Talk to Me
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  • Published: 12 March 2020
  • ISBN: 9781847942647
  • Imprint: Random House Business
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $32.99

Talk to Me

Amazon, Google, Apple and the Race for Voice-Controlled AI

Formats & editions
EBook
28 Mar 2019
Audiobook
28 Mar 2019
Paperback
12 Mar 2020
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The compelling inside story of the race to build conversationally capable computers

The gripping inside story of the race to build conversationally capable computers
Chat with the author: ask your Alexa device to 'open the voice computing book'
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The next great technological disruption is coming.

The titans of Silicon Valley are racing to build the last, best computer that the world will ever need. Whoever successfully creates it will revolutionise our relationship with technology - and make billions of dollars in the process. It is known as conversational AI.

For years, computers that can speak and think like humans have been on the verge of becoming a reality. Now, James Vlahos introduces the researchers at Google, Amazon and Apple who are leading the way to a voice tech revolution. And he reveals how their discoveries will transform every sector of society - from revolutionising how we use the internet, to transforming our understanding of consciousness.

Vlahos's research leads him to one fundamental question: What happens when our computers become as articulate, compassionate, and creative as we are?
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'Brilliant and essential . . . You'll find insights and meaning on every page, and you'll keep turning them. This book is dynamite.' NICHOLAS THOMPSON, editor-in-chief of Wired

'Conversational AI is a genuine paradigm shift in our experience with technology. Vlahos brings the whole story to life . . . A thoughtful and enjoyable read.' TOM GRUBER, co-creator of Siri

'The baton of disruption has been passed from the smart phone to voice, and Vlahos helps make sense of this tectonic shift.' SCOTT GALLOWAY, author of The Four

'Voice computing is revolutionising the way we interact with our devices. Talk to Me offers a road map showing how we got to this point and the opportunities and risks that lie ahead.' MARTIN FORD, author of The Rise of the Robots

'James Vlahos has written an excellent book on how voice computing has become more and more of a growing presence in our everyday world.' RAY KURZWEIL, author of The Singularity Is Near
  • Published: 12 March 2020
  • ISBN: 9781847942647
  • Imprint: Random House Business
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $32.99
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About the author

James Vlahos

James Vlahos is a contributor to the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Popular Science, Scientific American, The Atlantic, GQ and National Geographic. He lives in El Cerrito, California.

Praise for Talk to Me

Brilliant and essential . . . You’ll find insights and meaning on every page, and you’ll keep turning them. This book is dynamite.

NICHOLAS THOMPSON, editor-in-chief of Wired

Conversational AI is a genuine paradigm shift in our experience with technology. Vlahos brings the whole story to life . . . A thoughtful and enjoyable read.

TOM GRUBER, co-creator of Siri

The baton of disruption has been passed from the smart phone to voice, and Vlahos helps make sense of this tectonic shift.

SCOTT GALLOWAY, author of The Four

Voice computing is revolutionising the way we interact with our devices. Talk to Me offers a road map showing how we got to this point and the opportunities and risks that lie ahead.

MARTIN FORD, author of The Rise of the Robots

James Vlahos has written an excellent book on how voice computing has become more and more of a growing presence in our everyday world.

RAY KURZWEIL, author of The Singularity Is Near

A thought-provoking debut . . . Evincing a talent for making the technical both easily understandable and intriguing, [Vlahos] explains how developers today are trying to further improve the user experience through machine learning . . . Readers will finish this timely book with a newfound appreciation for, and perhaps some apprehension toward, their favorite voice bot and the technological marvel it represents.

Publishers Weekly

A deep history . . . well researched and reported, written by someone with a deep understanding of the tech itself.

New York Times

Talk to Me explains a paradigm shift in the way we consume information . . . Artfully mixes the recounting of what key technologies do with an account of the history of how they came to be . . . I hope our folks at the defence and IT ministries are paying attention to this book.

Business Standard

A good starting point for exploring how voice computing could disrupt your business . . . Talk to Me does a terrific job of explaining why voice computing is such a fascinating and promising technology.

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