I enjoyed How to Speak Machine by John Maeda. Language and thinking to move our understanding of the current ‘AI’ moment beyond the hype. A non-exhaustive list of resonating quotes from the book. I love neologisms to understand differently and the idea of trying out new technologies for yourself, to play.
Computation
Computation is an invisible, alien universe that is infinitely large and infinitesimally detailed. It’s a kind of raw material that doesn’t obey the laws of physics, and it’s what powers the internet at a level that far transcends the power of electricity.
A new form of design has emerged: computational design.
These new kinds of interactions with our increasingly intelligent devices and surroundings require a fundamental understanding of how computing works to maximize what we can make.
Design matters a lot when it is leveraged with a deep understanding of computation and the unique set of possibilities it brings.
More than mathematics and electricity
… computation has expanded both in technical capability and sociocultural impact.
We are entering an era in which the computing machines we use today are powered not just by electricity and mathematics, but by our every actions and with insights gained in real time as we use them.
I have always believed that being curious is better than being afraid – for when we are curious we get inventive, whereas when we are afraid we get destructive.
Demystify it for yourself
There is a common lack of understanding of what computation fundamentally can and cannot do. Rather than give away your power of understanding to someone else, I invite you to be curious about the computational universe.
A meta machine that never gets tired
It is a meta mechanical machine that never experiences surface friction and is never subject to the forces of gravity like a real mechanical machine – so it runs in complete perfection.
Software above physical devices
In essence, he was describing the era we live in today, in which there are apps for everything and we depend more on the software than the actual physical devices in which they function.
Recursion
…nature paints with recursion quietly and obviously.
The central idea is to express the definition of something with a definition of itself, which is a vaguely imaginable idea that doesn’t have a home in the real world but is completely native in the realm of cyberspace.
Complexity
‘Complicated’ means something that is knowable, and although it may take time, it’s wholly possible to understand.
‘Complex’ means something that is not knowable, and even brute force can’t easily tackle it.
The Cloud – tentacles of a cyber machine
Today we are at the point when holding any digital device is like grasping the tiny tentacle of an infinitely large cyber machine floating in the cloud that can do unnaturally powerful things.
The cloud model represents a fundamental shift in how companies can get built, where the raw materials are all completely etherial, virtual, and invisible.
From AI to Machine Learning and Deep Learning
When taking about this sea change, we tend not to use the term ‘AI’, because it carries some negative connotations from the past. Instead, we prefer two terms to describe this newer kind of artificial intelligence: ‘machine learning’ ML and ‘deep learning’ DL.