Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots

Markoff's (New York Times ) history of human/computer interaction explores the design decisions and consequences of two rival philosophical questions: Should technology be designed ultimately to replace human involvement (artificial intelligence, AI) or to augment and extend human capabilities (intelligence augmentation, IA)? Telling the stories of the persons (largely men) who developed these now ubiquitous technologies from the mid-20th century through the first decade of our current one, this book examines the guiding principles and deciding factors (financial, technical, social) that determine whether machines are our slaves, our partners, or destined to become our masters. The book's primary drawback is that it is only loosely organized around broad themes (autonomous vehicles, robotics, virtual assistants, etc.), and no coherent or linear history is presented of the major people and institutions involved. Since many of the programmers, developers, and theorists change from AI to IA camps as they change projects or employers, the two competing views are inextricably linked and contrasting them creates a false dichotomy.