Understanding AI: What It Can and Cannot Do
Date: April 3, 2025
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Link: https://bit.ly/AISnakeOil
Maryland Libraries Together and Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) are excited to present Understanding AI: What It Can and Cannot Do on April 3 at 12 p.m., featuring the authors of AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference. Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor, two of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in Artificial Intelligence (AI), will share what you need to know about AI and how to defend yourself against bogus AI claims and products. The program will be streamed on BCPL’s YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/AISnakeOil; no registration required.
About the Book
Confused about AI and worried about what it means for your future and the future of the world? You’re not alone. AI is everywhere—and few things are surrounded by so much hype, misinformation, and misunderstanding. In AI Snake Oil, computer scientists Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor cut through the confusion to give you an essential understanding of how AI works and why it often doesn’t, where it might be useful or harmful, and when you should suspect that companies are using AI hype to sell AI snake oil—products that don’t work, and probably never will.
About the Authors
Arvind Narayanan is a professor of computer science at Princeton University and the director of the Center for Information Technology Policy. He studies the societal impact of digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence, and has co-authored a textbook on fairness and machine learning. He led the Princeton Web Transparency and Accountability Project to uncover how companies collect and use our personal information. Narayanan’s work was among the first to show how machine learning reflects cultural stereotypes, and his doctoral research showed the fundamental limits of de-identification. His book, AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t and How to Tell the Difference, co-written with Say ash Kapoor, takes readers through the major strains of AI to show what can work well alongside the inherent limitations.
Sayash Kapoor is a computer science Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy and a co-author of AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t and How to Tell the Difference, co-written with Arvind Narayanan. Say ash’s research focuses on the societal impact of AI. He is a recipient of a best paper award at ACM Fact and an impact recognition award at ACM CSCW and was included in TIME's inaugural list of the 100 most influential people in AI, along with Arvind Narayanan.
Author Event: Michelle Coles
Thanks to Michelle Coles and everyone who attended the Maryland Libraries Together meet-the-author event hosted by Calvert Library on February 27, 2025. A recording of the event will be available for 30 days after the event here.
The program was made possible through a partnership with Maryland Libraries Together and Calvert Library. Prince George's County Memorial Library System assisted with streaming and technical services. The event was supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Maryland State Library Agency.
