Listen free for 30 days

  • Human Compatible

  • AI and the Problem of Control
  • By: Stuart Russell
  • Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
  • Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (156 ratings)

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Human Compatible cover art

Human Compatible

By: Stuart Russell
Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.33

Buy Now for £18.33

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Invisible Universe cover art
Alchemy cover art
Talking to My Daughter About the Economy cover art
I Contain Multitudes cover art
The Alignment Problem cover art
Superintelligence cover art
Truth cover art
At the Edge of Uncertainty cover art
Democracy and Its Crisis cover art
Life 3.0 cover art
More Money than God cover art
Sway cover art
The Science of Stuck cover art
Leonardo Da Vinci cover art
How to Be a Founder cover art
Quit cover art

Summary

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Human Compatible by Stuart Russell.   

Creating superior intelligence would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, according to the world's pre-eminent AI expert, it could also be the last. In this groundbreaking book on the biggest question facing humanity, Stuart Russell explains why he has come to consider his own discipline an existential threat to his own species, and lays out how we can change course before it's too late. There is no one better placed to assess the promise and perils of the dominant technology of the future than Russell, who has spent decades at the forefront of AI research. 

Through brilliant analogies and crisp, lucid prose, he explains how AI actually works, how it has an enormous capacity to improve our lives - but why we must ensure that we never lose control of machines more powerful than we are. Here Russell shows how we can avert the worst threats by reshaping the foundations of AI to guarantee that machines pursue our objectives, not theirs. 

Profound, urgent and visionary, Human Compatible is the one book everyone needs to listen to understand a future that is coming sooner than we think.

©2019 Stuart Russell (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Surely the most important book on AI this year. (Ian Sample)
A brilliantly clear and fascinating exposition of the history of computing thus far, and how very difficult true AI will be to build. (Steven Poole)
Fascinating and significant. (James McConnachie)

What listeners say about Human Compatible

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    110
  • 4 Stars
    32
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    100
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    85
  • 4 Stars
    31
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disaster.

When a book starts from: when I was a child my parents... Seriously?! We are not interested in your childhood as you can write your autobiography. This book should be about AI. Author is talking how frequently he flies, attends fancy-schmantzy conferences... This is a really bad book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

best Artificial Intelligence reference book

This book takes the reader through a detailed but overall analysis of the AI development, the fears that many people have towards the AI and the potential benefits. The reader will be much more knowledgeable about the core sets of arguments in the AI discourse today.

This is a far-reaching book, a reference book potentially for hundreds of years to come, allowing the listener the space to think, disgusting some of challenges both technical and philosophical and provides a bedrock of research on which the book is based.

Whether your interest is in becoming an AI specialist or you simply wish to understand a little bit more about this very controversial topic of the day you rest assured that this book will bring you and the historical development and perspectives on various generations prior 2021 and the forthcoming arrived illusions that is anticipated by everyone.

if you are a parent, a teacher of philosophy or citizenship or anywhere in that spectrum, a computer scientist or a beginner in the ar world, then this book is for you.

As a parent you should be able to expose your child to these ideas in small doses of course.

As a teacher you should be including in your program the ideas discussed in this book of course ensuring the right level of detail for the right audience but none the less the topics discussed in this book essential for most people to be aware of.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable, entertaining

Great book - good balance of accessible and informative. Narrator tone and intonation often unsuitable and distracting though. Incorrect/misleading word emphasis sometimes makes sentences difficult to follow/understand, or changes their meaning entirely. You get used to it. And one or two amusing passages

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nice to listen

Engaging, easy to follow, and very well read. This audiobook gives a good overview of AI and the challenges ahead considering human uncertainty

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

AI in plain English

AI explained in plain English by British computer scientist, Professor Stuart Jonathan Russell OBE. An excellent, sometimes amusing read for anyone interested in the subject.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Solid work but the deep insights are few and far between

Excellent introduction to the topic. Flawless narration. I recommend “The Alignment Problem” for further reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Stephan
  • Stephan
  • 08-01-20

Fantastic Listen

A beautifully delivered narration of a great book. Stuart provides a clear understanding of the origins of AI, why we need to control its development and in trying to explain the problems with developing a general AI system actually gives a very detailed description of what makes us human and why it would be extremely difficult to emulate intelligence.

A very good listen and would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in computer science, AI, philosophy or the future of technology.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

adbl_uk_web_target_buy_box_sale_test