Contracts

Imagine what it would be like to really understand another intelligent species on this planet.

Denise Herzing has long been intrigued by what that would mean. As the director of the Wild Dolphin Project, she has spent thirty years studying the underwater behavior of dolphins in the wild, with a particular interest in their social lives and communication strategies. What are they saying? And, can we humans join in the discussion?

Her new book, Is Anyone Listening?: What Animals Are Saying To Each Other and To Us, begins with her work with dolphins. Their behavior hints at a deep intelligence, their brains are big, they show signs of self-awareness, and some even use tools to help hunt fish. Building from there, she considers what we know about animal intelligence and the ability to communicate across species, looking at animals from prairie dogs to domestic dogs, and from parrots to primates.

Intelligence in animals has typically been measured by comparing their abilities with people. Denise argues that we need to resist the urge to see animals in terms of how we see ourselves and she wants to radically revise the way we define and measure intelligence in other species. Her work with dolphins has taught her that until we devise an approach to intelligence that isn’t human-centered, we don’t have a chance of meaningfully communicating with the animals who share the planet with us.

Denise Herzing’s deep experience with dolphins and her wonder and celebration of the rich variety of life on this planet informs Is Anyone Listening? The book is a eye-opening guide to the opportunities and challenges of understanding other social worlds.

In computer science, the word “algorithm” simply refers to a step-by-step procedure for accomplishing a given task: “lather, rinse, repeat.” But as human activity is increasingly electronically mediated, its meaning has deepened, as common experiences of work, leisure, culture, social relationships, and even reality itself are being directed by algorithms that are executed by computers, to significant effect.

We produce so much information today, yet the processes by which it is created and delivered are becoming more opaque. An increasing list of our actions, movements, and most of what we type or photograph is now manipulated, toward ends we cannot see. Software is often designed to collect and sell personal data to be used for advertising, or the software itself is an advertisement intended to produce purchases.

Commercial algorithmic platforms can create complex economic incentives and technical dynamics that routinely lead to situations where the interests of those creating the software systems are at odds with our own. Advertising-driven platforms act against us, under the guise of offering help and guidance. Flashlight apps secretly track and sell your location and Facebook takes your “likes” and places ads on your friends’ pages.

This algorithmic explosion allows for a new level of real-time personalization and content selection on an individual basis that just wasn’t possible before. But rather than use these tools to serve our authentic interests, we have built a system that often works to our disadvantage. In Corrupt Personalization,  Christian Sandvig, professor at the School of Information at University of Michigan explores what happens when algorithms corrupt personalization, allowing it to serve interests other than our own.
Corrupt Personalization is an eye-opening guide to what it means when more and more of our actions, movements, and communication is now logged, sorted, analyzed, republished, and repurposed. It offers a thoughtful look at how we can regain control over how our information is used.