The book has launched
I’ve been quiet in the past weeks. Thank you for your patience. Today’s newsletter is just a short update on what I’ve been up to. From the next edition, we’ll be back to the usual introduction of “what’s new” in the economy of algorithms. Stay tuned!
Last week marked the launch of my first book, “The Economy of Algorithms: AI and the Rise of the Digital Minions.” All three book launches (Brisbane, Sydney, and Austin@SXSW) “sold out” (they were free, so I guess “booked out” is a better term). At SXSW, over 1200 people added my session to their agendas. Sadly, not everyone could join: the room could only fit less than three hundred participants. I recorded a video of the session so others could view it, too. The video recording is further down in this newsletter (and the session page contains an audio recording).
But there’s more! The book reached #2 on the “Computer & Technology Industry” list of bestsellers at Amazon Australia, right next to the one and only Kara Swisher and her “Burn Book.”
Then, it made it to #2 in the US in the Artificial Intelligence category (fun fact: categories do not align between various locations of Amazon—there is no Artificial Intelligence category in Australia).
I wasn’t prepared for this. I wasn’t even dreaming that the book could climb that high in rankings. I know it probably won’t last long, and the book will find its more permanent place much lower on these lists.
To everyone who bought a copy or came to one of my launches: thank you, this means a lot!
Did I mention that I managed to catch Kara Swisher and swap books with her? Here’s Kara with my book and Kara’s book in my hand!
What do readers say?
When I was writing the book, I struggled a bit. On one hand, I wanted to write a very accessible book that everyone, with no background knowledge, would enjoy. On the other hand, I didn’t want my colleagues, fellow business or tech experts, to think that the book was a bit shallow. I ended up cutting off that other hand (figuratively—if you really need me to clarify that). And I think I might have managed that. The best part? My colleagues seem to be enjoying the book too!
The very first review (and so far the only one) on Goodreads, by Greg, says:
“A very good study of the current state of play of AI by an Australian expert in the field. He knows his stuff and can explain it simply with lots of good examples. […]”
And a review in The Guardian goes into a bit more detail:
“Kowalkiewicz’s book is full of anecdotes of […] encounters with algorithms – though not all are benevolent.
Some are ludicrously incompetent, like the “hilarious bidding war” in 2011 between rival algorithms which saw one try to sell – unsuccessfully – a copy of a biology book about flies on Amazon for more than US$23.6m.
Other far more sinister real-world effects of algorithms are well documented. In the US, pedestrians have been mowed down by robotaxis; prisoners denied bail on the advice, in part, of software; in Australia, welfare recipients incorrectly and illegally hounded by an algorithmic debt collector that came to be known as robodebt. In the UK, students took to the streets in 2020 after being denied places at universities by the calculations of digital minions – their chants of “fuck the algorithm” proving a “defining moment” for Kowalkiewicz and an inspiration for his book.”
And then a few other readers approached me saying things like:
“Thank you for not making me feel like an idiot!”
Apparently, many AI books are so dense that the readers simply cannot follow them. I am glad to have been able to write an “AI book for the 99% of us”.
Can you help me promote the book?
If you’ve read the book, I would appreciate it if you could share your thoughts by adding a review on Goodreads, amazon.com, amazon.com.au, (or another favourite bookseller).
If you haven’t read it, sample chapters are here (introduction) and here (the first 40 pages).
Finally, here’s the recording of the SXSW session (done with a tiny camera in front of the room—don’t mind the video quality).
Thank you! And see you in the next newsletter. Can’t wait to dive into some juicy topics!