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Man-Made: How the bias of the past is being built into the future Audiobook
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Walkley Award-winning journalist Tracey Spicer exposes the next frontier of feminism. Man-Made aims to open readers’ eyes to a transformative technological shift in society and give them the tools to make positive change.
`Mum, I want a robot slave.’
Broadcaster Tracey Spicer had an epiphany when her young son uttered these six words. Suddenly, her life’s work fighting inequality seemed futile. What’s the point in agitating to change the present, if bigotry is being embedded into our futures?
And so began a quest to uncover who was responsible and hold them to account. Who is the ultimate villain? Big Tech, whose titans refuse to spend money to fix the problem? The world’s politicians, who lack the will to legislate? Or should we all be walking into a hall of mirrors and taking a good, hard look at ourselves…?
This is a deeply researched, illuminating and gripping ride into an uncertain future, culminating in a resounding call to action that will shake the tech sector to its foundations.
Praise for Man-Made
‘Exhilarating … The book we need as we grapple with how AI will change our lives and our world.’ Dame Quentin Bryce
‘Brilliant, hilarious and terrifying. You’ll never see Alexa the same way again.’ Juanita Phillips
‘Tracey Spicer uses her unmistakably human voice to warn us all about the deeply sexist Frankenstein’s Monster that is modern AI.’ Yumi Stynes
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"‘Man-Made is just the book we need as we grapple with how AI will change our lives and our world. Opening with a brilliant short, sharp review of the industrial revolutions that have shaped history, Spicer takes us to the famed Dartmouth College gathering in 1956 where the term AI was coined. She explains its meaning as “a constellation of technologies” - machines operating in a way that simulates human intelligence. With her passion for social justice, and her investigative skills and experience, Spicer embarked on an extraordinary 6 year process of rigorous international research, interviews and intensive fact checking. These form the basis for her scintillating and fast-moving exploration of this transformational technology. The quality and extent of Spicer’s meticulous research shines through in this remarkable book. Man-Made’s strength lies in its accessibility. This is a book for everyone. Starting with an explanation of how AI is already invading every facet of our everyday lives, Spicer delves into the questions we are all asking - and those we haven’t even thought about. As the story of AI unfolds in Man-Made, the sense of urgency escalates, making this an exhilarating read. Spicer deserves our gratitude for throwing a light into dark places, and giving us the knowledge, tools and power to begin to understand the future.’"
— Dame Quentin Bryce, AD, CVO
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‘Brilliance! Artificial Intelligence has been thrust upon us by the tech bros, in their own image and – terrifyingly – with Silicon Valley vested interests. No one consulted us; the ethics and existential risks have not been thought through. Tracy Spicer bravely leads us through this conversation, the biggest of our era… and one we need to have fast!’
— Sarah Wilson, author of This One Wild and Precious Life and First, We Make the Beast Beautiful -
‘Finally, a book on AI that is accessible to all people. In Man-Made Tracey Spicer, in a fabulously conversational style, delves into the history and development of artificial intelligence and maps out the absolute lack of consideration of women and minorities in the design and development of the machines that are running our world. Man-Made will put fire in the bellies of women and girls and will surely cause the tech men-folk to sit up and review the role they play. Essential reading for all people interested in the future of humanity.’
— Dr Catriona Wallace, Responsible AI expert, Founder of the Responsible Metaverse Alliance and Adj. Professor -
‘The world is made in man’s image and the creators of tech are making sure it stays that way . . . This fascinating, alarming, intelligent and ultimately hopeful read is for anyone who uses tech (yep, that’s all of us!).’
— Ginger Gorman, journalist and author of Troll Hunting: Inside the world of online Hate and its human fallout -
‘Gripping. Compelling. Do yourself a favour and read this cautionary tale. We all need to read this, and learn from it. Tracey Spicer’s story telling methodically unpeels the biases that technology is wrapping around daily life and empowers women to stand up against a future designed by men to disadvantage them. Compulsory reading if you care about the future and its entrenchment of existing power structures.’
— Madonna King, author of TEN-AGER -
‘Tracey manages to elicit anger, outrage and full-body laughter at the outrageous happenings of the past, all whist providing a much-needed history lesson on how we've managed to rub out female contributions, discoveries and innovation in the evolution of the digital age’
— Iyari Cevellos, Chair of Women in Technology (WiT) -
‘As eye-opening as it is entertaining, Man-Made is full of truths about the gendered impacts of AI that are uncomfortable to learn but crucial to act on.’
— Antoinette Lattouf, author of How To Lose Friends and Influence White People. -
‘Thank God it's funny. If it wasn't, I'd be too scared to sleep. Tracey brings her sparkling wit and journalist's critical eye to this Frankenstein's tale for the digital generation. Meticulously researched, hilarious and shocking. Read this book before it's too late . . .The perils of cyber tech from a woman's point of view: brilliant, hilarious and terrifying. You'll never see Alexa the same way again.’
— Juanita Phillips, ABC TV News anchor and author of A Pressure Cooker Saved My Life -
‘Tracey Spicer uses her unmistakably human voice to warn us all about the deeply sexist Frankenstein’s Monster that is modern AI. Humanity’s potential overthrow and replacement by those without morals, without heart and without soul is real – and marching toward us right now.’
— Yumi Stynes, author and broadcaster
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