The Cost Of The Machine
close menu
Bookswagon
search
My Account
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Home > General > The Cost Of The Machine: Lives. Sovereignty. The Future
The Cost Of The Machine: Lives. Sovereignty. The Future

The Cost Of The Machine: Lives. Sovereignty. The Future


     0     
5
4
3
2
1



International Edition


X
About the Book

The Cost of the MachineThree books. One argument.In 1801, a lighthouse keeper named Thomas Howell kept a light burning for weeks on a rock in the
Atlantic, beside the decomposing body of his dead companion, because the light was not for him.
The light was for the ships. Two centuries later, the light is automated, the keeper is gone, and this
trilogy exists to ask whether anyone noticed what was lost.

We are living through the most consequential technology transition in human history. Artificial
intelligence is being deployed in the systems that determine who receives medical care, who goes
to prison, what information reaches billions of people, which military targets are approved, and
whose communications are monitored by the state. In each domain, the same decision is being
made: replace the human with the machine. The reasoning is always the same. The machine is
faster. The machine is cheaper. The machine is more consistent.

The reasoning is correct on average. The cost is paid at the margin - in the patient whose
algorithm confuses cost with need, the defendant whose risk score encodes the biases of a
discriminatory system, the pilot whose skills atrophied because the autopilot was so reliable, the
civilians in a building that an AI targeting system assigned high confidence to. The margin is where
people live. And the margin is where the keeper - the human who exercises judgment when the
system encounters conditions it was not designed for - is being removed.

"The reasoning is correct on average. The cost is paid at the margin. And the
margin is where people live."

This trilogy traces how we arrived here, what the cost has been, and what happens next. It is
not a book against technology. It is a book about the specific, documented, recurring price of
removing the person from the loop - and a warning that the window for writing the rules is
closing.


Best Sellers


Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9798995265030
  • Publisher: Oakquant AI Press
  • Publisher Imprint: Oakquant AI Press
  • Height: 229 mm
  • No of Pages: 396
  • Returnable: N
  • Sub Title: Lives. Sovereignty. The Future
  • Width: 152 mm
  • ISBN-10: 8995265035
  • Publisher Date: 11 Mar 2026
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: N
  • Spine Width: 21 mm
  • Weight: 526 gr


Similar Products

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS      0     
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
The Cost Of The Machine: Lives. Sovereignty. The Future
Oakquant AI Press -
The Cost Of The Machine: Lives. Sovereignty. The Future
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

The Cost Of The Machine: Lives. Sovereignty. The Future

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept


    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!