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Code Dependent

How AI Is Changing Our Lives — Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction

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Code Dependent

By: Madhumita Murgia
Narrated by: Madhumita Murgia
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About this listen

Read by the author, Madhumita Murgia, this audio edition includes a fascinating exclusive author interview, led by the global AI lead at publisher Pan Macmillan, Sara Lloyd.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024

What does it mean to be human in a world that is rapidly changing with the development of artificial intelligence?

'Highly readable and deeply important' – The Guardian

'Exposes the hidden consequences of our existing AI technologies' – The Times

Through the voices of ordinary people in places far removed from Silicon Valley, Code Dependent explores the impact of a set of powerful, flawed, and often exploitative technologies on individuals, communities, and our wider society. Madhumita Murgia, AI Editor at the FT, exposes how AI can strip away our collective and individual sense of agency – and shatter our illusion of free will.

AI is already changing what it means to be human, in ways large and small. In this compelling work, Murgia reveals what could happen if we fail to reclaim our humanity.

'The intimate investigation of AI that we’ve been waiting for, and it arrives not a moment too soon.' – Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

'A nuanced, thoughtful and very accessible picture of a world deeply affected by AI' – Martha Lane Fox

 Business Ethics History & Culture Science Social Sciences Technology & Society Workplace & Organisational Behavior Technology

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Critic reviews

Code Dependent is the No Logo of the 2020s.
A penetrating look at how we’re allowing artificial intelligence to infiltrate all parts of society, from policing, welfare, justice and health, to the point where whole lives are being altered – often ruined – by systems that hardly any of us understand
The power of this book lies in the rich stories it tells of individuals . . . Drawing on interviews from around the globe, this highly readable and deeply important book exposes AI’s sordid underbelly.
Given the topic's ubiquity, it is refreshing when a new perspective comes along. And Code Dependent is just that, making it a must-read for those struggling to reckon with the AI revolution.
Every chapter in Code Dependent shocks . . . Simultaneously a thoughtful introduction and a deep dive for anyone who already knows quite a lot about AI, or thinks they do
The stories in Code Dependent are wonderfully varied . . . Through a series of vivid, dramatically diverse tableaus, Murgia situates Al in the rough and tumble of human society.
There’s nothing like a long plane journey to rediscover the joys of reading an entire book in one sitting and I have just had that pleasure [with Madhumita Murgia's Code Dependent], understanding the dangers of where AI might take us. (Anne Sebba, The Guardian, 'What We're Reading')
Code Dependent is the intimate investigation of AI that we’ve been waiting for, and it arrives not a moment too soon. (Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism)
Brilliant story telling. Books about AI often put the tech centre stage but Murgia makes you, the human, the hero and sadly often the victim in this fascinating collection of stories about the impact of code on our future. (Marcus du Sautoy, author of The Creativity Code)
Murgia explores what the rise of AI means for us as a society by looking at the impact it has on nine ordinary people around the world. (BBC Culture, ‘2024's Most Anticipated Books’)
A testament to the power of storytelling in unraveling the complexities of AI. Murgia's profound insights and meticulous research offer a rare and invaluable perspective on the intersection of technology and society. (Azeem Azhar, founder of Exponential View)
Provides a much needed corrective to the trendy breathless Silicon Valley insider AI history (Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal, co-founder of the AI Now Institute)
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed this book. As someone’s who lives in the UK, I loved how this gave me an insight into the impacts of AI on a global scale.
I do worry that AI is being introduced into society and the majority of people will passively accept it. This book really made me take a step back and question my own feelings about AI, having learnt so much about the ethical and moral implications it brings with it. A great read and will be recommending it to everyone I know!

Really insightful!

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The author chose to tell the story of AI’s recent advancements through individual human stories that are non west centric, allowing the reader to have an entry point into this complex new technology and how it will grow in all our lives

A global diverse investigation into AI

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As they try and sell some nonsensical ideal about what AI can achieve, analysts and scientists are looking at the current effects. This is a very good example, and I thought Murgia’s concern with how AI affects human nature is necessary.

There are some key aspects featured and she has found people who have suffered an overlap of effects from the production process. The nuances and impacts are a clarion call to extend our ethics to the subjects involved, not simply produce statistics and express information.

Murgia references a multitude of academics which make for further reading. See also Kate Crawford, Virginia Eubanks, Kathy O’Neill, etc.

Another important study

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This book is amazing. As someone currently upskilling myself in data analytics, machine learning, and AI, I found the real-life stories of how these technologies are already woven into our lives incredibly compelling.

It’s remarkable that some people find stories that aren’t eurocentric, giving account of marginalised people’s real-life experiences of discrimination and racism upsetting rather than the actual injustices. The people on the receiving end of such treatment do not get the luxury of dismissing it as woke, left-wing or childish!

Topical, enlightening and humanising for something which can seem abstract and far removed for many of us

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Learnt little about AI. The existence of sweatshops is nothing particular to it and profiling has always existed with tragic consequences. Particular personal stories dragging for ever with needless details as if the reader would not know what misery looks like and having little to do with the title.Childish, simple content and narration. Don’t read if you really want qualitative, complex, informative content about AI. Even the conclusive chapter is a lithany of platitudes.

Very woke

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