You Teach The Machines

Audiobook: Chapter 2 Augmented Intelligence

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Show Notes: Chapter 2 – The Rise of Augmented Intelligence

In this episode, we explore the core of Jeff Pennington's philosophy: Augmented Intelligence. While "Artificial Intelligence" often sounds like a replacement for humans, Jeff argues that the real power of AI lies in its ability to enhance and scale human expertise. From life-saving medical screenings to writing a catchy podcast ad, Chapter 2 demonstrates how we can use AI as a collaborator to do things we couldn't otherwise do on our own.

The Blue-Sky Dream: AI in Healthcare

Jeff draws from his 17-year tenure at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and his service on a rural hospital board to illustrate high-stakes augmentation.

  • Scaling Expertise: He discusses how AI is being developed to help clinicians detect rare rib fractures in toddlers—a sign of child abuse that experts often miss—bringing specialized pediatric knowledge to rural emergency rooms. 
  • The GI Genius: Jeff shares a personal story of his own colonoscopy, where his doctor used an AI tool called "GI Genius" to find a precancerous polyp the human eye might have missed. This human-plus-machine partnership resulted in a 13% increase in detection rates.

Low-Stakes Wins: The "Normal Distribution" of Creativity

Augmentation isn't just for doctors. Jeff's wife, Missy, an environmental scientist, used AI to draft her first-ever advertisement.

  • The Starting Point: Jeff explains that AI provides a "statistically average" or "normal" baseline.
  • Human-in-the-Loop: By taking the generic AI draft and adding her specific knowledge of a local marina, Missy produced a unique, high-quality result that was better than what either could have done alone.

Key Concepts from the Chapter:

  • Collaborative AI: Unlike fully autonomous AI, Augmented Intelligence is a partnership that keeps the human in charge of the work.
  • Democratization of Knowledge: Much like the printing press scaled the written word, AI scales specialized human skills—like ad copywriting or bird identification via the Merlin app—and makes them accessible to everyone.
  • The "V" Word (Value): Jeff emphasizes that our time is our most valuable asset; using AI to handle repetitive tasks allows us to focus on the things only humans can do.

Listener Aid: Chapter 2 Exercises

To start augmenting your own life, Jeff suggests these hands-on steps:

  1. Observe Your Car: If you have advanced driver assistance, pay attention to how the machine "suggests" actions while you remain the driver.

  2. The Expert Edit: Take a paragraph about a subject you know well. Ask a chat AI to "make it better" and then correct its mistakes. This teaches the machine your specific context.

  3. Human Search: Use your phone's photo search for a specific object (like "trees"). Notice how the machine augments your ability to find memories instantly. 

Continue the Conversation

This book is just the beginning. Join Jeff and MJ on the You Teach the Machines companion podcast for weekly interviews and a multi-generational look at the AI revolution.

Get the Full Experience

If you find this introduction helpful, please download the full book wherever you get audiobooks. Available from:

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Help other readers by leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads! Thanks so much —Jeff