Girl Decoded

A Scientist's Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology

By: Rana el Kaliouby, Carol Colman

Narrated by: Rana el Kaliouby

In a captivating memoir, an Egyptian American visionary and scientist provides an intimate view of her personal transformation as she follows her calling—to humanize our technology and how we connect with one another.

LONGLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD • “A vivid coming-of-age story and a call to each of us to be more mindful and compassionate when we interact online.”—Arianna Huffington

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PARADE

Rana el Kaliouby is a rarity in both the tech world and her native Middle East: a Muslim woman in charge in a field that is still overwhelmingly white and male. Growing up in Egypt and Kuwait, el Kaliouby was raised by a strict father who valued tradition—yet also had high expectations for his daughters—and a mother who was one of the first female computer programmers in the Middle East. Even before el Kaliouby broke ground as a scientist, she broke the rules of what it meant to be an obedient daughter and, later, an obedient wife to pursue her own daring dream.

After earning her PhD at Cambridge, el Kaliouby, now the divorced mother of two, moved to America to pursue her mission to humanize technology before it dehumanizes us. The majority of our communication is conveyed through nonverbal cues: facial expressions, tone of voice, body language. But that communication is lost when we interact with others through our smartphones and devices. The result is an emotion-blind digital universe that impairs the very intelligence and capabilities—including empathy—that distinguish human beings from our machines.

To combat our fundamental loss of emotional intelligence online, she cofounded Affectiva, the pioneer in the new field of Emotion AI, allowing our technology to understand humans the way we understand one another. Girl Decoded chronicles el Kaliouby’s journey from being a “nice Egyptian girl” to becoming a woman, carving her own path as she revolutionizes technology. But decoding herself—learning to express and act on her own emotions—would prove to be the biggest challenge of all.

Great Story of a Woman's Pursuit of Her Vision

Rana presents to us a wonderful story of her growing up, her family, her culture, her love of technology for the good of humanity, and her relentless pursuit of a dream. It is a story that should encourage us all... and she even openly confesses her shortfalls. She is amazingly transparent in all this... and it is a story that will captivate you. She walks us through her growing up years, education, marriage, having children, and starting a company focused in a field that most stayed away from. Rana pursued a dream... a vision that many told her was impossible... that today it is clearly a reality. She talks about the future of AI, it's interaction with humans, and how it can be improved. Once you pick the book up or start to listen... you will be hooked to finish it. It is a highly recommended read / listen.

Impressive story and taught me to look more at AI

Interesting and impressive story. I learned about AI and achievements discipline as applied by the author.

Inspiring and enlightening

A great story of a young woman’s journey to be pioneer in the world of Artificial Intelligence. I found the author’s narration added an additional dimension to the story that the words alone or another narrator would have failed to convey. I’ve gifted this book to all the young women I my life.

i'm torn

I liked the first part, learning about her childhood. The middle part, about her business, was kinda boring to me. Then the end, which talks about current applications and issues, really got me. So.... 🤷

I liked hearing the author read her own work.

I did get more than a little tired of the phrase "nice Egyptian girl" tho!

Excellent!

Nice audiobook by CEO of Affectiva, an AI company, specializing in emotional, affective, AI. Narration is by the author, very clear and nice to listen to. The book narrates how Rana, the author, an Egyptian woman, Muslim, wearing hijab until recently, embraces her vision of a humanized technology. Rana went on to describe how embracing her own emotions empowered her on a journey of self actualisation by decoding herself and pursing her vision. Rana self-portrayed herself as a dedicated technology leader who is not only determined to bring the best that AI can bring to the world but also unflinchingly focused on the vital importance of ethical conduct of AI and technology companies. Excellent read and audiobook.