Rage Inside The Machine: Algorithmic Bias and What It Means to be Human, with Dr Robert Smith

I’m very excited today to talk to Dr Robert Elliot Smith, who –
after a thirty-year career working in AI and working with
algorithms - has written one of the best books I’ve ever read
about artificial intelligence and the impact of algorithms on
society – Rage Inside the Machine. More than this, though, it’s
really about… the dangers that can arise from trying to boil down
complex aspects of what it means to be human, or what is valuable
and important, to numbers and metrics which can be processed by
these machines. Which I think is a much more fundamental issue,
and lies at the heart of a great deal of systemic injustice and
misunderstanding, even before the age of algorithms came along to
turbo-charge all of these problems.

We had a wonderful, wide-ranging interview and Dr Smith was very
patient and willing to deal with my pretty scattershot questions
attempting to cover a lot of what is in his book. I hope you
enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed our conversation.




Thank you for listening to this episode of Physical Attraction,
and thanks again for Dr Smith for coming on the show. His book,
Rage Inside The Machine, is one of the most brilliant texts
you’ll read on AI – a glorious mix between technical detail
explained in a way that’s not too oversimplified, personal
stories profound insight into this interface between computers
and algorithms and what it means to be human. It’s genuinely
great, we just scratched the surface here really, and I know I’ll
end up reading it multiple times for the full detail of what’s
being said… and just because it’s also one of those books where
you feel your brain expanding when you read it. In a good way. Do
get a copy.

You can find that at Rage Inside The Machine.com where you will
also find Rob’s blog and some of his other appearances on
podcasts if you are interested. He’s also an occasional Tweeter
at Dr RE Smith, so go check it out.

As for us, you know what to do! The website is
physicspodcast.com, there’s a contact form there where you can
get in touch with any comments, questions, concerns, things you
liked, and didn’t like, and so forth. You can donate to the show
via PayPal, or subscribe to our Patreon, where there are
currently over a dozen bonus and early-release episodes for you
to enjoy. You won’t be charged on the Patreon until a new paid
bonus episode is released – and even then the pledge can be as
low as a dollar or two I think – so if you want to support people
who create the independent content you enjoy, that’s a good way
to do it.