solve them.
Thank you for your comment!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Like someone said, the premise of this book is original, as such, it cannot be ignored. Great review here!

Unless one lives like a hermit, technology surrounds us and we need to learn not to transmit some of our awful biases to it.
Thank you for your comment!

[manumuffin]

I love the very opening question of this review! The author seems to be a fascinating person and awakens the wish to listen to this.
I also like that you made the case clear about Alber Einstein and had other thought provoking inputs regarding similar topics. Looking forward to read other reviews by you!

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

I love the very opening question of this review! The author seems to be a fascinating person and awakens the wish to listen to this.
I also like that you made the case clear about Alber Einstein and had other thought provoking inputs regarding similar topics. Looking forward to read other reviews by you!

Thank you very much for your kind words!

[Atieno Magero]

Wonderful review! Your review has been helpful and provided me great insight about this book. This is such an interesting book. I like the fact that it covers things about AI that most people may not know.

[Aisha_123]

Frankly, my mind never went to how all digital assistants are female. Thinking about it, it seems a bit weird. It's also great that the author is black and had to fight her way to STEM. I hope more black women are able to work in these places. Great review, thanks!

[Harty Muli]

I think the issue of AI is the same as the advent of computers. And just like computers took away some jobs while creating others, I think the same applies to AI. I'm also curious why they are named after women. Thanks for the insightful review.

[Chigo Nwagboso]

Thanks for a detailed review and recommendations. This will be an educational read.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Wonderful review! Your review has been helpful and provided me great insight about this book. This is such an interesting book. I like the fact that it covers things about AI that most people may not know.

It is an incredibly interesting book. Thank you very much for your kind comment!