An enthralling, contemporary tale of man versus machine.
An artificial intelligence program beats a champion in this nonfiction illustrated children’s book.
In March 2016 in Seoul, Lee Sedol of South Korea competed with AlphaGo, an AI program, in Go, a board game where players capture patterns on a grid using stones. Sedol, the “Go world champion,” was confident he would win, and the British DeepMind team, the creators of AlphaGo, wondered if the AI was ready to compete against such an adept human player. A diverse group of reporters and spectators packed the event. Everyone was shocked when AlphaGo (a DeepMind member moved the stones on the AI’s behalf) won the first two rounds. Sedol was stunned. Following AlphaGo’s third win, some people worried that AI “would soon be smarter than humans.” But Sedol “went big, trying to take a large territory, in an all-or-nothing play,” and beat the AI in the fourth round. Still, AlphaGo triumphed in the final round, proving that AI “could learn tasks and, at times, do them better than humans.” Although the surprising result left many people wary about the power of AI systems, “everything AlphaGo did was because humans had created and programmed it. AlphaGo beat Lee Sedol, but it also helped him to think in new, creative ways, to see the world differently.” The engaging story offers useful information and insights about technological advancements. Pattison emphasizes how computers and AI impact the world. The book also includes kid-friendly explanations of AI, showing how AlphaGo was trained to recognize patterns, and bios of Sedol and DeepMind. The work will especially be enjoyed by young readers interested in technology, programming, or gaming. Willis’ emotive illustrations provide charming elements like collaged details and patterned, textured backgrounds. Many show scenes of the intense competition, sometimes including speech bubbles.
An enthralling, contemporary tale of man versus machine.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 17
Publisher: Mims House
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Thought-provoking and charming.
A sophisticated robot—with the capacity to use senses of sight, hearing, and smell—is washed to shore on an island, the only robot survivor of a cargo of 500.
When otters play with her protective packaging, the robot is accidently activated. Roz, though without emotions, is intelligent and versatile. She can observe and learn in service of both her survival and her principle function: to help. Brown links these basic functions to the kind of evolution Roz undergoes as she figures out how to stay dry and intact in her wild environment—not easy, with pine cones and poop dropping from above, stormy weather, and a family of cranky bears. She learns to understand and eventually speak the language of the wild creatures (each species with its different “accent”). An accident leaves her the sole protector of a baby goose, and Roz must ask other creatures for help to shelter and feed the gosling. Roz’s growing connection with her environment is sweetly funny, reminiscent of Randall Jarrell’s The Animal Family. At every moment Roz’s actions seem plausible and logical yet surprisingly full of something like feeling. Robot hunters with guns figure into the climax of the story as the outside world intrudes. While the end to Roz’s benign and wild life is startling and violent, Brown leaves Roz and her companions—and readers—with hope.
Thought-provoking and charming. (Science fiction/fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-38199-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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