Il Artificial intelligence bestiary is a book that was created for educational purposes, but paradoxically when reading it evokes the specter of damnation to the beasts – the bloodiest death sentence in ancient Rome. Obviously, today there is no real risk of being fed to lions or tigers, standing in front of a PC or hacking a smartphone, but some algorithms sometimes seem to really bite, especially privacy. As the philosopher of science Sabina Leonelli points out in the preface: “Artificial intelligence is shrewd, it slips unnoticed into everyday life, appropriating memories and information”.
A scenario that legitimizes fear and at the same time feeds curiosity for the voracious power expressed. In reality it proves to be a bestiary of imaginary beings that it is enough to observe a little more closely to understand its grace, usefulness and limitations. Technically, as Leonelli explains, they reproduce “the results of the reasoning processes of human intelligence” through “the application of logical and mathematical formulas”. However, the concept is not easy to understand and therefore the authorial collective of Ammagamma, the specialist in artificial intelligence solutions for companies, has decided to play the allegory card. In fact, each monster corresponds to a declination of artificial intelligence.
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“He wanted to be something accessible to everyone, with captivating images,” he explains Cosimo Fiorini, head of Ammagamma’s data science team. “Then of course there are different levels of reading and to go in depth a young person needs a parent or teacher by their side“.
The intelligent beasts
The cover of the Bestiary anticipates the eclectic spirit that distinguishes the entire editorial project. The tables recall the world of tarot cards, the irony of the cards of the merchant at the fair, the pencil drawings of the most talented children, the botanical illustration and above all a oneiric dimension bordering on the surreal. “An attentive reader can find quotes from our passions that have inevitably been included: from Miyazaki to even the Beatles of Yellow Submarine. The team of human science instead he contributed with the idea of medieval bestiaries, the allegorical vision “, admits the data scientist with a smile. maximum scientific rigortherefore disclosure but without making too many compromises.
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And so the Anticipator Basil is born, known as forecasting algorithmthe Immangiatore Aquattrocchi (image analysis), the Kite Poietic Logo (natural language processing), the Insightful Mechanic Chameleon (model predictive control) and others to form a hypothetical team of eight. That the most discerning will be able to interpret as the prospect of an infinite number of new possibilities.
Each monster is the protagonist of a graphic table full of symbolic elements which are then explained in detail. For example the Aquattrocchi Immangiatore is an animal that perpetually eats images and therefore handles not only different types of gazes but also subjects to be classified and identified. Likely to hang out near Google, for example, where it made it possible to create a tool called Google Lens capable of understanding places and objects in a photo or image.
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Each monster is introduced by a short, easy-to-understand general text, while another text summarizes the fields of application of the related algorithm. Finally, at the bottom of the page there is the crudest, most sterile and unassailable scientific definition; that which at school or university would allow you to demonstrate a good ability to synthesize.
The last chapter of the book is about intelligence and therefore stimulates reflection light – as Italo Calvino meant in American lessons – on the apparent friction between the human and the artificial dimension. “Forms of reasoning that walk on their mathematical legs, executing the precise instructions of Intelligence feeding on its biological questions” is almost an aphorism that forces one to suspend judgment towards creatures.
“Some have pink wings, some have a mechanical tail, yet another has a thousand attentive eyes. We have already let them into our homes without even realizing it. Now it’s time to recognize them, when they pass, and give them a name . Up to domesticate them “, concludes the founder of Ammagamma Fabio Ferrari. And in fact, reading the book is a journey that ends with the discovery of the coveted sense of familiarity with the technologies related to artificial intelligence.
Dissemination in schools
Fiorini emphasizes that in Ammagamma there is such awareness of the value of technologies and innovation that one of the company’s objectives has always been to share this expertise with schools. In short, contributing to society by bringing training and technological education in the classrooms explaining what artificial intelligence and algorithms are, but also how to make informed use of smartphones.
In fact, over the years many workshops have been organized in elementary, middle and high schools, especially in Emilia Romagna since the company is based in Modena. The same Artificial intelligence bestiary looms like an ideal tool for teacherssince it is the result of the experience gained with the previous white paper on approaches to artificial intelligence education.
“We aim to dispel the myth that intelligent machines may one day take sides against humanity. Come on, algorithms have blinders, they are trained for one thing. They have no ability to generalize or think,” concludes Fiorini.
The Artificial Intelligence Bestiary is published by Franco Cosimo Panini and is already available in bookstores at a price of 21 euros