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The Most Human Human

What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive

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About this listen

 The Most Human Human is a provocative, exuberant, and profound exploration of the ways in which computers are reshaping our ideas of what it means to be human. Its starting point is the annual Turing Test, which pits artificial intelligence programs against people to determine if computers can “think.”

Named for computer pioneer Alan Turing, the Tur­ing Test convenes a panel of judges who pose questions—ranging anywhere from celebrity gossip to moral conundrums—to hidden contestants in an attempt to discern which is human and which is a computer. The machine that most often fools the panel wins the Most Human Computer Award. But there is also a prize, bizarre and intriguing, for the Most Human Human.

In 2008, the top AI program came short of passing the Turing Test by just one astonishing vote. In 2009, Brian Christian was chosen to participate, and he set out to make sure Homo sapiens would prevail.

The author’s quest to be deemed more human than a com­puter opens a window onto our own nature. Interweaving modern phenomena like customer service “chatbots” and men using programmed dialogue to pick up women in bars with insights from fields as diverse as chess, psychiatry, and the law, Brian Christian examines the philosophical, bio­logical, and moral issues raised by the Turing Test.

One central definition of human has been “a being that could reason.” If computers can reason, what does that mean for the special place we reserve for humanity? Consciousness & Thought Engineering History & Culture Movements Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Funny
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Beautifully narrated, well put together but that's just a bonus. The whole "story" in itself is so good and humanely profound that every person in search for meaning and value will appreciate this book. It gives genuine points of view regarding very important matters such as what it means to be human, in a fascinating, calm, clear and warm way that it makes my mind wander through space.

So good that I don't even need to explain

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it was nice to hear this book, it explains some of the combats between computer and human or a better word human making artificial intelligence more human.

better AI

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Gently mind-bending, eye-opening and highly engaging stuff. A little philosophy, many questions, a lot of science and a clever hook, I fear I'll be raving about this book for year to come, and evaluating myself as a human and what it means to be one for possibly longer! Thanks Brian Christian! Best popular science book for the layman since Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, which I will insist on recommending to everyone as long as I persist as a human human.

Incredible

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no overarching thesis per se, just thoughts related to humans and computers. would listen again

held my interest, would listen again

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This is a remarkable book! Very enjoyable mix of philosophy and computer science. Highly recommended

Fantastic audiobook

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