A Dangerous Master - 2nd Edition by Wendell Wallach (Paperback)

About the Book

There is no doubt that we're in an era of remarkable scientific advancement. From nanotechnology to synthetic organisms, new technologies are poised to radically transform life as we know it. However, with profound growth comes profound risk. In A Dangerous Master, renowned et...

Book Synopsis

There is no doubt that we're in an era of remarkable scientific advancement. From nanotechnology to synthetic organisms, new developments are poised to radically transform the human experience. Yet, profound growth comes with profound risks: a drone can drop a bomb just as easily as it can deliver your groceries; 3D printers can make personal firearms as well as tools and medical devices, and powerful supercomputers can take down a major financial institution just as easily as they can manage your stock portfolio. In A Dangerous Master, renowned ethicist Wendell Wallach delves into the moral challenges of these advancements, urging both creators and users to address the moral and ethical complexities of rapid technological growth. Despite the promise of scientific innovation, Wallach warns of technology spiraling beyond human control. The book examines resistance to meaningful regulation, while proposing solutions to regain control of our technological future. Wallach's narrative provides a balanced analysis, offering stark warnings alongside hope, compelling us to confront the practical--and moral--dimensions of our creations.

Review Quotes

A well-mounted argument that deserves wide consideration.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

A Dangerous Master does a masterful job of describing in an accessible but precise manner the emerging technologies, and their profound and fascinating ethical and social implications.--Gary Merchant, regents' professor of law, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

It is increasingly difficult to weigh the risks associated with new technologies against the benefits they may bring. Experts often disagree, the public is not certain whose views to trust, and politicians and the market take short-term perspectives that may not be best in deciding whether or not to plunge ahead in the face of uncertainty. A Dangerous Master gives us a balanced and timely guide to navigating the troubled waters of decision-making when new technologies appear. Read it your uncertainty may not diminish but your ability to cope with it will increase.--Arthur Caplan, Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics, New York University Langone Medical Center

It would be hard to find a more thoughtful, better prepared guide through the difficult terrain of emerging technologies than Wendell Wallach, as he demonstrates yet again in this comprehensive, erudite, and highly readable book. This is a must-read volume.--Braden Allenby, professor of civil and environmental engineering- Arizona State University

This thoughtful polemic convincingly argues that in striving to answer the question can we do this?" too few ask should we do this?"'.... Readers will admire this astute analysis while harboring the uneasy feeling that the barn door seems stuck open.-- "Publisher's Weekly"

This timely book offers a balanced assessment of the upsides and risks of a wide range of fast-devloping technologies. It deserves a wide readership.--Martin Rees, professor emeritus of cosmology and astrophysics, University of Cambridge, and author of Universe and Just Six Numbers

Wallach...delivers sobering assessments of today's engineering culture.... Neither alarmist nor affirmative, [A Dangerous Master] contain[s] urgent, compelling and relevant calls to consciously embed our values in the systems we design, and to critically engage with our choices.-- "Nature"

Wendell Wallach has done all of us a service. He has alerted us in detail, and provocatively, that there are dangers as well as gains in our national romance with innovative technologies. His account of the troubled technology romance is well told, and it is one we need to hear.--Daniel Callahan, president emeritus, The Hastings Center

Wendell Wallach, it seems, is always a few years ahead of the rest of us. In this marvelous book, he takes us to the technological frontier and shows us where, why, and how our most promising technologies could turn on us. Wallach is levelheaded and thougful, combining his encyclopedic knowledge of emerging techynology with a sense of history and an abiding respect for humanity. A Dangerous Master is fascinating, important, and--in defiance of its own gravity--a joy to read.--Joshua Green, director, Harvard Moral Cognition Lab and author of Moral Tribes

When it comes to technology, humanity is playing for supremely high stakes and it's a game we can't walk away from. In his new book A Dangerous Master, Wendell Wallach surveys a wide range of technological risks, and proposes how we humans may evade disaster, leaving the possibility of wondrously good outcomes.--Vernor Vinge, author of A Fire Upon the Deep and Rainbows End

About the Author

Wendell Wallach has gained international recognition as an expert on the ethics and governance of emerging technologies, with a focus on artificial intelligence and biotechnologies. He currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (CCEIA), where he is the founder and co-director of the AI and Equality Initiative. Additionally, Wallach holds the position of senior advisor to The Hastings Center and is a scholar at the Yale University Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, where he chaired Technology and Ethics studies for eleven years. Alongside Colin Allen, he co-authored the widely cited book Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong, which explores the potential for implementing moral decision-making capabilities in AI.