AI Literacy Fundamentals Hits the Shelves!

My latest book, AI Literacy Fundamentals, is now available to purchase in paperback or digital forms! You can buy the paperback on Amazon, a digital copy for your Kindle, or an interactive PDF right here on our own online store. This is the 11th book in the growing Data Literacy library, with more to come before the year is over.

Included in Our Latest Course

There’s another way to get the book! Those who enroll in our recently launched online course of the same name will get a copy of the interactive PDF included in the introductory lesson of the course. Organizations who buy the course for their team members, whether they take it on our site or choose to import it into their own learning management system (via SCORM or xAPI), will also get a digital copy of the book for each learner. Contact us to get the conversation started!

Why I Wrote This Book

We live in interesting times. For better or – quite often – for worse, technology has taken on the status of a religion in our world. In our day, artificial intelligence has become its high priest. A glance at worldwide Google search for “Artificial intelligence” as a field of study over the past couple of decades shows the explosion of the current “AI Boom”:

And while technology and artificial intelligence can be beneficial in so many ways, I believe that the current AI frenzy has led to many unhealthy dynamics in our societies, in our organizations, and in our homes.

What kinds of dynamics am I referring to? Well, some people out there, especially on social media, are pushing AI as a sort of cure-all or a magic solution to all of our problems. And at the other extreme, others are beating the drum of doom and gloom about the dystopian future they see unfolding right in front of us. Both of these extremes are leading to dysfunctional outcomes.

My goal, then, in writing this book has been to cut through both the hype and the fear and to inform my readers about artificial intelligence so that they can join the many critical conversations happening right now that will shape the direction AI takes in the years ahead.

Featuring Diagrams by Alli Torban

What sets this book apart? Well, I tried to take a very comprehensive and balanced approach, instead of being one-sided. I don’t just cover technical topics like machine learning and deep learning, I also tackle societal issues such as those related to algorithmic bias and the controversial question of the “existential threat.” I also take my readers on a tour through the history of AI so that they can see the big picture, rather than just what’s right in front of us today.

But what REALLY sets the book apart, in my opinion, are the wonderful, custom diagrams that Alli Torban created to help explain some of the trickiest topics in the book. Alli is a real pro when it comes to the intersection of creativity and data. Her own book, Chart Spark, came out earlier this year, and in it she shares her practical approach to unlocking her creative energy – a much needed skill in the data world.

I hope you get a chance to check out the amazing diagrams, and I just know you’ll appreciate and admire the book covers she created for both of these books in the Data Literacy Press library as much as I do.

Dedicated to My Son, Aaron

I dedicated AI Literacy Fundamentals to my son, Aaron Jones. He’s a junior in the Informatics program at the University of Washington in Seattle, where I also teach. As I was writing this book this past winter, Aaron was taking classes at UW while I was teaching in the MSBA program at the Foster School of Business.

Here we are at the top of Cahuilla Peak overlooking Palm Springs, California, where we enjoyed some time in the sun during his spring break last month:

Aaron and I would meet up on campus for a quick dinner before my lectures, and we would chat about data and analytics, the job market, and life on campus. I’ll always look back fondly on this time we were able to share together.

Aaron’s a wonderful young man, and he just made the dean’s list at UW! He’s currently looking for a summer internship in data, so if you know anyone who needs some help from a bright, young analyst coming up in the data world, I can definitely put you in touch.

So How’s It Going So Far?

When you write a book, you never really know what kind of an impact it’s going to make when you put it out there. It’s very exciting and also very nerve-wracking. That’s why I’m both delighted and relieved that it’s debuting as Amazon’s #1 New Release in the Computer Literacy category.

I Hope You Enjoy It!

If you decide to purchase a copy of the book, I’ll be very grateful. I know that your funds are limited and your time is precious, so spending them reading what I’ve written is a real gift you give to me. If you take a moment to leave a rating or a review, it will really make my day. So thanks in advance to all of you out there who do so.

Lastly, whether you read the book or not, I’d like to encourage you to join the AI conversations happening all around you – at work, online, at the airport, in line at the grocery store, wherever.

NOW is the time to inform and educate yourself about AI, and NOW is the time to make your voice heard about what you want AI to be used for and what you don’t want it to be used for.