{"id":129920,"date":"2024-09-11T14:31:14","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T18:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=129920"},"modified":"2024-09-17T14:45:46","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T18:45:46","slug":"why-is-ai-scary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why is AI scary? Should it be? Do you know how it might impact the world<\/a> and your life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Scary Smart<\/em>, author Mo Gawdat explores the potential outcomes of superintelligent AI<\/a>. He discusses three main problems we may face: misuse by bad actors, unintended consequences<\/a> from mistakes, and a shift in how we value human contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to discover Gawdat’s insights and learn why AI’s rapid advancement is both exciting and concerning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why AI Is “Scary Smart”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why is AI scary? Gawdat predicts two potential outcomes of building AI that surpasses us in intelligence: Superintelligent AI can either help us build a utopia where we\u2019ve found solutions for our world\u2019s biggest problems\u2014poverty, hunger, war, and crime\u2014or shape our world into a dystopia. Sci-fi writers have long imagined bleak futures where AI tries to subjugate or exterminate humans. But Gawdat predicts that things will go wrong in slightly less dramatic but potentially more insidious ways in the near future\u2014no killer robots needed. We\u2019ll look at three problems Gawdat thinks are unavoidable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: People With Bad Intentions Will Task AI With Projects That Hurt Others<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first problem we\u2019ll run into with superintelligent AI might also be the most predictable. Gawdat contends that as AI becomes more advanced, people with selfish intentions will use AI to make money and gain power<\/strong>. They\u2019ll put it to work to sell products, control markets, commit acts of cyberterrorism, spread fake content and disinformation, influence public opinion, manipulate political systems, invade others\u2019 privacy, hack government data, and build weapons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gawdat explains that, at least for a time, AI systems will follow their developers\u2019 agendas. That means that AI systems will compete against each other <\/strong>to get the people behind them as much wealth and power as possible, bounded only by the ethics of the people (and corporations) who develop them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Geoffrey Hinton<\/a>, an AI pioneer who quit his job at Google to speak about the risks of AI<\/a>, agrees with Gawdat that it\u2019s difficult to prevent people with self-serving intentions from developing AI and using it for nefarious purposes<\/a>. Hinton explains that tech giants like Google and Microsoft have entered into a competition that we likely can\u2019t stop because the stakes are too high. Not everyone believes the competition between AI models will have dire consequences, though: Rationality<\/em><\/a> <\/em>author Steven Pinker points out that all intelligent organisms are competitive<\/a>, and he contends that machines will be \u201cwhat we allow them to be.\u201d Pinker thinks AI systems won\u2019t hurt people unless we program them to<\/a>\u2014which Gawdat might say is the real threat.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2: Mistakes and Misunderstandings Will Have Unintended Consequences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The second problem that plagues AI\u2019s progress might also sound unsurprising. Even the most straightforward computer program will have mistakes in its code, and AI is no exception. But Gawdat explains that even simple mistakes can have significant consequences when we put AI in charge of decisions that affect the stock market, the food supply, or the healthcare system<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instructions get lost in translation between humans and machines<\/a> because it\u2019s difficult to put our intentions and complex logic into the language that a computer can understand<\/strong>. (That means that there\u2019s often a difference between what we tell a machine to do and what we actually mean, and it’s difficult to overcome this communication problem.) This will become even harder when we present AI with increasingly complicated tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: To see why it\u2019s hard to tell a computer what we want it to do, consider Boolean logic<\/a>. To write instructions, you reduce them to an expression that uses the operators \u201cand,\u201d \u201cor,\u201d and \u201cnot,\u201d and gives a result of \u201ctrue\u201d or \u201cfalse\u201d\u2014an orderly but unfamiliar way of thinking through a task. Imagine the infamous \u201cpaperclip problem<\/a>,\u201d where you task a superintelligent AI with maximizing<\/a> paperclip production. Using Boolean logic, you might say: \u201cIF (\u2018resources\u2019 exist AND \u2018production_capacity\u2019 is \u2018available\u2019), THEN \u2018make_paperclips\u2019 is TRUE.\u201d That means that when these conditions are fulfilled, the AI should make more paperclips\u2014logic that philosopher Nick Bostrom contends could lead AI to destroy humanity to make more paperclips.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gawdat also notes that when we develop an AI system to help us with a specific task, the AI will regard that task as its life purpose<\/a> or as a problem to be solved no matter what<\/strong>. As Gawdat explains, every solution comes with tradeoffs, and AI may settle on a solution that comes with tradeoffs we consider unacceptable. But the system will be so single-mindedly focused on fulfilling its purpose, no matter how it needs to do that, that it will be challenging to ensure it doesn\u2019t compromise people\u2019s safety or well-being in the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Computer scientist Stuart Russell offers a hypothetical example of the unintended consequences of letting AI single-mindedly pursue a goal without any checks on the costs. In a thought experiment<\/a>, Russell imagines what might happen if we tasked an AI model with reducing the acidification of the oceans<\/a>. The model might decide to use a chemical reaction between the oceans and the atmosphere to lower the pH of the water. But it might choose a solution that would remove most of the oxygen from the atmosphere if it doesn\u2019t realize that it needs to keep the earth liveable for humans, too. This illustrates what experts call the \u201cKing Midas\u201d problem<\/a>: AI might give us exactly what we ask for, even when that\u2019s not what we want.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: AI Will Change How We Understand Our Value as Humans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The third problem is a more philosophical issue: Gawdat warns that for most of us, our contributions as humans will be of limited value. While many people fear losing their jobs to AI, Gawdat writes that AI won\u2019t necessarily replace humans at work\u2014at least not those who become adept at working with AI. But he also predicts that AI will cheapen the value of what we contribute, reducing the intellectual value of the knowledge we produce and the creative value of the art we make<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Not everyone agrees with Gawdat that AI will diminish the value of human contributions. Some contend that the most profound thing that AI will do is show us its limits<\/a>: It will demonstrate what machines can\u2019t<\/em> do and therefore hold up a mirror to show us what is unique about who we are and what we do in the world. But even if it turns out that AI can do everything that we can, we still have models for preserving our sense of value and dignity as humans. For instance, in Adam<\/em><\/a>, Henri J.M. Nouwen argues that our value lies in our being<\/a>, not in our doing. He contends that humans are valuable because we exist in community and vulnerability<\/a> with others\u2014an aspect of the human experience that AI is unlikely to change.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Gawdat anticipates that AI will magnify the disparities between the people whose contributions are seen to matter and those whose contributions are not valued<\/strong>. AI will learn this by observing how our capitalist society<\/a> currently treats people differently, and then it will act in ways that entrench that inequality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Many experts worry that AI is already learning our biases and prejudices<\/a>\u2014for example, it misidentifies people of color<\/a> with facial recognition AI\u2014and might threaten social justice<\/a> by reproducing the social inequalities it observes. For instance, AI\u2019s \u201calgorithmic bias<\/a>\u201d could pose a disproportionate risk to women<\/a>, undermine LGBTQ identity<\/a>, and put transgender people at particular risk<\/a>. These injustices might be even worse if AI leaves us feeling disconnected from each other<\/a>, as happened in the 2008 film WALL-E<\/em>, where humans have left Earth and live on a spaceship piloted by robots. The film seems to warn that by putting AI in charge, we could lose focus on what\u2019s happening in our world, fair or not\u2014and miss out on the emotional connections and unique perspectives that make us all valuable.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why is AI scary? Should it be? Do you know how it might impact the world and your life? In Scary Smart, author Mo Gawdat explores the potential outcomes of superintelligent AI. He discusses three main problems we may face: misuse by bad actors, unintended consequences from mistakes, and a shift in how we value human contributions. Read on to discover Gawdat’s insights and learn why AI’s rapid advancement is both exciting and concerning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":129927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,160,24],"tags":[1584],"class_list":["post-129920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-science","category-society","tag-scary-smart","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat) - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mo Gawdat refers to superintelligent AI as "scary." Learn why and how he thinks things might go wrong in the near future.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mo Gawdat refers to superintelligent AI as "scary." Learn why and how he thinks things might go wrong in the near future.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-11T18:31:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-17T18:45:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat)\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-11T18:31:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-17T18:45:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/\"},\"wordCount\":1362,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Scary Smart\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Psychology\",\"Science\",\"Society\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/\",\"name\":\"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat) - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-11T18:31:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-17T18:45:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"Mo Gawdat refers to superintelligent AI as \\\"scary.\\\" Learn why and how he thinks things might go wrong in the near future.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp\",\"width\":1344,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Shadowy silhouettes of humans behind a sophisticated and ominous AI robot raises the question, \\\"Why is AI scary?\\\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat) - Shortform Books","description":"Mo Gawdat refers to superintelligent AI as \"scary.\" Learn why and how he thinks things might go wrong in the near future.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat)","og_description":"Mo Gawdat refers to superintelligent AI as \"scary.\" Learn why and how he thinks things might go wrong in the near future.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2024-09-11T18:31:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-17T18:45:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1344,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat)","datePublished":"2024-09-11T18:31:14+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-17T18:45:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/"},"wordCount":1362,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp","keywords":["Scary Smart"],"articleSection":["Psychology","Science","Society"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/","name":"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat) - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp","datePublished":"2024-09-11T18:31:14+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-17T18:45:46+00:00","description":"Mo Gawdat refers to superintelligent AI as \"scary.\" Learn why and how he thinks things might go wrong in the near future.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp","width":1344,"height":768,"caption":"Shadowy silhouettes of humans behind a sophisticated and ominous AI robot raises the question, \"Why is AI scary?\""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-ai-scary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Is AI Scary? 3 Reasons to Sound the Alarm (Mo Gawdat)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/output-1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129920"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129926,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129920\/revisions\/129926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}