Automating Inequality

Teri Schnaubelt's narration can be a bit too breathy and elongated, adding a bit more melodrama than feels right for this audiobook. Eubanks examines how computer automation increasingly operates as a mechanism to play "gotcha"--even when there is nothing to get. While no one loves a bureaucracy, Eubanks reports that people are being increasingly challenged and undermined by how algorithms are making decisions and evaluating them, particularly regarding criminal justice, social welfare, and educational opportunities. While Eubanks's prose should be presented with empathy and nuance, Schnaubelt's tone comes across as a bit haughty and condescending. The mismatch of author and narrator weakens an important contemplation on the power of computers in our contemporary world. L.E. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine