Ben Waber reviewed Feeding the Machine by Mark Graham
An Important Sociological Examination
5 stars
This book delivers a rigorous sociological review of all of the labor that drives the modern AI ecosystem, centering the exploitative and psychologically damaging conditions of data labelers. The deep investigations here show both the costs of our current model of AI development, as well as the limitations of the technology class that are obscured by outsourcing work to poorly paid workers in the Global South. The authors also interrogate AI itself, stripping away much of the hype and distractions that both industry and academia has erected. You can still, however, feel the Oxford roots of the authors, with some weird outbursts of AI hype breaking through. That doesn't distract much from the larger accomplishments of this book, which should be required reading for people in and around the industry. Highly recommend
This book delivers a rigorous sociological review of all of the labor that drives the modern AI ecosystem, centering the exploitative and psychologically damaging conditions of data labelers. The deep investigations here show both the costs of our current model of AI development, as well as the limitations of the technology class that are obscured by outsourcing work to poorly paid workers in the Global South. The authors also interrogate AI itself, stripping away much of the hype and distractions that both industry and academia has erected. You can still, however, feel the Oxford roots of the authors, with some weird outbursts of AI hype breaking through. That doesn't distract much from the larger accomplishments of this book, which should be required reading for people in and around the industry. Highly recommend