Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Apologies for the very late review, I thought I had posted my review but it is only upon checking my netgalley account that I realised it never sent.

I don't normally read this kind of book but I was intrigued enough by the description to give it a try. I am glad I did as I found it absolutely fascinating. It was really well written which enabled me to understand exactly what Fry was saying without any prior background knowledge.

A fantastic read - Hannah Fry is a great mathematician, and she has a great way of explaining whilst also being interesting.

Algorithms are increasingly controlling our lives. From data held on us by supermarkets and insurers to the 'trolley' dilemma affecting the programmers of driverless cars, our lives are being governed by decisions taken by machines. In this book Fry looks at examples of how algorithms are working to our benefit and also to our detriment and asks whether or not we should allow this happen.
This book is written in a clear accessible style which makes complex mathematics seem straightforward to the lay person. Fry has an engaging manner in the written form and she peppers her work with an exploration of some of the fundamental questions that the common person has about the rise of AI.

The world of algorithms: Scarier than all your nightmares and any horror films, this is about how algorithms have ruled, rule and increasingly will rule every inch of your life. And the scariest bit is that you cannot escape it unless you live under a leaf in some far-flung island. And even then...Machine algorithms versus common sense: How much, if at all, should we trust a computer to make crucial decisions about our money, our health, our legal status? Is targeted advertising convenient or a danger to our free will? And how could elections be rigged by chasing swing voters with biased information? Can we create a diagnostic machine for medicine and what are the pros and cons of a driverless car? This book contains a vast array of thoroughly researched scenarios from the probability to be arrested for a crime due to mistaken identity to the likelihood of becoming a pop superstar. A cracking read.

Just my sort of read. From the first page I was gripped. So interesting and understandable. I’m a fan of Hannah Fry and would gobble up anything she has written. Fantastic.

Though roughly enjoyed every chapter, it was absolutely fascinating! Reminded me of reading Atul Gawande or Jon Ronson, such a brilliant blend of passionate narrator, demonstrable excellence and understanding in their field and page turning enthusiasm.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. In other news I've a signed copy on pre-order from my local bookshop, so it doesn't make that much of a difference!

This book is a little more 'serious' than Dr Fry's previous works The Mathematics of Love: Patterns, Proofs, and the Search for the Ultimate Equation and The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus: The Mathematics of Christmas, but it's no less enjoyable for it.

Through seven chapters (entitled Power, Data, Justice, Medicine, Cars, Crime and Art) Dr Fry takes us on a journey documenting the impact the application of algorithms has had on our modern world. We see what they're good at, what they're not so good at and where they can help and advise us.

There are examples of situations where algorithms are to be trusted, applications where they shouldn't and others where they perform best as nothing more than advisory, but advisory is exactly what they're good at being.

Running through the book is the question "If an algorithm is demonstrably imperfect, but better/more accurate than a human, should you use it?" And here Dr Fry explains that context is everything. False positives/negatives are an annoyance in some circumstances, but when it comes to medical and judicial applications they are of the upmost importance.

We see the role of training data and the impact that historical bias can have. We learn how apparent bias can be a direct result of the mathematics involved and how it's to be expected, as is wonderfully demonstrated in the Justice chapter where it's shown that a 'fair' algorithm will incorrectly identify 24 times as many men as murderers than women.

Throughout the book the tone remains hopeful. Hopeful that algorithms will lead to a better world, that the benefits outweigh the problems, that humanity will not succumb to its robot overlords, and I like that.

In fact the only real problem that I can find with this book is that it's too short. At just over 200 pages (plus an extensive section of notes and references) I could happily have read a couple of hundred more.