Copyright © 2011 by Brian Christian All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.doubleday.com DOUBLEDAY and the DD colophon are re- gistered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Portions of this work were previously pub- lished inThe Atlantic 4/814 Grateful acknowledgment is made to Richard Wilbur for permission to reprint a portion of “The Beautiful Changes.” Jacket design by Tal Goretsky Jacket illustration by gears © Bettmann/ CORBIS Head ©istockphoto.com/Mark Strozier Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publica- tion Data Christian, Brian, 1984– The most human human : what talking with computers teaches us about what it means to be alive / Brian Christian. p. cm. 1. Philosophical anthropology. 2. Human be- ings. 3. Turing test. I. Title. II. Title: What talking with computers teaches us about what it means to be alive. BD450.C5356 2011 5/814 128—dc22 2010048572 eISBN: 978-0-385-53307-2 v3.1 Today’s person spends way more time in front of screens. In fluorescent-lit rooms, in cubicles, being on one end or the other of an electronic data transfer. And what is it to be human and alive and exercise your humanity in that kind of exchange? –DAVID FOSTER WALLACE For my teachers Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Epigraph Dedication 0. Prologue 1. Introduction: The Most Human Human 2. Authenticating 3. The Migratory Soul 9/814 4. Site-Specificity vs. Pure Technique 5. Getting Out of Book 6. The Anti-Expert 7. Barging In 8. The World’s Worst Deponent 9. Not Staying Intact 10. High Surprisal 11. Conclusion: The Most Human Human 12. Epilogue: The Unsung Beauty of the Glassware Cabinet Acknowledgments Notes The beautiful changes as a forest is changed By a chameleon’s tuning his skin to it; As a mantis, arranged On a green leaf, grows Into it, makes the leaf leafier … –RICHARD WILBUR I think metaphysics is good if it improves everyday life; otherwise forget it. –ROBERT PIRSIG As President, I believe that robotics can inspire young people to pursue science and engineering. And I also want to keep an eye on those robots, in case they try anything. –BARACK OBAMA