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The Worlds I See

Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI

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The Worlds I See

By: Dr. Fei-Fei Li
Narrated by: Cindy Kay
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About this listen

The moving memoir of a scientist coming of age as an immigrant in America who finds her calling at the forefront of the AI revolution.

Wired called Dr. Fei-Fei Li “one of a tiny group of scientists—a group perhaps small enough to fit around a kitchen table—who are responsible for AI’s recent remarkable advances.”

Known to the world as the creator of ImageNet, a key catalyst of modern artificial intelligence, Dr. Li has spent more than two decades at the forefront of the field. But her career in science was improbable from the start. As immigrants, her family faced a difficult transition from China’s middle class to American poverty. And their lives were made all the harder as they struggled to care for her ailing mother, who was working tirelessly to help them all gain a foothold in their new land.

Fei-Fei’s adolescent knack for physics endured, however, and positioned her to make a crucial contribution to the breakthrough we now call AI, placing her at the center of a global transformation. Over the last decades, her work has brought her face-to-face with the extraordinary possibilities—and the extraordinary dangers—of the technology she loves.

The Worlds I See is a story of science in the first person, documenting one of the century’s defining moments from the inside. It provides a riveting story of a scientist at work and a thrillingly clear explanation of what artificial intelligence actually is—and how it came to be. Emotionally raw and intellectually uncompromising, this audiobook is a testament not only to the passion required for even the most technical scholarship but also to the curiosity forever at its heart.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

©2023 Fei-Fei Li (P)2023 Macmillan Audio
Cultural & Regional Professionals & Academics Science & Technology Technology Computer Science Heartfelt Artificial Intelligence

Critic reviews

"An inspiring personal journey from immigrant childhood to trailblazing scientist, The Worlds I See advocates for overcoming societal barriers and makes a compelling case for a human-centric, ethical approach to AI."―Jennifer Doudna, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, CRISPR pioneer, and coauthor of A Crack in Creation

"Fei-Fei Li is one of the scientists responsible for the birth of today's most widely discussed science, Artificial Intelligence. In The Worlds I See she gives the best explanation of AI that I've ever read while telling the story of her own profoundly American journey as a young immigrant who finds herself through education. This is a must-read."―Condoleezza Rice, Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford and 66th Secretary of State of the United States.

“A remarkable book from one of the leading scientists in the field of artificial intelligence. It’s both a moving and personal coming of age story of a young scientist and a riveting narrative that brings the reader into the earliest days of one of the most consequential scientific developments of our time. The Worlds I See is a deeply human story that is ultimately about Fei-Fei Li’s lifelong passion for learning and deep love of science.” ―Ed Catmull, cofounder Pixar, bestselling author of Creativity Inc.

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I didn't know what to expect of this book. I listened to it by chance, having heard Fei-Fei's name mentioned in a talk on YouTube about AI.

it certainly didn't start as I expected, telling the story of an immigrant growing up in America.

AI is an interesting subject. These days, tech news is dominated by AI stuff about tech bros and huge silicon valley corps.

The Worlds I See provides a lifeline that not everything AI related is quite so dystopian. There are good people, and good things possible, despite the challenges and negativity that also comes with AI.

I love that this book, whilst being tangentially about tech and AI, is, at its heart, a very, very human story.

it's really well written, wonderfully communicated and the narration in the audiobook is perfect.

a beautiful human story in the sometimes bleak world of AI

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I loved her sorry, her pain of her work, the insights into her life, personal and professional, I'm really looking up to Fei Fei now.
the book actually answered some personal questions I had that saved me a lot of time and money going forward. thank you professor Li, for teaching, sharing, opening up

absolutely loved this book!

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Reader was excellent. Prof.Li's story was well told, fascinating, and very personal. Enjoyed every minute and learned a lot about AI of today.

Personal autobiography

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This was an interesting autobiographical look through the development of AI and computer vision. Well told and interesting material.

Insightful autobiographical look at AI development

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I enjoyed this autobiography. It tells the story of a highly influential scientist who was behind some of the key pieces of research behind what we understand as AI. Her personal journey as an immigrant enriched the narrative. I also learned a lot about what AI is (and isn’t ).

Informative and engaging

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