In her new book Man-Made, Walkley Award-winning journalist TRACEY SPICER exposes the next frontier of feminism, aiming to open readers’ eyes to a transformative technological shift in society and give them the tools to make positive change.
Good Reading caught up with Tracey to find out what she likes to read and who she wants to join her in a round-table discussion on high-tech.
What are you reading now, and why?
I’m reading The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. It’s an enthralling novel about a photographer who solves the mystery of his own death. At its heart, this book is about the violent history and complex politics of Sri Lanka. It’s one of the most wildly creative books I’ve ever encountered. A masterpiece. I try to read the Booker Prize winner each year, to learn from a variety of authors at the top of their game.
What were your favourite books as a child?
Like many children during the 1970s, I read lots of books by Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton. Viewed through today’s lens, the racist and sexist stereotypes are horrific. These works are most certainly ‘of an era’.
Which books have made you cry?
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara broke me! I bawled for days. Every time I think about the ending of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, I feel deeply emotional. Despite being controversial, it is one of the greatest endings of all time.
Which books have made you laugh?
Anything by David Sedaris. He is absurdly funny and brutally honest: ‘If you’re looking for sympathy you’ll find it between shit and syphilis in the dictionary.’ Judith Lucy also has a keen eye for the human condition. Her hilarious insights into being an older woman act as a lodestar for my life.
When your son said, ‘Mum, I want a robot slave’, what were the thoughts that raced through your mind?
This was a lightbulb moment. I realised that the bias of the past is being built into the future. Stereotypical ideas of women and girls being either servile or sexual are dominating technology, exacerbated by artificial intelligence and machine learning. I decided to write about this topic in a fun, engaging and humorous way, to start a conversation about what this means for all of us.
Elon Musk
As you delved into your research into AI and our high-tech future, what struck you most about it, in terms of the possible effects on our societies?
I discovered automated soap dispensers that only work for white hands, so-called smart homes that trap people with disabilities inside, and hospitals in which ‘computer says no’ if the patient is aged over 50. If we continue along this path, we face a dystopian future filled with social unrest, a widening gap between rich and poor, and worsening bigotry and discrimination. However if we act now, artificial intelligence can be used for social good, creating true equity.
Looking at human history do you see any correlations between previous advances in our society and the future technologies?
This time in history is analogous to the first, second and third Industrial Revolutions. We’re living through the fourth, which will be characterised by wide-scale job losses, due to exponentially accelerating advances in technology. Humans consistently fail to learn the lessons of history
Ava Lovelace
If you were hosting a dinner party, who are the six people (living or dead) that you would love to invite to discuss the subject of your book?
What a fabulous question! Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer; Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel into space; the legendary computer scientist Grace Hopper;
Catriona Wallace
Dr Joy Buolamwini, who created the Algorithmic Justice League; and Dr Catriona Wallace, founder of the Responsible Metaverse Alliance. I’d like to save the last spot for someone who needs to do more to change the future, like Elon Musk. If we could squeeze in one more, I’d love to host one of the alleged Founding Fathers of artificial intelligence, like Marvin Minsky. This famed patriarchy really stuffed things up. It would be a fascinating discussion!
Grace Hopper
Joy Buolamwini
Mae Carol Jemison
Marvin Minsky
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