Blurbs

"It's a joy to read a book by a mathematician who knows how to write, even when it tells the discouraging tale of a business model – targeted digital advertising – that is hijacking the tech sector and destroying its soul. With no hype, little jargon, and precise explanations, the author describes both the conquests the ad-tech empire made by deploying more powerful algorithms and the preparations rebels are making to fight algorithms with algorithms. There is no better guide to the strategies and stakes of this battle for the future."

—Paul Romer, Nobel Laureate, University Professor in Economics at NYU, and former Chief Economist at the World Bank

"By explaining the flaws and foibles of everything from Google search to QAnon – and by providing level-headed evaluations of efforts to fix them – Noah Giansiracusa offers the perfect starting point for anyone entering the maze of modern digital media."

—Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing editor of The Atlantic

"Noah’s book brings the refreshingly impartial, data-driven content one gets from a lucid mathematics professor. The scale of reach enabled by technology means algorithms are the only viable operational approach. Mastering their limitations and moderating the commercial interests they serve is the responsibility of all those who work in data science. The effects of algorithms on the fabric of society could be comparable to carbon emissions on global warming. We have a chance to act early. Highly recommended reading."

—Leda Braga ("the most powerful woman in hedge funds"), founder and CEO of Systematica Investments

"You can read a hundred writers bemoaning the pollution of the infosphere; Noah Giansiracusa is one of the few who dares takes you behind the curtain to see the gears and guts of the fake news machine, and the competing algorithms that aim to counterbalance it."

—Jordan Ellenberg, bestselling author of How Not To Be Wrong and Shape and John D. MacArthur Professor of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin

"A wonderful book! Very approachable, very informative, a very important contribution to understanding the interaction of computing and misinformation."

—Grady Booch, Chief Scientist for Software Engineering at IBM Research

"The issues surrounding AI and misinformation are some of the most complicated – and important – we face. Giansiracusa helps us understand and confront them."

—Jonathan Zittrain, George Bemis Professor of International Law and Professor of Computer Science, Harvard University

"Imagine Genghis Khan with an AK-47 – that's what cutting-edge technology and computer algorithms have put in the hands of the next generation of liars, tyrants, and autocrats. Through the use of social media bots, deep fakes, and computer-assisted writing, fake news is now much more threatening and insidious than the "yellow journalism" of old; through the weaponization of technology, you won't even know that it's happening. Numerous TV pundits decry the assault on truth these days, but how many really understand its deep roots in information technology? To fight back, we not only have to go after the liars, but also the truth-assault weapons they have at their fingertips. Read this book to understand just how scary things have gotten over the last decade, but also how those of us who want to defend truth, facts, and evidence can employ the tools of technology to fight back."

—Lee McIntyre, author of Post-Truth

"Misinformation and deepfakes are the unique social-technological challenges of the era of social media and deep learning that every information consumer should be aware of. The book by Noah Giansiracusa provides a comprehensive yet concise account of this complex multi-facet problem, from its very cause to its impact and potential solutions. The book strikes a superb balance between readability and accuracy in the description of the core technologies."

—Siwei Lyu, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo.

"AI is ushering in breakthroughs in just about every industry. Yet there is a dark side:  fake news. So what can be done? Well, Noah Giansiracusa’s book is the answer. He provides an engaging look at fake news – along with the cutting-edge technologies like GPT-3 and deepfake GANs – and shows the various tools that can fight it. This book should be a priority for anyone looking at AI."  

—Tom Taulli, author of Artificial Intelligence Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction

Reviews

Review-essay in the Los Angeles Review of Books by Pulitzer Prize finalist Nicholas Carr on Jonas Bendiksen's "Book of Veles" and the deepfakes chapter of my book.

Review for the Math Association for America (MAA) by Bill Wood

Short review in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) by Katelynn Kochalski

Recommended summer reading by the MAA