Q&A with David Eliot

 

 

 

David Eliot is the author of the new book Artificially Intelligent: The Very Human Story of AI. He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Ottawa. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Artificially Intelligent?

 

A: I was inspired by my friends. Like most people, they’re equal parts curious and terrified when it comes to AI. As an AI researcher, I found myself fielding their questions constantly.

 

Rather than having the same conversation a hundred times a week, I decided to write a book for them. I wanted it to do two things: first, to explore AI in a genuinely new and meaningful way; and second, to avoid sounding like a dry technical manual or an academic lecture.

 

My goal was to give readers everything I thought they needed to know—delivered in a way that was fun, clear, and accessible.

 

Q: What do you think are some of the most common perceptions and misconceptions about AI?

 

A: That AI is scary, and too complex to understand. While it’s true that programming AI systems takes years of study, the underlying ideas are actually quite simple. Understanding those foundations helps us replace fear with clarity. It allows us to see what AI really is, what it can do, and what it can’t.

 

In Artificially Intelligent, I use human stories to teach the fundamental building blocks of AI. Technology like AI often feels intimidating because it’s always changing… but the secret is that the fundamentals never do. How the base technology works stays stationary. Once you understand the basics, the ever-shifting world of AI becomes a lot less overwhelming.

 

I love this approach, because it allows us to take back power in our own lives. If you understand the fundamentals, it gives you the ability to question and understand the novel applications of AI you might see in your workplace or community. You won’t need to ask an “expert” what is happening, you can use your tools and knowledge to figure it out yourself!

 

Q: As a Ph.D. candidate, what impact do you think AI is having on the academic world?

 

A: AI will have a massive impact on the academic world. Unfortunately, most people tend to focus only on the negative impacts such as students using ChatGPT to write their papers.

 

Instead, I want to bring attention to the positive. Specifically, the massive leveling powers of AI. What I mean by this is that AI can provide academics with the opportunity to leverage skills that traditionally required massive time investments to learn before AI.

 

For example, social scientists who typically do not have backgrounds in coding may now gain the ability to create custom algorithms to process their data sets. Additionally, the language translation capabilities of AI will also allow scholars from non-English countries to more effectively share their research around the world.

 

Yes, there are a lot of negatives too, but the positives have the potential to push our knowledge forward in new and exciting ways!

 

Q: The book’s subtitle is “The Very Human Story of AI”--how was that subtitle chosen?

 

A: That’s a great question, because it wasn’t the original subtitle. From the beginning, I wanted the book to be both accessible and entertaining—so I set out to find stories.

 

As I researched, I realized that everything I wanted people to understand about AI could be traced back to a human decision. Some of those decisions were made 10 years ago, some a hundred, some over a thousand.

 

That realization changed everything. I knew I had to tell the story of AI as a human story. By sharing the stories of the people who built AI, I could teach readers about the technology while reminding them that this is still our story. AI was made by humans, and where we are today is the result of human choices. Our future isn’t pre-defined, it’s something we get to shape.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I always seem to have a million projects on the go—every time I finish one, two more pop up like a game of Whac-a-Mole. Right now, I’m focused on finishing my Ph.D. dissertation and continuing my advocacy for AI policies that lift everyone up.

 

And for readers who enjoyed Artificially Intelligent and want to keep learning about technology through a human lens… don’t worry. There just might be a second book in the works.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The message I want to leave you with—the same message at the heart of the book—is one of hope. I truly believe AI can be the most transformative technology in human history, unlocking enormous untapped potential. But hope alone isn’t enough.

 

To build the AI future we want, we all need to be part of the conversation—and we must insist that AI be used for good. I hope you pick up Artificially Intelligent and let it be your entry point into the conversation.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb