Rhonda Scharf’s contribution to the recent flood of books covering the impact of AI (artificial intelligence) on modern life Alexa is Stealing Your Job: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Your Future ranks as one of the most important recent works on the subject. It is the latest in an assortment of books authored by Scharf but the first covering this particular subject. She isn’t content rehashing material from others covering the subject and provides her own unique point of view backed by credible personal and professional perspectives. Alexa is Stealing Your Job isn’t a lengthy work by any measure, but Scharf never allows the brief duration of the book pose any sort of obstacles towards conveying a substantive message.
AUTHOR WEBSITE: https://www.on-the-right-track.com/
It is inaccurate to portray Scharf as either for or opposed to the growing introduction of AI in our world. This, if nothing else, distinguishes Scharf from multiple commentators. Scharf, instead, regards its pre-eminence in the world as a foregone conclusion and poses a stark choice for readers – they can either embrace the coming change or else be left behind. She reinforces this point by sharing her own experiences entering the professional world at the dawn of the computer age. Many older employees she worked with felt threatened by the introduction of technology into the workplace on such a vast scale and rejected any effort to come to grips with the changes wrought around them. Scharf, on the other hand, recognized the lay of the land and discovered she possessed an innate skill with computers and understanding how they work. Scharf’s decision accelerated her career advancement; those who dug in their heels found themselves displaced and moving into unplanned retirement.
Much of the early portion of the book is focused on this theme – the inevitability of AI in our lives and playing down the sinister connotations many attach to its emergence. It is refreshing to encounter a text on the subject that doesn’t read like plot points cribbed from a dystopian cinematic or literary narrative. Pragmatism prevails in Scharf’s work. One potential misstep for the book is providing an exhaustive list of human driven workforce positions likely disappearing with AI’s growing use. The list encompasses a 100-0% range and might be a bit much to wade through for readers looking for a more traditional approach. Moreover, one can question the need for its inclusion. Countless variables may influence future trajectories for many of these professions and this section may read rather dated in a short amount of time.
AMAZON: https://amzn.to/31cOghe
Overall, however, Rhonda Scharf’s Alexa is Stealing Your Job: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Your Future is a timely text about one of the largest paradigm shifts our species will experience; she is not stretching the truth when she deems the rise of AI as the next revolutionary shift in human endeavor. It is brief but brimming with substance. Her intelligence and personality alike shine through in this well written, empathic, and thoughtful addition to Rhonda Scharf’s growing oeuvre of books.
Jason Hillenburg
