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The Descent of Artificial Intelligence: A Deep History of an Idea Four Hundred Years in the Making
A 2025 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
The idea that a new technology could challenge human intelligence is as old as the warning from Socrates and Plato that written language eroded memory. With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence programs, we find ourselves once again debating how a new technology might influence human thought and behavior. Researchers, software developers, and “visionary” tech writers even imagine an AI that will equal or surpass human intelligence, adding to a sense of technological determinism where humanity is inexorably shaped by powerful new machines. But among the hundreds of essays, books, and movies that approach the question of AI, few have asked how exactly scientists and philosophers have codified human thought and behavior. Rather than focusing on technical contributions in machine building, The Descent of Artificial Intelligence explores a more diverse cast of thinkers who helped to imagine the very kind of human being that might be challenged by a machine. Kevin Padraic Donnelly argues that what we often think of as the “goal” of AI has in fact been shaped by forgotten and discredited theories about people and human nature as much as it has been by scientific discoveries, mathematical advances, and novel technologies. By looking at the development of artificial intelligence through the lens of social thought, Donnelly deflates the image of artificial intelligence as a technological monolith and reminds readers that we can control the narratives about ourselves.
The idea that a new technology could challenge human intelligence is as old as the warning from Socrates and Plato that written language eroded memory. With the emergence of generative artificial intelligence programs, we find ourselves once again debating how a new technology might influence human thought and behavior. Researchers, software developers, and “visionary” tech writers even imagine an AI that will equal or surpass human intelligence, adding to a sense of technological determinism where humanity is inexorably shaped by powerful new machines. But among the hundreds of essays, books, and movies that approach the question of AI, few have asked how exactly scientists and philosophers have codified human thought and behavior. Rather than focusing on technical contributions in machine building, The Descent of Artificial Intelligence explores a more diverse cast of thinkers who helped to imagine the very kind of human being that might be challenged by a machine. Kevin Padraic Donnelly argues that what we often think of as the “goal” of AI has in fact been shaped by forgotten and discredited theories about people and human nature as much as it has been by scientific discoveries, mathematical advances, and novel technologies. By looking at the development of artificial intelligence through the lens of social thought, Donnelly deflates the image of artificial intelligence as a technological monolith and reminds readers that we can control the narratives about ourselves.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 31, 2024
This is a rich text but misleading in scope, with very little to do with artificial intelligence, modern or otherwise. Instead, we have a deep dive into the last few centuries of efforts towards operationalizing human intelligence and behaviour, aka "sciences of man," aka "social sciences," aka more or less a history of how the natural sciences bled into the humanities.
This endeavour, or at least this take on it, is very much a white Western male one, with only language to demarcate this slice of history. While interesting, I felt a bit of dread creeping up on me as I progressed ... and not because of any uncanny machinations or machines. Everyone is a "he" and "him. Why the use of "sciences of man"? (Have you heard of it? Neither have I). Then, glossing over the fact that most early computers were women (not just anyone) ... and tip-toeing around the horrific treatment of Alan Turing, a direct consequence of homophobia and discrimination ... this text deserves its own humanist reckoning. One of the author's theses is, after all, that the natural sciences and especially modern approaches to the creation and study of machines has lost its way due to a disconnect from the humanities and social sciences. But, if this text is anything to go by, the humanities and social sciences are themselves adrift.
All this said, I learned a lot about some random characters that have contributed significantly to many fields of study and tools I take for granted. John Tukey, even Turing, d'Alembert ... there's quite a cast of characters, each hailing from different times and value systems, although sharing a lot of privilege among them. I found myself drawn in, despite my disappointment. A worthy history on "human computation" for those who don't mind its limits, including little mention of the titular subject as we know it today.
Thank you to NetGalley and University of Pittsburgh Press for the advance copy.
This endeavour, or at least this take on it, is very much a white Western male one, with only language to demarcate this slice of history. While interesting, I felt a bit of dread creeping up on me as I progressed ... and not because of any uncanny machinations or machines. Everyone is a "he" and "him. Why the use of "sciences of man"? (Have you heard of it? Neither have I). Then, glossing over the fact that most early computers were women (not just anyone) ... and tip-toeing around the horrific treatment of Alan Turing, a direct consequence of homophobia and discrimination ... this text deserves its own humanist reckoning. One of the author's theses is, after all, that the natural sciences and especially modern approaches to the creation and study of machines has lost its way due to a disconnect from the humanities and social sciences. But, if this text is anything to go by, the humanities and social sciences are themselves adrift.
All this said, I learned a lot about some random characters that have contributed significantly to many fields of study and tools I take for granted. John Tukey, even Turing, d'Alembert ... there's quite a cast of characters, each hailing from different times and value systems, although sharing a lot of privilege among them. I found myself drawn in, despite my disappointment. A worthy history on "human computation" for those who don't mind its limits, including little mention of the titular subject as we know it today.
Thank you to NetGalley and University of Pittsburgh Press for the advance copy.
November 1, 2024
This isn’t my usual type of book (I’m more into fantasy than non-fiction) but I’ve always been interested in subjects like this, so I thought I’d give it a try. HOWEVER it should be noted I am probably not the targeted audience and hence why the book would be rated lower compared to people who are the target audience.
With AI being such a hot topic recently it was interesting to see that you could trace the roots back to the Enlightenment period and the days of Descartes with his discussion of parts of the human body being mechanical in some form of nature and meditations as a whole. It's also a fun parallel that some of the "roots of AI" can be traced to him (Descartes) as a lot of times in media (specifically media containing AI) his quote from Meditations 2, "I think therefore I am", is a common phrase used by said AI, I.e in Detroit Become Human and "I have no mouth and I must scream".
There were also some beautifully written bits like "The inventor of the deterministic demon, and the man who removed God from Newton's universe". Sentences like this would constantly draw me back when I could feel myself getting bored. The book taught me a lot too about people that I only knew by name so to see them as something other than hard maths questions was fascinating and fun. I was also introduced to an entirely new pool of people I'd never heard of so learning about probability and how it ties into the entire world in a way was very interesting.
It was a little frustrating that there was little on women, especially since it's known that many of the first "computers" were women crunching numbers and I think it would have been a good parallel to compare humans being called machines to machines now in the modern age being more human. In a similar vein, the homophobic treatment of Alan Turing wasn't mentioned which I understand isn't directly part of the subject matter but it is part of Turing who is fundamental to the timeline of said subject matter book so I think it could've been mentioned more in depth. I did enjoy this book but I do wish it spoke more about AI in the modern age.
Thank you to NetGalley and the University of Pittsburgh Press for the ARC.
With AI being such a hot topic recently it was interesting to see that you could trace the roots back to the Enlightenment period and the days of Descartes with his discussion of parts of the human body being mechanical in some form of nature and meditations as a whole. It's also a fun parallel that some of the "roots of AI" can be traced to him (Descartes) as a lot of times in media (specifically media containing AI) his quote from Meditations 2, "I think therefore I am", is a common phrase used by said AI, I.e in Detroit Become Human and "I have no mouth and I must scream".
There were also some beautifully written bits like "The inventor of the deterministic demon, and the man who removed God from Newton's universe". Sentences like this would constantly draw me back when I could feel myself getting bored. The book taught me a lot too about people that I only knew by name so to see them as something other than hard maths questions was fascinating and fun. I was also introduced to an entirely new pool of people I'd never heard of so learning about probability and how it ties into the entire world in a way was very interesting.
It was a little frustrating that there was little on women, especially since it's known that many of the first "computers" were women crunching numbers and I think it would have been a good parallel to compare humans being called machines to machines now in the modern age being more human. In a similar vein, the homophobic treatment of Alan Turing wasn't mentioned which I understand isn't directly part of the subject matter but it is part of Turing who is fundamental to the timeline of said subject matter book so I think it could've been mentioned more in depth. I did enjoy this book but I do wish it spoke more about AI in the modern age.
Thank you to NetGalley and the University of Pittsburgh Press for the ARC.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews