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A review of Josh Tyrangiel’s “AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things that Matter” (Simon & Schuster, 2026).
This section establishes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) was already deeply integrated into various aspects of modern life—such as business, finance, science, medicine, education, and warfare—long before the public release of generative AI like ChatGPT in late 2022. The author emphasizes that the AI story is multifaceted, cautioning against extreme optimism or pessimism, and highlighting that specific AI applications require individual scrutiny. It underscores that AI, like any technology, can be flawed or recklessly deployed, leading to unintended hazards and perpetuating historical biases in areas like mortgage lending, even while offering speed and efficiency. The article suggests that while the widespread adoption of AI is a given, society still faces crucial decisions on how to ethically and effectively navigate its ongoing evolution and impact.
This part delves into the application of generative AI in childhood education, specifically examining Sal Khan’s Khan Academy and its AI tutor, Khanmigo. Despite hopes for personalized learning, the history of educational technology is marred by failures, and Khanmigo itself encountered issues like inconsistency and 'hallucinations' (generating falsehoods). Although efforts were made to fine-tune the system, it continued to be unpredictable, and students struggled to engage with it effectively, often just 'fishing for answers.' The author questions the efficacy of AI as a primary educational tool, suggesting that more fundamental interventions like smaller class sizes and better-trained teachers might offer more promising solutions to improving student achievement, and also raises the possibility of developing more specialized AI models for specific teaching tasks rather than using broad large language models.
The article shifts focus to the promising potential of purpose-built AI in medicine, using the Cleveland Clinic as a case study. Physicians there are utilizing highly specialized AI systems to enhance medical assessments, such as generating and analyzing more thorough cardiac MRIs than human clinicians alone. Ambient scribe software, another innovation, listens to doctor-patient conversations to transcribe audio, suggest diagnoses, craft treatment plans, and prepare orders, reducing physician burnout. While requiring rigorous human oversight to prevent errors and malpractice, a specialized company's ambient scribe app has reportedly decreased physician attrition. Additionally, an AI-driven monitoring system for sepsis detection at the clinic contributed to a significant 40% reduction in sepsis mortality, despite occasionally producing false positives, illustrating that AI can be highly useful even without being perfect.
This section further demonstrates the pervasive nature of AI through diverse examples, from aiding a scientist in communicating with her autistic son to Palantir's role in tracking Covid vaccine distribution for Operation Warp Speed. However, it also touches upon the ethical complexities and controversies surrounding companies like Palantir, co-founded by Peter Thiel, which has faced criticism for its involvement in government surveillance and anti-immigrant enforcement policies. While the book's author, Tyrangiel, dismisses these ethical discussions as 'trivial,' the review highlights them as a significant aspect of AI's societal impact. The article concludes that while AI holds potential for addressing difficult problems, its effective and beneficial deployment ultimately requires arduous human labor, critical thinking, and a substantial amount of common sense to navigate its inherent challenges and risks.