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Preface

The book’s Preface places the current AI explosion in the context of other technological cataclysms and recounts the author’s personal (and not always deadly serious) AI journey.

Chapter One: “Extracting the Essence: Toward Machine Translation of Literature” 

This 2019 essay rashly inquired whether artificial intelligence (AI) and machine translation (MT) might eventually be applied to literary translation. Such translation strives to somehow preserve the essence of a work while carrying it over to a different language and culture and giving it rebirth there. To recognize that essence, the translator must accurately capture the meaning of the original; appreciate its metaphors, connotations, register, references, and other abstract or associative factors; and choose among available target language expressions by exercising esthetic judgments. Computers, however, have until recently remained incapable of such accuracy, abstraction, and judgment. We revisited these shortfalls in light of developments in MT and AI. We teased apart several separable aspects of literary translation – literal meaning, meter, rhyme, and the abovementioned associative elements – with reference to arguments about Vladimir Nabokov’s hyper-literal translation of Pushkin’s poem Eugene Onegin. Prompted by this debate, we came to analyze translation as an optimization problem: because it will often prove impossible to perfectly convey all aspects or essences of a text in a single translation, the translator must search for some optimal compromise. Then we discussed several avenues for improvement in MT which could help to extract these aspects of a text’s essence – first, those which might enhance textually grounded MT (i.e., MT trained on text only), leading to delivery of high-quality literal translations; and second, those related to perceptually grounded MT (i.e., MT trained on simulated perception, e.g. of audiovisual input, as well as text), which might extract more abstract or associative elements of a text. We suggested that recognition of categories would prove central to the essence extraction sought by translators. As this categorization improves, MT should increasingly support literary, and thus cultural, preservation. However, the deepest artificial esthetic judgments will await artificial emotion. Chapter One concluded with two appendices, the first sampling numerous competing translations of Pushkin verses and the second displaying widely varying translations of a short French poem.

Chapter Two: “Toward an Artificial Nabokov”

Chapter One inquired whether artificial translation of literature might be at all possible. The cautious conclusion was that while high-quality literal translation might be achievable through foreseeable development of current techniques, artistic translation would await artificial emotion, a more distant prospect. This 2021 sequel went on to ask whether an artificial intelligence might eventually gain the ability to actually create works of literary art. To throw literary consciousness into the sharpest relief, we took as exemplar an author known for a kind of hyper-consciousness: Vladimir Nabokov. To be sure, the suggestion that artworks combining Nabokov’s superhuman intricacy and wholly human depth could be authored by a collection of switches would horrify this transcendent author, and does seem to fly in the face of everything that is most human. But while we are concerned with what machines might do, our more fundamental concern is to understand the human thoughts and feelings to which machines might aspire; and this understanding, promising to bridge the gap between C.P. Snow’s two cultures, is finally coming within reach. In our literary context, Nabokov scholarship provides many specific examples – in Ada: or Ardor, Pale Fire, and other works – of the author’s hyper-conscious artistic techniques: glorying in memory; repetition to establish themes and motifs; allusion to wide-ranging works and facts; intricate puzzle posing; and relentlessly careful structuring at multiple levels of the text. Here we considered several such techniques, speculating about the extent to which current or coming AI capabilities could approach them. In Chapter Two, Section 2, to clarify assumptions, I set forth my own current conceptions of computation, consciousness, feeling, language, and thinking, providing in the process a somewhat prejudiced AI primer for the computer-shy humanist. In Chapter Two, Section 3, I applied to Nabokov’s prodigious work my understanding of these aspects of mind. Subsections focused on self-awareness, perception, memory, and puzzles.

Chapter Three: “Large Literary Models? Intelligence and Language in the LLM Era”

Spoiler: Chapter Three, Section 6, Experiments will present several striking demonstrations of the current (2025) state of the artificial literary art. This chapter’s initial sections aim to explain the breakthroughs that triggered the abrupt phase change from wannabe to indisputable intelligence and linguistic ability. We first give an account of intelligence, sufficiently general to apply to both biological and artificial entities, defining it as the ability to select actions or outcomes effectively according to the conditions and goals encountered – in computers, as conditional (if/then) expressions. We'll scan various ways of packaging conditionals in computer programs, culminating in deep neural network technology, in which each network node among billions can be seen as an if/then expression. Thus, conditionality realized through networks is seen as the common underpinning of artificial and biological intelligence. Next, to explain the breakthrough success of Large Language Models, we undertake an accompanying account of language, viewed as combining two separable capabilities: (1) to communicate using symbols, minimally one at a time and (2) to communicate with a sequence of symbols – that is, exploiting grammar. We explain the technological breakthrough enabling artificial symbol use as development of vector-based semantic techniques and we explain in depth our understanding of symbolic communication. In the grammatical area, the linguistic breakthrough has been enablement of improved predictors of sequences through consideration of much larger contexts. To manage the accompanying threat of computational overload, it’s necessary to focus on the most predictive contextual elements among thousands. These are taken to be those closest semantically to a given element in question – and the vector-based semantic approach proves to be perfect for identifying them via the attention mechanism and the sequence-prediction technology built upon it, the transformer architecture. However, despite spectacular progress in computational intelligence and language, some aspects undoubtedly remain lacking. We emphasize that the structure of neurally learned knowledge remains unclear, while speculating that class hierarchies and schemas play important parts in LLMs and describing new tools for analyzing the networks’ hidden patterns. We go on to consider issues of (1) search and revision (linguistic and otherwise); (2) experience grounded in the world beyond text, with explanation of Imitation Learning and Reinforcement Learning as ways of predicting what to do next; (3) memory and identity issues; and (4) emotions, stressing that current systems’ lack of built-in drives handicaps artificial artistry – for better or worse – and cautioning against mistaking faked feelings for felt ones. After presenting the abovementioned experiments, we'll conclude with an evaluation, attempting a working definition of “understanding” to support the contention that current LLMs do in fact evince artificial comprehension, while also noting original touches and linguistic creativity.

Sendoff

The volume’s Sendoff considers whether machines, while now arguably intelligent, can ever also gain sufficient sensation and emotion to create language art with other than borrowed depth – and, while viewing this development as likely all too soon, declines to despair on that account.

Preface

The book’s Preface places the current AI explosion in the context of other technological cataclysms and recounts the author’s personal (and not always deadly serious) AI journey.

Chapter One: “Extracting the Essence: Toward Machine Translation of Literature” 

This 2019 essay rashly inquired whether artificial intelligence (AI) and machine translation (MT) might eventually be applied to literary translation. Such translation strives to somehow preserve the essence of a work while carrying it over to a different language and culture and giving it rebirth there. To recognize that essence, the translator must accurately capture the meaning of the original; appreciate its metaphors, connotations, register, references, and other abstract or associative factors; and choose among available target language expressions by exercising esthetic judgments. Computers, however, have until recently remained incapable of such accuracy, abstraction, and judgment. We revisited these shortfalls in light of developments in MT and AI. We teased apart several separable aspects of literary translation – literal meaning, meter, rhyme, and the abovementioned associative elements – with reference to arguments about Vladimir Nabokov’s hyper-literal translation of Pushkin’s poem Eugene Onegin. Prompted by this debate, we came to analyze translation as an optimization problem: because it will often prove impossible to perfectly convey all aspects or essences of a text in a single translation, the translator must search for some optimal compromise. Then we discussed several avenues for improvement in MT which could help to extract these aspects of a text’s essence – first, those which might enhance textually grounded MT (i.e., MT trained on text only), leading to delivery of high-quality literal translations; and second, those related to perceptually grounded MT (i.e., MT trained on simulated perception, e.g. of audiovisual input, as well as text), which might extract more abstract or associative elements of a text. We suggested that recognition of categories would prove central to the essence extraction sought by translators. As this categorization improves, MT should increasingly support literary, and thus cultural, preservation. However, the deepest artificial esthetic judgments will await artificial emotion. Chapter One concluded with two appendices, the first sampling numerous competing translations of Pushkin verses and the second displaying widely varying translations of a short French poem.

Chapter Two: “Toward an Artificial Nabokov”

Chapter One inquired whether artificial translation of literature might be at all possible. The cautious conclusion was that while high-quality literal translation might be achievable through foreseeable development of current techniques, artistic translation would await artificial emotion, a more distant prospect. This 2021 sequel went on to ask whether an artificial intelligence might eventually gain the ability to actually create works of literary art. To throw literary consciousness into the sharpest relief, we took as exemplar an author known for a kind of hyper-consciousness: Vladimir Nabokov. To be sure, the suggestion that artworks combining Nabokov’s superhuman intricacy and wholly human depth could be authored by a collection of switches would horrify this transcendent author, and does seem to fly in the face of everything that is most human. But while we are concerned with what machines might do, our more fundamental concern is to understand the human thoughts and feelings to which machines might aspire; and this understanding, promising to bridge the gap between C.P. Snow’s two cultures, is finally coming within reach. In our literary context, Nabokov scholarship provides many specific examples – in Ada: or Ardor, Pale Fire, and other works – of the author’s hyper-conscious artistic techniques: glorying in memory; repetition to establish themes and motifs; allusion to wide-ranging works and facts; intricate puzzle posing; and relentlessly careful structuring at multiple levels of the text. Here we considered several such techniques, speculating about the extent to which current or coming AI capabilities could approach them. In Chapter Two, Section 2, to clarify assumptions, I set forth my own current conceptions of computation, consciousness, feeling, language, and thinking, providing in the process a somewhat prejudiced AI primer for the computer-shy humanist. In Chapter Two, Section 3, I applied to Nabokov’s prodigious work my understanding of these aspects of mind. Subsections focused on self-awareness, perception, memory, and puzzles.

Chapter Three: “Large Literary Models? Intelligence and Language in the LLM Era”

Spoiler: Chapter Three, Section 6, Experiments will present several striking demonstrations of the current (2025) state of the artificial literary art. This chapter’s initial sections aim to explain the breakthroughs that triggered the abrupt phase change from wannabe to indisputable intelligence and linguistic ability. We first give an account of intelligence, sufficiently general to apply to both biological and artificial entities, defining it as the ability to select actions or outcomes effectively according to the conditions and goals encountered – in computers, as conditional (if/then) expressions. We'll scan various ways of packaging conditionals in computer programs, culminating in deep neural network technology, in which each network node among billions can be seen as an if/then expression. Thus, conditionality realized through networks is seen as the common underpinning of artificial and biological intelligence. Next, to explain the breakthrough success of Large Language Models, we undertake an accompanying account of language, viewed as combining two separable capabilities: (1) to communicate using symbols, minimally one at a time and (2) to communicate with a sequence of symbols – that is, exploiting grammar. We explain the technological breakthrough enabling artificial symbol use as development of vector-based semantic techniques and we explain in depth our understanding of symbolic communication. In the grammatical area, the linguistic breakthrough has been enablement of improved predictors of sequences through consideration of much larger contexts. To manage the accompanying threat of computational overload, it’s necessary to focus on the most predictive contextual elements among thousands. These are taken to be those closest semantically to a given element in question – and the vector-based semantic approach proves to be perfect for identifying them via the attention mechanism and the sequence-prediction technology built upon it, the transformer architecture. However, despite spectacular progress in computational intelligence and language, some aspects undoubtedly remain lacking. We emphasize that the structure of neurally learned knowledge remains unclear, while speculating that class hierarchies and schemas play important parts in LLMs and describing new tools for analyzing the networks’ hidden patterns. We go on to consider issues of (1) search and revision (linguistic and otherwise); (2) experience grounded in the world beyond text, with explanation of Imitation Learning and Reinforcement Learning as ways of predicting what to do next; (3) memory and identity issues; and (4) emotions, stressing that current systems’ lack of built-in drives handicaps artificial artistry – for better or worse – and cautioning against mistaking faked feelings for felt ones. After presenting the abovementioned experiments, we'll conclude with an evaluation, attempting a working definition of “understanding” to support the contention that current LLMs do in fact evince artificial comprehension, while also noting original touches and linguistic creativity.

Sendoff

The volume’s Sendoff considers whether machines, while now arguably intelligent, can ever also gain sufficient sensation and emotion to create language art with other than borrowed depth – and, while viewing this development as likely all too soon, declines to despair on that account.

Artificial intelligence has moved from the lab into everyday life and is now seemingly everywhere. As AI creeps into every aspect of our lives, the data grab required to power AI also expands. People worldwide are tracked, analyzed, and influenced, whether on or off their screens, inside their homes or outside in public, still or in transit, alone or together. What does this mean for our ability to assemble with others for collective action, including protesting, holding community meetings and organizing rallies ? In this context, where and how does assembly take place, and who participates by choice and who by coercion? AI and Assembly explores these questions and offers global perspectives on the present and future of assembly in a world taken over by AI.

The contributors analyze how AI threatens free assembly by clustering people without consent, amplifying social biases, and empowering authoritarian surveillance. But they also explore new forms of associational life that emerge in response to these harms, from communities in the US conducting algorithmic audits to human rights activists in East Africa calling for biometric data protection and rideshare drivers in London advocating for fair pay. Ultimately, AI and Assembly is a rallying cry for those committed to a digital future beyond the narrow horizon of corporate extraction and state surveillance.

AI and Business: Mapping the Present for Harnessing the Future addresses the growing need for businesses to not only understand but effectively implement artificial intelligence (AI) as a core component of their operational strategies. AI has quickly evolved from an experimental technology to a transformative tool reshaping the business landscape. While many organisations recognise its potential, numerous others struggle to integrate AI into their existing frameworks and align it with their strategic goals. This contributed work offers a comprehensive, practical guide for businesses seeking to implement AI across various functions, including marketing, finance, operations, and human resources, while highlighting the critical steps to bridge the gap between technology and effective business use.

Through a blend of fundamental AI concepts such as machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks, alongside real-world case studies from industry leaders like Amazon, Google, IBM, and BOSH, the authors offer insights into how AI has catalysed transformation within these companies. By providing a balanced view of both the opportunities and challenges AI presents, it equips business professionals, leaders, and students with the tools and knowledge necessary to leverage AI for tangible, future-driven success.

AI and Deep Learning Enabled Surveillance System Using Image Processing is an essential resource for anyone interested in the convergence of advanced technologies to enhance surveillance capabilities. This book explores in detail how artificial intelligence and deep learning can be applied to image processing, offering a transformative approach to modern surveillance systems. It covers foundational concepts of AI and deep learning, explaining how these technologies are reshaping the way we understand and utilize image data. The book emphasizes practical implementation, guiding readers through the integration of AI algorithms with image processing techniques to create sophisticated, real-time surveillance solutions.

Through in-depth discussions and real-world case studies, the book highlights the applications of AI in various surveillance contexts, such as public safety, traffic monitoring, and access control. Readers will learn about the latest advancements in neural networks, object detection, and anomaly detection, gaining insights into developing and deploying intelligent surveillance systems. Additionally, the book addresses critical ethical and privacy considerations, ensuring that readers are aware of the balance between enhanced security and individual privacy rights. This comprehensive guide is an invaluable tool for professionals and researchers aiming to harness the power of AI and deep learning in the field of surveillance.

AI and Deep Learning Enabled Surveillance System Using Image Processing is an essential resource for anyone interested in the convergence of advanced technologies to enhance surveillance capabilities. This book explores in detail how artificial intelligence and deep learning can be applied to image processing, offering a transformative approach to modern surveillance systems. It covers foundational concepts of AI and deep learning, explaining how these technologies are reshaping the way we understand and utilize image data. The book emphasizes practical implementation, guiding readers through the integration of AI algorithms with image processing techniques to create sophisticated, real-time surveillance solutions.

Through in-depth discussions and real-world case studies, the book highlights the applications of AI in various surveillance contexts, such as public safety, traffic monitoring, and access control. Readers will learn about the latest advancements in neural networks, object detection, and anomaly detection, gaining insights into developing and deploying intelligent surveillance systems. Additionally, the book addresses critical ethical and privacy considerations, ensuring that readers are aware of the balance between enhanced security and individual privacy rights. This comprehensive guide is an invaluable tool for professionals and researchers aiming to harness the power of AI and deep learning in the field of surveillance.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the world of work, but how does it impact diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)? AI and Diversity in a Datafied World of Work: Will the Future of Work be Inclusive? addresses the critical question of whether AI will create more inclusive workplaces or exacerbate existing inequalities. As AI systems become embedded in business practices, this work explores the potential for both harm and opportunity in how AI influences DEI efforts.

This collected edition delves into key areas such as AI's role in HR management, its impact on marginalised communities, and the risks of bias in algorithmic decision-making. Topics like job displacement, the inclusion of vulnerable workers, and the ethical challenges of AI in management are thoroughly explored, offering interdisciplinary insights from diverse academic perspectives and global contexts. The authors also present strategies to design AI systems that promote inclusion and fairness.

Designed for scholars, practitioners, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and DEI, this work offers a rich examination of the challenges and opportunities AI presents for the future of work. Bridging theory with practice provides readers with the tools to navigate and shape the evolving landscape of AI in ways that foster inclusivity.

AI and Popular Culture explores the development and social significance of artificial intelligence by looking at representations in fiction, film and television, as well as examining the effect of AI technologies on the way we consume culture.

Lee Barron traces the evolution of AI – from the Turing Machine to deep learning, to interrogate the key issues and debates. He uses examples of AI from pop culture to help us understand how the technology is changing aspects of society from surveillance and work to human relationships with technology.

AI and Popular Culture sheds light on how artificial intelligence has changed our world and helps you to understand where it might take us next. It also makes significant contributions to Media and Cultural Studies, Humanities, and Social Sciences, as well as to subjects such as AI Ethics and Society and Computing.

As artificial intelligence reshapes entire industries, business leaders face a stark reality—adapt or die. Companies failing to harness AI’s transformational power risk joining the ranks of obsolete organizations gone extinct. In AI Driven, digital strategists Wolf Ruzicka and Victor Shilo crystallize decades of experience guiding enterprise transformations into an accessible playbook for thriving in the age of Digital Darwinism.

Through five real-world case studies, Ruzicka and Shilo demystify AI in clear prose tailored to executives overseeing complex organizations. The examples range from adding predictive analytics to real-time structured data streams to probabilistic engineering on top of unstructured data to the correct use of generative AI on an enterprise-scale. While underscoring AI’s competitive imperative, the authors detail proven methodologies to assess organizational readiness, drive cross-functional execution, and balance innovation velocity with economic viability.

Far from an abstract technology treatise, AI Driven equips business and IT leaders alike with the practical wisdom to spearhead an AI paradigm shift. The fundamental capabilities covered include future-proofing architecture to enable algorithmic business models, launching minimum viable predictions to validate AI value quickly, and leveraging engineering best practices to accelerate AI adoption enterprise-wide. While debunking the myth that AI is magic, Ruzicka and Shilo document how deliberate vision, relentless experimentation and technical recalibration can transform enterprises into category-killing disruptors rather than victims.

Master the new digital playbook or accept irrelevance. For executives struggling to translate AI’s promise into practice, AI Driven provides the blueprint. Harness its competitive power before your organization goes extinct.

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), new technology is reshaping business landscapes and creating unprecedented opportunities for innovation and growth. Professors Babu George and Ontario Wooden explore the transformative journey of African American entrepreneurs as they navigate the evolving AI era.

Beginning with a conceptual analysis based on firsthand experiences with African American business leaders and supported by the existing literature, George and Wooden trace the historical trajectory of African American entrepreneurship, highlighting the resilience and ingenuity that have long defined this community. They examine critical aspects such as policy frameworks, financial strategies, educational initiatives, and the importance of networking within the AI ecosystem, underscoring the need for inclusive policies and accessible resources to ensure African American entrepreneurs can fully participate in and benefit from the AI revolution.

At the heart of the discussion is AI’s role in bridging socioeconomic divides, equipping African American entrepreneurs with powerful tools to overcome systemic barriers and advance toward economic empowerment. Through micro-case studies, innovative insights, and actionable strategies, the book brings home the hope that digital divides and systemic inequities can be overcome successfully.

AI Empowered concludes with a forward-looking perspective, envisioning a future where African American entrepreneurs lead AI-driven innovation. It calls for a collective effort to support these trailblazers and foster a diverse, dynamic entrepreneurial landscape that reflects the promise of the digital age.

As the use of AI becomes more and more ubiquitous in companies around the world, managers charged with taking key decisions require resources to enable them to evaluate new projects effectively. The business case for AI projects is not necessarily clear cut and part of the reason for this is the lack of understanding on key decision criteria. AI touches on many ethical concepts - data privacy, validity and more importantly, its potential misuse. AI is often being used to replace human decision-making and there is often no real understanding of the implications of this. This book provides a detailed primer for practitioners without a deep technological background. It guides the reader through the basic issues and offers advice on ‘how to take decisions’. There is a dearth of such books currently available and this book aspires to fill a growing niche.

As the use of AI becomes more and more ubiquitous in companies around the world, managers charged with taking key decisions require resources to enable them to evaluate new projects effectively. The business case for AI projects is not necessarily clear cut and part of the reason for this is the lack of understanding on key decision criteria. AI touches on many ethical concepts - data privacy, validity and more importantly, its potential misuse. AI is often being used to replace human decision-making and there is often no real understanding of the implications of this. This book provides a detailed primer for practitioners without a deep technological background. It guides the reader through the basic issues and offers advice on ‘how to take decisions’. There is a dearth of such books currently available and this book aspires to fill a growing niche.

AI is going to change brand strategy and marketing forever. Are you ready?

What does the rapid rise and astonishing rate of improvement of AI mean for brands in the next five years? Listen to what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told authors Adam Brotman and Andy Sack when he met them: "It will mean that 95 percent of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for today will easily, nearly instantly, and at almost no cost be handled by AI. No problem."

Upon hearing that astonishing statement, the authors began a journey of discovery to understand what the transition to an AI first world would mean. You'll hear from a who's who of tech visionaries who spoke with the authors, including Altman himself, Bill Gates, and Reid Hoffman, sharing how they're thinking of the transition to the new reality. You'll also hear from practitioners bold enough to be surfing this tidal wave of change, including one who audaciously mandated experimentation with AI for all his employees.

Brotman is the former chief digital officer at Starbucks, pivotal in the development of the coffee giant's mobile payment and loyalty programs. Sack is a legendary tech visionary and former adviser to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Together, they formed the strategic consultancy Forum3 to take on every aspect of the challenge of becoming an AI first organization, including how you think about the design of jobs, what skills you need to develop within your organization, what your customers will expect from your brands, and how you can achieve early wins. In the AI first arena, where almost anyone can build creatively engaging brands quickly and cheaply, you need to know how to compete.

It's time to get ready for a brand-new world. Start here.

AI is going to change brand strategy and marketing forever. Are you ready?

What does the rapid rise and astonishing rate of improvement of AI mean for brands in the next five years? Listen to what OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told authors Adam Brotman and Andy Sack when he met them: "It will mean that 95 percent of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for today will easily, nearly instantly, and at almost no cost be handled by AI. No problem."

Upon hearing that astonishing statement, the authors began a journey of discovery to understand what the transition to an AI first world would mean. You'll hear from a who's who of tech visionaries who spoke with the authors, including Altman himself, Bill Gates, and Reid Hoffman, sharing how they're thinking of the transition to the new reality. You'll also hear from practitioners bold enough to be surfing this tidal wave of change, including one who audaciously mandated experimentation with AI for all his employees.

Brotman is the former chief digital officer at Starbucks, pivotal in the development of the coffee giant's mobile payment and loyalty programs. Sack is a legendary tech visionary and former adviser to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Together, they formed the strategic consultancy Forum3 to take on every aspect of the challenge of becoming an AI first organization, including how you think about the design of jobs, what skills you need to develop within your organization, what your customers will expect from your brands, and how you can achieve early wins. In the AI first arena, where almost anyone can build creatively engaging brands quickly and cheaply, you need to know how to compete.

It's time to get ready for a brand-new world. Start here.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not only the latest buzz word in the digital world; it is already embedded in all parts of modern life – you are almost certainly using AI on a daily basis, even if you don’t know it. One undeniable fact is that the subject of AI is a complicated and extensive one, which can throw up a multitude of questions and issues.

AI for Seniors in easy steps offers a very real (and human) guide to the complexities of AI, and shows how its power can be harnessed to improve numerous aspects of everyday life. AI is a wide-ranging – and, at times, confusing – subject, and the book breaks down many of its intricacies so that the whole subject seems a lot more manageable. The book starts by:

The rest of the book covers specific topics that are beginning to increasingly rely on AI. Each chapter has examples of AI apps that can be used in each area, all in the familiar In Easy Steps style. These include:

AI for Seniors in easy steps will ensure that the mysteries, concerns and benefits of AI are fully explained and illustrated so that you can confidently engage with this essential and exciting new technology.

A sober assessment of AI today, and a bold vision for what it could be.

Generative AI tools, released by a handful of rich tech companies, are remaking the economy, society, and human life as we know it. Must their vision be our common destiny?

Leading a forum, acclaimed technology writer Evgeny Morozov—author of To Save Everything, Click Here and host of the podcast A Sense of Rebellion—takes a hard look at Silicon Valley’s grip on our technological imagination. The prevailing wisdom says we can be complacent realists—erecting a few guardrails around Big Tech—or else total refuseniks, rejecting this new technology altogether. That false choice runs roughshod over history, Morozov argues—and with it a more utopian vision of the role technology can play in our lives.

To sketch a better AI future, Morozov takes us back to the past, showing how a radically different way of thinking about artificial intelligence once flourished before losing out to Cold War militarization, consumerism, and venture capital. That more humane vision can still be won, but it requires being clear-eyed about the obstacles. Only by building political power, Morozov concludes, can we wrench control of AI from Silicon Valley and build a technological future that serves us all. Forum respondents include musician Brian Eno, computer scientist and AI pioneer Terry Winograd, free software activist and former digital minister of Taiwan Audrey Tang, technologist Bruce Schneier, writer and software engineer Wendy Liu, and journalist Edward Ongweso Jr..

Also in this issue: Joelle M. Abi-Rached on exploding pagers in Beirut and Israel’s expanding war; Sophia Goodfriend on the military’s embrace of the new AI; Lily Hu on the political theory of algorithms; Alexander Hartley on copyright after ChatGPT; Terry Nguyen on the work of literature in the age of large language models; and more.

As we stand on the brink of a new era, this book offers a comprehensive exploration of AI's ethical, social, and technological implications. It explores privacy, fairness, accountability, and the digital divide. The book features real-world case studies across diverse industries to illustrate AI's transformative power and its potential to revolutionize healthcare, education, transportation, and more. Special attention is given to the adoption of AI in emerging markets and emphasizes the importance of human-AI collaboration, where AI augments human intelligence and creativity rather than replacing it. It examines the need for human-centric design while also exploring AI governance and the role of multi-stakeholder collaboration in shaping the future of this technology. By fostering a comprehensive understanding of AI and its myriad implications, the book inspires thoughtful dialogue and responsible action to ensure a brighter, more equitable future for all. It is intended for business leaders, policymakers, academics, and curious individuals eager to understand AI’s role in shaping our world and how we can responsibly harness its power.

FEATURES
• Emphasizes human-AI symbiosis, highlighting human-centric design and responsible development
• Provides real-world examples across industries, showcasing AI's transformative impact
• Explores AI adoption in emerging economies, addressing unique challenges and opportunities

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have generated intense interest and debate about their potential to reshape industries, labour markets and socio-economic structures. This volume presents a collection of academic papers stemming from "The Economic Perspective of Artificial Intelligence" (EPEAI) conference held at the Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, in March 2023.

AI in Business and Economics discusses topics as varied as marketing, accounting, reporting, business narratives, forecasting, generational differences in attitudes, economic policy – all in the context of exploring the multifaceted intersection of economics and artificial intelligence. It navigates through the fog caused by the heterogeneity of diverse AI applications and methodologies by examining artificial intelligence from an economic perspective. In doing so, it becomes clear that the implementation of a broad range of AI technologies in companies has just begun. Businesses, employees, and policy makers will soon have to adapt to the fast-paced advancements in artificial intelligence, ensuring they become and remain competitive, ethical, and forward-thinking in a changing global landscape.

This book will serve as a valuable resource for scholars, practitioners, and students exploring the complexities of the economic implications of AI.

Fashion is a glamorous industry, one of beauty, money, fame, and huge profits. However, from the inside, it is clear the industry is suffering. An industry worth $3 Billion (USD), the fashion industry is characterized by products with a short shelf-life, wrong forecasts, low profits, and ever-increasing competition. On the periphery, technology is rapidly invading the fashion industry, with emerging forms such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Artificial Neural Networks, Human-Robot Interface, making their way into this industry in recent years.

AI in Fashion Industry discusses recent developments in fashion forecasting, developing a 'framework of AI-based fashion forecasting' and validates the framework with a qualitative case study of the world's first fashion intelligence company based in Bengaluru, India. This book studies the relationship between fashion and social media engagement of consumers, before moving on to create a 'conceptual framework of fashion e-forecasting.' The case study addresses the forecasting-based business problem of a family-owned fashion retail business.

This book is unique, suggesting a novel method of fashion product development in the light of data-driven intelligence; documenting some of the rapid developments in the field with the onset of technology and addressing some of the fundamental questions that are becoming more relevant in recent years.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced digital technologies, like virtual reality (VR), the metaverse, neuroarchitecture, and nanotechnology are rapidly reshaping the fields of architecture and design. These innovations offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance sustainability, human well-being, and energy efficiency in these domains. However, alongside these developments come pressing questions about authorship, ethical responsibility, and the broader impact of AI-driven tools on the art and practice of design and architecture. As AI regulation continues to evolve globally, architects, designers, and scholars must engage in critical discussions about how new technologies can be harnessed responsibly. This volume of Emerald Studies in Sustainable Architecture and Design examines the intersection of AI and architecture and provides a comprehensive exploration of AI-based tools and their role in shaping contemporary architectural practice. Divided into three parts, this edited collection investigates AI’s influence on design processes, its integration into architectural education, and its transformative potential in interior design and the metaverse. Through real-world case studies and expert contributions, this volume highlights both the opportunities AI presents and the ethical dilemmas it raises. By framing AI’s role within the broader context of sustainability and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this work makes a unique and timely contribution to the field. Bridging research and practice, this collection is an invaluable resource for academics, students, and professionals in architecture, design, urban studies, and sustainability. Offering both theoretical insights and practical applications, it equips readers with the knowledge needed to navigate the evolving landscape of AI-driven design.

AI Insights: Ethics Audit and Transformative Power for Entrepreneurs offers a critical and timely exploration of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape. In this insightful work, Hussein Dawood delves into the ethical complexities surrounding AI adoption, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises. Drawing on real-world case studies and rigorous academic research, the book provides entrepreneurs with actionable strategies to navigate challenges such as algorithmic bias, data privacy, security, and the tension between AI autonomy and human accountability.

This book stands out by combining ethical audits with a transformative approach to innovation, empowering business leaders to harness AI responsibly. Entrepreneurs will find practical frameworks for ensuring AI integration aligns with both ethical standards and long-term business success. From ethical audits to practical implementation guides, AI Insights equips readers with the tools to foster sustainable growth while maintaining accountability and transparency in the age of AI.

Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting your journey, this book offers the insights needed to leverage AI for transformative power while ensuring ethical integrity remains at the core of innovation. It’s not just a guide - it’s a roadmap for the future of entrepreneurship in the AI era.

AI Insights: Ethics Audit and Transformative Power for Entrepreneurs offers a critical and timely exploration of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape. In this insightful work, Hussein Dawood delves into the ethical complexities surrounding AI adoption, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises. Drawing on real-world case studies and rigorous academic research, the book provides entrepreneurs with actionable strategies to navigate challenges such as algorithmic bias, data privacy, security, and the tension between AI autonomy and human accountability.

This book stands out by combining ethical audits with a transformative approach to innovation, empowering business leaders to harness AI responsibly. Entrepreneurs will find practical frameworks for ensuring AI integration aligns with both ethical standards and long-term business success. From ethical audits to practical implementation guides, AI Insights equips readers with the tools to foster sustainable growth while maintaining accountability and transparency in the age of AI.

Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting your journey, this book offers the insights needed to leverage AI for transformative power while ensuring ethical integrity remains at the core of innovation. It’s not just a guide - it’s a roadmap for the future of entrepreneurship in the AI era.

This book is a guide to navigating the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. Designed for both novices and seasoned professionals it covers a broad range of topics from fundamental ideas to innovative advancements. Readers will investigate the principles of machine learning, explore the intricacies of deep learning architectures, and discover the applications of natural language processing and computer vision. With its concise explanations and useful examples, it gives readers the knowledge and abilities they need to confidently traverse the changing field of artificial intelligence. This text also looks at real-world case studies and important ethical issues, providing insightful information about the ethical ramifications and societal effects of technology.

Features:

• Practical applications and case studies with a section on use cases across various industries, including healthcare, finance, transportation, and retail.
• Actionable steps for getting started with AI include how to set up an AI development environment, learning Python for AI applications, and utilizing popular AI libraries.
• Resources for further study including, AI online courses, AI communities and forums, and recommended books essentially, a roadmap for continuous learning.

There are many myths about Artificial Intelligence (AI) relating to what it is and what it can and cannot do. The people making decisions on AI projects are often not technologically savvy and unable to find easy answers. The spending on and the returns from AI projects are not necessarily straightforward. Part of the reason for this is the lack of understanding of the impact of critical decision criteria. AI touches on many ethical concepts - data privacy, validity, and, more importantly, its potential misuse. AI often replaces human decision-making, as managers do not clearly understand the implications of those choices. This book provides an easy and accessible guide for practitioners without a technological background to understand AI. It guides the reader through the fundamental issues confronting decision-makers. It offers advice on ‘how to ask relevant questions’ using the 15 decision scales. There is currently no comparable book on the market that acts as a pocketbook management reference guide for the AI layman.

There are many myths about Artificial Intelligence (AI) relating to what it is and what it can and cannot do. The people making decisions on AI projects are often not technologically savvy and unable to find easy answers. The spending on and the returns from AI projects are not necessarily straightforward. Part of the reason for this is the lack of understanding of the impact of critical decision criteria. AI touches on many ethical concepts - data privacy, validity, and, more importantly, its potential misuse. AI often replaces human decision-making, as managers do not clearly understand the implications of those choices. This book provides an easy and accessible guide for practitioners without a technological background to understand AI. It guides the reader through the fundamental issues confronting decision-makers. It offers advice on ‘how to ask relevant questions’ using the 15 decision scales. There is currently no comparable book on the market that acts as a pocketbook management reference guide for the AI layman.

As his personal circumstances move in constant flux, Ai Weiwei remains a cultural magnet. Renowned for his political activism and social media activity almost as much as for his social interventions, contemporary approach to the readymade, and knowledge of Chinese traditional crafts, Ai’s fame extends throughout and beyond the art world.

Drawn from TASCHEN’s limited Collector’s Edition, this monograph explores each of Ai’s career phases up until his release from Chinese custody. It features extensive visual material to trace Ai’s development from his early New York days right through to his recent practice. Focus moments include his international breakthrough in the early 2000s, his porcelain Sunflower Seeds at the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern, his response to the Sichuan earthquake of 2008, and his police detention in 2011. With behind-the-scenes studio pictures, production shots, and numerous statements derived from exclusive interviews with Ai, we gain privileged access to the artist’s process, influences, and importance.

The book includes texts from Uli Sigg, Ai’s longtime friend and former Swiss ambassador to China; Roger M. Buergel, who curated the 2007 documenta and hosted the artist’s Fairytale piece; and experts on Chinese culture and politics: Carlos Rojas, William A. Callahan, and James J. Lally.

As his personal circumstances move in constant flux, Ai Weiwei remains a cultural magnet. Renowned for his political activism and social media activity almost as much as for his social interventions, contemporary approach to the readymade, and knowledge of Chinese traditional crafts, Ai’s fame extends throughout and beyond the art world.

Drawn from TASCHEN’s limited Collector’s Edition, this monograph explores each of Ai’s career phases up until his release from Chinese custody. It features extensive visual material to trace Ai’s development from his early New York days right through to his recent practice. Focus moments include his international breakthrough in the early 2000s, his porcelain Sunflower Seeds at the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern, his response to the Sichuan earthquake of 2008, and his police detention in 2011. With behind-the-scenes studio pictures, production shots, and numerous statements derived from exclusive interviews with Ai, we gain privileged access to the artist’s process, influences, and importance.

The book includes texts from Uli Sigg, Ai’s longtime friend and former Swiss ambassador to China and Roger M. Buergel, who curated the 2007 documenta and hosted the artist’s Fairytale piece.

AI Will Take Your Job, and It's for the Best is a bold and timely exploration of how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of work—and why this transformation is something to embrace rather than fear.

In a world where automation is rapidly replacing human tasks, this book offers a fresh, optimistic perspective. It explores how AI, far from being a job-stealing threat, presents humanity with the opportunity to redefine the meaning of work and purpose. Jeff Schatten and Theresa Aires dive deep into the economics, sociology, and psychology behind this shift, introducing the AI Growth and Redistribution Impact Doctrine (AI-GRID). This framework lays out a set of guiding principles and policy recommendations to ensure that AI's benefits are distributed equitably, offering a practical roadmap for policymakers, business leaders, and individuals alike.

AI Will Take Your Job, and It's for the Best examines how AI will free people from mundane tasks, allowing them to pursue more meaningful and creative roles. From the rise of the human-AI hybrid workforce to discussions on Universal Basic Income, Schatten and Aires provide a vision of a future where AI and humanity coexist for mutual benefit and offer an insightful and thought-provoking look at the opportunities ahead. It’s more than a forecast—it’s a guide to thriving in the age of AI and embracing the radical new social contract it requires.

In an era where traditional marketing techniques are losing their effectiveness, businesses must embrace innovative and forward-thinking strategies to maintain a competitive edge. AI-Driven Blue Ocean Strategies offers business managers, marketers, and entrepreneurs a detailed reference on how to leverage artificial intelligence to create and sustain new Blue Ocean strategies. By combining the power of Artificial Intelligence with the principles of Blue Ocean Strategy, this book provides actionable insights on uncovering new market opportunities, developing differentiated value propositions, and ensuring long-term business success.

With contributions from a diverse team of experts, this book presents a robust framework for applying AI in market research, consumer analysis, and trend forecasting. Through real-world case studies, readers will learn how leading companies are using AI-driven approaches to break free from saturated markets and establish new, uncontested market spaces. The authors provide an avenue for discussion of all aspects of how AI is transforming marketing and customer experience, from big data analysis and predictive analytics to content generation and real-time customer interactions.

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshaping how businesses operate, the integration of intelligent technologies into Knowledge Management (KM) processes offers new opportunities for optimizing data-driven decision-making and enhancing organizational performance.

AI-Driven Knowledge Management Assets explores KM as a critical element of business strategy and managerial practice, especially in an era of rapid AI adoption. Authors examine KM’s foundational and advanced aspects through a managerial lens, highlighting how AI is reshaping contemporary KM practices, and delve into traditional KM strategies and cutting-edge AI applications. Each chapter is enriched with case studies and empirical research that showcase the real-world benefits and challenges of integrating AI into KM. From uncovering the theoretical underpinnings of KM to examining AI-driven innovations that create competitive advantages, this work offers actionable insights and perspectives on future developments. Authors address ethical, sustainability and managerial issues, equipping readers with the tools to navigate the complexities of AI-infused KM practices.

Providing a valuable resource for business leaders, academics, and students, this volume supports those looking to integrate AI into KM to drive strategic decision-making and operational efficiency. Merging traditional knowledge management practices with the latest AI advancements, it prepares readers to harness technology for innovative solutions, positioning their organizations for success in the modern business landscape.

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshaping how businesses operate, the integration of intelligent technologies into Knowledge Management (KM) processes offers new opportunities for optimizing data-driven decision-making and enhancing organizational performance.

AI-Driven Knowledge Management Processes explores KM as a critical element of business strategy and managerial practice, especially in an era of rapid AI adoption. Authors examine KM’s foundational and advanced aspects through a managerial lens, highlighting how AI is reshaping contemporary KM practices, and delve into traditional KM strategies and cutting-edge AI applications. Each chapter is enriched with case studies and empirical research that showcase the real-world benefits and challenges of integrating AI into KM. From uncovering the theoretical underpinnings of KM to examining AI-driven innovations that create competitive advantages, this work offers actionable insights and perspectives on future developments. Authors address ethical, sustainability and managerial issues, equipping readers with the tools to navigate the complexities of AI-infused KM practices.

Providing a valuable resource for business leaders, academics, and students, this book support those looking to integrate AI into KM to drive strategic decision-making and operational efficiency. Merging traditional knowledge management practices with the latest AI advancements, it prepares readers to harness technology for innovative solutions, positioning their organizations for success in the modern business landscape.

Aid and Ebb Tide: A History of CIDA and Canadian Development Assistance examines Canada’s mixed record since 1950 in transferring over $50 billion in capital and expertise to developing countries through ODA. It focuses in particular on the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the organization chiefly responsible for delivering Canada’s development assistance. Aid and Ebb Tide calls for a renewed and reformed Canadian commitment to development co-operation at a time when the gap between the world’s richest and poorest has been widening alarmingly and millions are still being born into poverty and human insecurity.

Hiring domestic workers is a routine part of the expat development lifestyle. Whether working for the United Nations, governmental aid agencies, or NGOs such as Oxfam, Save the Children, or World Vision, expatriate aid workers in the developing world employ maids, nannies, security guards, gardeners and chauffeurs. Though nearly every expat aid worker in the developing world has local people working within the intimate sphere of their homes, these relationships are seldom, if ever, discussed in analyses of the development paradigm and its praxis. Aid and the Help addresses this major lacuna through an ethnographic analysis of the intersection of development work and domestic work. Examining the reproductive labor cheaply purchased by aid workers posted overseas opens the opportunity to assess the multiple ways that the ostensibly "giving" industry of development can be an extractive industry as well.

Hiring domestic workers is a routine part of the expat development lifestyle. Whether working for the United Nations, governmental aid agencies, or NGOs such as Oxfam, Save the Children, or World Vision, expatriate aid workers in the developing world employ maids, nannies, security guards, gardeners and chauffeurs. Though nearly every expat aid worker in the developing world has local people working within the intimate sphere of their homes, these relationships are seldom, if ever, discussed in analyses of the development paradigm and its praxis. Aid and the Help addresses this major lacuna through an ethnographic analysis of the intersection of development work and domestic work. Examining the reproductive labor cheaply purchased by aid workers posted overseas opens the opportunity to assess the multiple ways that the ostensibly "giving" industry of development can be an extractive industry as well.

International intervention liberated Cambodia from pariah state status in the early 1990s and laid the foundations for more peaceful, representative rule. Yet the country's social indicators and the integrity of its political institutions declined rapidly within a few short years, while inequality grew dramatically. Conducting an unflinching investigation into these developments, Sophal Ear reveals the pernicious effects of aid dependence and its perversion of Cambodian democracy.

International intervention and foreign aid resulted in higher maternal (and possibly infant and child) mortality rates and unprecedented corruption by the mid-2000s. Similarly, in example after example, Ear finds the more aid dependent a country, the more distorted its incentives to develop sustainably. Contrasting Cambodia's clothing sector with its rice and livestock sectors and internal handling of the avian flu epidemic, he showcases the international community's role in preventing Cambodia from controlling its national development.

A postconflict state unable to refuse aid, Cambodia is rife with trial-and-error donor experiments and their unintended consequences, such as bad governance and poor domestic and tax revenue performance—a major factor curbing sustainable, nationally owned growth. By outlining the terms through which countries can achieve better ownership of their development, Ear offers alternatives for governments still on the brink of collapse, despite ongoing dependence on foreign intervention and aid.

Humanitarian aid workers increasingly remain present in contexts of violence and are injured, kidnapped, and killed as a result. Since 9/11 and in response to these dangers, aid organizations have fortified themselves to shield their staff and programs from outside threats. In Aid in Danger, Larissa Fast critically examines the causes of violence against aid workers and the consequences of the approaches aid agencies use to protect themselves from attack.

Based on more than a decade of research, Aid in Danger explores the assumptions underpinning existing explanations of and responses to violence against aid workers. According to Fast, most explanations of attacks locate the causes externally and maintain an image of aid workers as an exceptional category of civilians. The resulting approaches to security rely on separation and fortification and alienate aid workers from those in need, representing both a symptom and a cause of crisis in the humanitarian system. Missing from most analyses are the internal vulnerabilities, exemplified in the everyday decisions and ordinary human frailties and organizational mistakes that sometimes contribute to the conditions leading to violence. This oversight contributes to the normalization of danger in aid work and undermines the humanitarian ethos. As an alternative, Fast proposes a relational framework that captures both external threats and internal vulnerabilities. By uncovering overlooked causes of violence, Aid in Danger offers a unique perspective on the challenges of providing aid in perilous settings and on the prospects of reforming the system in service of core humanitarian values.

Humanitarian aid workers increasingly remain present in contexts of violence and are injured, kidnapped, and killed as a result. Since 9/11 and in response to these dangers, aid organizations have fortified themselves to shield their staff and programs from outside threats. In Aid in Danger, Larissa Fast critically examines the causes of violence against aid workers and the consequences of the approaches aid agencies use to protect themselves from attack.

Based on more than a decade of research, Aid in Danger explores the assumptions underpinning existing explanations of and responses to violence against aid workers. According to Fast, most explanations of attacks locate the causes externally and maintain an image of aid workers as an exceptional category of civilians. The resulting approaches to security rely on separation and fortification and alienate aid workers from those in need, representing both a symptom and a cause of crisis in the humanitarian system. Missing from most analyses are the internal vulnerabilities, exemplified in the everyday decisions and ordinary human frailties and organizational mistakes that sometimes contribute to the conditions leading to violence. This oversight contributes to the normalization of danger in aid work and undermines the humanitarian ethos. As an alternative, Fast proposes a relational framework that captures both external threats and internal vulnerabilities. By uncovering overlooked causes of violence, Aid in Danger offers a unique perspective on the challenges of providing aid in perilous settings and on the prospects of reforming the system in service of core humanitarian values.

Interventions on behalf of Armenia and Armenians have come to be identified by scholars and practitioners alike as defining moments in the history of humanitarianism. This volume reassesses these claims, critically examining a range of interventions by governments, international and diasporic organizations, and individuals that aimed to ‘save Armenians’.

Drawing on perspectives from a range of disciplines, the chapters trace the evolution of these interventions from the late-nineteenth to the present day, paying particular attention to the aftermaths of the genocide and the upheavals of the post-Soviet period. Geographically, the contributions connect diverse spaces and places – the Caucasus, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, South America, and Australia – revealing shifting transnational networks of aid and intervention. These chapters are followed by reflections from leading scholars in the fields of refugee history and Armenian history, Peter Gatrell and Ronald Grigor Suny.

Aid to Armenia not only offers an innovative exploration into the history of Armenia and Armenians and the history of humanitarianism, but it provides a platform for practitioners to think critically about contemporary humanitarian questions facing Armenia, the South Caucasus region and the wider Armenian diaspora.

Interventions on behalf of Armenia and Armenians have come to be identified by scholars and practitioners alike as defining moments in the history of humanitarianism. This book reassesses these claims, critically examining a range of interventions by governments, international and diasporic organizations, and individuals that aimed to ‘save Armenians’.

Drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives, it traces the evolution of these interventions from the late-nineteenth century to the present day, paying particular attention to the aftermaths of the genocide and the upheavals of the post-Soviet period. The contributions connect diverse places (the Caucasus, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, South America, and Australia) to reveal shifting transnational networks of aid and intervention.

Aid to Armenia explores this history, and engages critically with contemporary humanitarian questions facing Armenia, the South Caucasus region and the wider diaspora.

What's a woman to do if she finds a skeleton in her own back yard?

Since she moved into her farmhouse, Paisley Sutton has wanted to convert the old summer kitchen house into an office for herself, and it's finally time. But when her contractor begins opening up the walls to insulate, they find far more than they expected.

Will Paisley be able to solve this time-worn murder, or will someone stop her before she can?

Dive into Aida Time, the charming next installment in the Stitches in Crime series—where small-town secrets, quirky characters, and crafty sleuthing combine in a delightfully cozy mystery that will keep you guessing until the final page.

___________________________________________________________________

Praise for Stitches in Crime series:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ One of the greatest love stories I've ever read.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Paisley sure can find a body—this one was full of twists!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A powerful blend of history, love, and acceptance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A fascinating mystery wrapped in deep historical context.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Couldn’t put it down—this series keeps getting better!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A riveting mix of genealogy, justice, and suspense.

The United States is the world's leading foreign aid donor. Yet there has been little inquiry into how such assistance affects the politics and societies of recipient nations. Drawing on four decades of data on U.S. economic and military aid, Aiding and Abetting explores whether foreign aid does more harm than good. Jessica Trisko Darden challenges long-standing ideas about aid and its consequences, and highlights key patterns in the relationship between assistance and violence. She persuasively demonstrates that many of the foreign aid policy challenges the U.S. faced in the Cold War era, such as the propping up of dictators friendly to U.S. interests, remain salient today. Historical case studies of Indonesia, El Salvador, and South Korea illustrate how aid can uphold human freedoms or propagate human rights abuses. Aiding and Abetting encourages both advocates and critics of foreign assistance to reconsider its political and social consequences by focusing international aid efforts on the expansion of human freedom.

The United States is the world's leading foreign aid donor. Yet there has been little inquiry into how such assistance affects the politics and societies of recipient nations. Drawing on four decades of data on U.S. economic and military aid, Aiding and Abetting explores whether foreign aid does more harm than good. Jessica Trisko Darden challenges long-standing ideas about aid and its consequences, and highlights key patterns in the relationship between assistance and violence. She persuasively demonstrates that many of the foreign aid policy challenges the U.S. faced in the Cold War era, such as the propping up of dictators friendly to U.S. interests, remain salient today. Historical case studies of Indonesia, El Salvador, and South Korea illustrate how aid can uphold human freedoms or propagate human rights abuses. Aiding and Abetting encourages both advocates and critics of foreign assistance to reconsider its political and social consequences by focusing international aid efforts on the expansion of human freedom.

Honorable Mention, 2025 ACIS James S. Donnelly, Sr. Prize for Books on History and Social Sciences

Looks at the ways that disparate groups used Irish famine relief in the 1840s to advance their own political agendas

Famine brought ruin to the Irish countryside in the nineteenth century. In response, people around the world and from myriad social, ethnic, and religious backgrounds became involved in Irish famine relief. They included enslaved Black people in Virginia, poor tenant farmers in rural New York, and members of the Cherokee and Choctaw nations, as well as plantation owners in the US south, abolitionists in Pennsylvania, and, politicians in England and Ireland. Most of these people had no personal connection to Ireland. For many, the famine was their first time participating in distant philanthropy.

Aiding Ireland investigates the Irish famine as a foundational moment for normalizing international giving. Anelise Hanson Shrout argues that these diverse men and women found famine relief to be politically useful. Shrout takes readers from Ireland to Britain, across the Atlantic to the United States, and across the Mississippi to Indian Territory, uncovering what was to be gained for each group by participating in global famine relief. Aiding Ireland demonstrates that international philanthropy and aid are never simple, and are always intertwined with politics both at home and abroad.

Looks at the ways that disparate groups used Irish famine relief in the 1840s to advance their own political agendas

Famine brought ruin to the Irish countryside in the nineteenth century. In response, people around the world and from myriad social, ethnic, and religious backgrounds became involved in Irish famine relief. They included enslaved Black people in Virginia, poor tenant farmers in rural New York, and members of the Cherokee and Choctaw nations, as well as plantation owners in the US south, abolitionists in Pennsylvania, and, politicians in England and Ireland. Most of these people had no personal connection to Ireland. For many, the famine was their first time participating in distant philanthropy.

Aiding Ireland investigates the Irish famine as a foundational moment for normalizing international giving. Anelise Hanson Shrout argues that these diverse men and women found famine relief to be politically useful. Shrout takes readers from Ireland to Britain, across the Atlantic to the United States, and across the Mississippi to Indian Territory, uncovering what was to be gained for each group by participating in global famine relief. Aiding Ireland demonstrates that international philanthropy and aid are never simple, and are always intertwined with politics both at home and abroad.

Should a physician with AIDS be required to inform his or her patients? Does a physician have an obligation to warn the partner who wants this fact kept secret? Should all newborns and pregnant women be screened for HIV? Should insurance companies be required to insure patients who test positive for the disease? Professionals and society at large are confronted by a wide range of complex ethical issues produced by the AIDS health crisis.

AIDS and Ethics is the first major collection of essays on the complex ethical issues created by the AIDS crisis. The nation's leading bioethics experts from the fields of law, medicine, philosophy, political science, religion, and social work present original and accessible essays. They address current controversial issues related to the tension between civil rights and public health, mandatory HIV testing, human subjects research, health care insurance, AIDS education, militant AIDS activism, the physician-patient relationship, issues of privacy, and legal issues. This important book will provide philosophical and practical guidelines to health care and human service professionals, policy makers, scholars, and others affected by the AIDS crisis.

Peter Piot, founding executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), recounts his experience as a clinician, scientist, and activist fighting the disease from its earliest manifestation to today. The AIDS pandemic was not only catastrophic to the health of millions worldwide but also fractured international relations, global access to new technologies, and public health policies in nations across the globe. As he struggled to get ahead of the disease, Piot found science does little good when it operates independently of politics and economics, and politics is worthless if it rejects scientific evidence and respect for human rights.

Piot describes how the epidemic altered global attitudes toward sexuality, the character of the doctor-patient relationship, the influence of civil society in international relations, and traditional partisan divides. AIDS thrust health into national and international politics where, he argues, it rightly belongs. The global reaction to AIDS over the past decade is the positive result of this partnership, showing what can be achieved when science, politics, and policy converge on the ground. Yet it remains a fragile achievement, and Piot warns against complacency and the consequences of reduced investments. He refuses to accept a world in which high levels of HIV infection are the norm. Instead, he explains how to continue to reduce the incidence of the disease to minute levels through both prevention and treatment, until a vaccine is discovered.

The first book to tell the shocking story of the AIDS crisis in Soviet Russia.

Throughout the 1980s, as the world was grappling with the escalating crisis of AIDS, Soviet Russia continued to deny there was a problem. Arguing that the disease was limited to foreigners and ‘immoral’ groups, the government failed to take meaningful action, long past the point other countries had begun to recognise the full scale of the threat.

In this ground-breaking book, Rustam Alexander tells the story of AIDS in Soviet Russia. Fixated on disinformation, censorship and the persecution of marginalised communities, the Soviet authorities wasted precious time, allowing the epidemic to strike at the very heart of the nation: its children. Yet, despite the government’s failure, a number of brave journalists, doctors and nascent gay groups decided to take matters into their own hands and engage in full-fledged AIDS activism.

Tracing the political and social response to AIDS in the final years of the Soviet era, Alexander sheds light on the devastating consequences of government inaction. He draws on personal stories, media reports and archival materials to provide a riveting account of the Russian people’s fight against AIDS amid the tumultuous transformations of Gorbachev’s perestroika.

Aim High, Little Giant, Aim High! is a story about Taína, a nine-year-old Afro Boricua basketball player growing up in Brooklyn during a pandemic who learns valuable life lessons from family, friends, and the community, both on and off the court.

"Peeeace!" That’s how Taina opens this book, and that’s how we get a tour of Brooklyn: through Taina’s eyes! There’s the biddy court where Papa is doing a b-ball clinic, and where Taina is joined by friends Theophilus, Ireyna, Mamushi and Ibrahim. Then there are the legendary parks of Brooklyn—Bed Stuy to Brownsville to Tillary Park—and all the legendary players, the folklore of NYC playground basketball culture. At home and on the court, Taina learns math and stories through the city and basketball.

"Pa’lante, siempre pa’lante!" Mama says this is what the Young Lords Party used to shout for social justice. Taina’s mother says it means "forward, always forward!" and that’s where Taina is going, forward in life!

Aim High, Little Giant, Aim High! features:

Our culture values striving, purpose, achievement, and accumulation. This book asks us to get sidetracked along the way. It praises aimlessness as a source of creativity and an alternative to the demand for linear, efficient, instrumentalist thinking and productivity.

Aimlessness collects ideas and stories from around the world that value indirection, wandering, getting lost, waiting, meandering, lingering, sitting, laying about, daydreaming, and other ways to be open to possibility, chaos, and multiplicity. Tom Lutz considers aimlessness as a fundamental human proclivity and method, one that has been vilified by modern industrial societies but celebrated by many religious traditions, philosophers, writers, and artists. He roams a circular path that snakes and forks down sideroads, traipsing through modernist art, nomadic life, slacker comedies, drugs, travel, nirvana, and oblivion. The book is structured as a recursive, disjunctive spiral of short sections, a collage of narrative, anecdotal, analytic, and lyrical passages—intended to be read aimlessly, to wind up someplace unexpected.

Our culture values striving, purpose, achievement, and accumulation. This book asks us to get sidetracked along the way. It praises aimlessness as a source of creativity and an alternative to the demand for linear, efficient, instrumentalist thinking and productivity.

Aimlessness collects ideas and stories from around the world that value indirection, wandering, getting lost, waiting, meandering, lingering, sitting, laying about, daydreaming, and other ways to be open to possibility, chaos, and multiplicity. Tom Lutz considers aimlessness as a fundamental human proclivity and method, one that has been vilified by modern industrial societies but celebrated by many religious traditions, philosophers, writers, and artists. He roams a circular path that snakes and forks down sideroads, traipsing through modernist art, nomadic life, slacker comedies, drugs, travel, nirvana, and oblivion. The book is structured as a recursive, disjunctive spiral of short sections, a collage of narrative, anecdotal, analytic, and lyrical passages—intended to be read aimlessly, to wind up someplace unexpected.

Following up on the popularity of the groundbreaking anthology Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color, this book continues the work of filling a void in the world of contemplative spirituality in stories of the contemplative spiritual journeys of people of color. Like the first book, Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around incorporates stories from members of their encounters with ‘othering’ and disparaging treatment across issues and their understandings of contemplative practice and the call to action that follows. This volume seeks to give voice to these issues from those whom have lived with them and to seek peace and healing for the unresolved trauma that continues to separate us.

In a world or resurgent racism and bias against those whose skin color, nationality, religion, gender, or sexuality are seen as “other,” these are voices that need to be heard.

Thought-provoking and electrifying…Ain’t No Mo’ both honors its ancestors and loudly makes a stand for its own unique perspective. —Greg Evans, Deadline

The time is the near future, and African American Airlines Flight 1619 has been chartered to take Black Americans “back to Africa.” Organizing the boarding process is Peaches, a flight agent in drag who is juggling the passengers’ excitement and reluctance, as well as her own. Presented in eight vignettes, Jordan E. Cooper’s Ain’t No Mo’ is both a satire and a serious investigation examining the ever-varying facets of the Black American experience: lives affected by violence, class tensions, the prison-industrial complex, and culture vultures.

The first and only definitive biography of legendary Motown group, the Temptations

The Temptations are an incomparable soul group, with dozens of chart-topping hits such as My Girl and Papa Was a Rollin Stone. From the sharp suits, stylish choreography, and distinctive vocals that epitomized their onstage triumphs to the personal failings and psycho-dramas that played out behind the scenes, Ain't Too Proud to Beg tells the complete story of this most popular—and tragic—of all Motown super groups.

Based on in-depth research and interviews with founding Temptations member Otis Williams and many others, the book reveals the highly individual, even mutually antagonistic, nature of the group's members. Venturing beyond the money and the fame, it shares the compelling tale of these sometime allies, sometime rivals and reveals the unique dynamic of push and pull and give and take that resulted in musical genius.

• The first book to tell the whole story of Motown's greatest group, with all-new interviews and previously undiscovered sources and photographs
• Gives the last word on enduring Motown mysteries, including the deaths of Paul Williams and David Ruffin and the truth behind Ruffin's tumultuous romance with Tammi Terrell
• Reveals the secret ""can't miss"" formula behind the Temptations' thirty-seven chart hits
• Draws on more than one hundred interviews with the group's associates, industry figures, family members, and most importantly, founding Temptation Otis Williams

Ain't Too Proud to Beg takes a cohesive and penetrating look at the life and enduring legacy of one of the greatest groups in popular music. It is essential reading for fans of the Temptations, music lovers, and anyone interested in the history of American popular culture over the last fifty years.

A hopeful story about the things that make us unique.
Una historia sincera y divertida, inspirada en hechos reales.

Ruby is a little girl with lots of energy! But recenty she has been falling down a lot. When she runs, she falls; when she dances, she falls; when she picks something up, she often drops it. Everyone thinks she's a bit clumsy!

When Ruby is told she has a disability, her parents start treating her very differently. They never tell her off, even when she behaves badly… She draws on her dad’s favourite painting… nothing, she puts her mum’s tablet in the bath… nothing. Ruby just wants to be treated the same as her two brothers.