The new book Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI sounds a warning about how the technology is changing what it means to be human. Author and Financial Times journalist Madhumita Murgia tells Greg Bruce we must act now to make sure it’s not for the worse. In a book packed with dystopian real life stories about the threat of AI , the one about London Uber driver Alexandru Iftimie may be the most instructive.
Iftimie had been driving for Uber for more than two years, and had a flawless five star rating, when the company sent him an automated warning saying he’d been flagged for fraudulent activity. He assumed it was a mistake and ignored it, but two weeks later he received another warning. One more, he knew, and he would be terminated.
He had no idea what he’d done wrong because the warnings came with no additional information. He called Uber driver support to find out. They didn’t know either.
He says they told him: “The system can’t be wrong, what have you done?” He joined the union, who took up his case with the company. Afraid of losing his job permanently, he stopped taking rides. Three months later, Uber contacted him to say its automated system had made an error.
They apologised and cleared Iftimie’s record, but he still has no idea why or how it happened..
