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Nonfiction Books About AI for Curious Readers

    These books about AI engage with key ideas about the nature of artificial intelligence, its social and economic impact, and risks and potential benefits to humans.

    Table of Contents

    Life 3.0: Being human in the age of artificial intelligence

    Book Details

    Author: Max Tegmark

    Year published: 2018

    Pages: 364

    Aims of Life 3.0

    Life 3.0 sets out to imagine a human future in which AI is developed to the point of superintelligence.

    Life 3.0’s audience

    Life 3.0 will appeal to readers who would like to better understand developments AI research and think through the implications for the future of humanity. Because it has a long-term focus, some readers interested more in the near term implications of AI may find it at times more abstract than they would like.

    Read more about Life 3.0

    Topics

    Artificial General Intelligence
    Superintelligent AI
    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Existential Risk
    AI Bias
    AI Misinformation

    AI Job Losses
    AI Impact on Economy
    AI Replacing Workers
    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Alignment
    AI Helping Humans

    Links

    Superintelligence: Paths, dangers, strategies

    Book Details

    Author: Nick Bostrom

    Year published: 2016

    Pages: 390

    Aims of Superintelligence

    Superintelligence aims to examine possible future scenarios in which AI systems exceed human intelligence, and to analyze potential existential risks that would arise should such scenarios materialize.

    Superintelligence’s audience

    Superintelligence will appeal to readers interested in a philosophical approach to these problems which includes a substantial amount of abstract thinking. Readers, including some engineers, may question the value find such philosophical abstraction and wish for a book more focused on what is possible based on the current state of the technology.

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    Topics

    Artificial General Intelligence
    Superintelligent AI
    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Existential Risk

    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Alignment
    AI Helping Humans

    Links

    AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order

    Book Details

    Author: Kai-Fu Lee

    Year published: 2021

    Pages: 288

    Aims of AI Superpowers

    AI Superpowers explores ways in which China’s investment in technology AI may help the country attain a competitive edge. It also offers predictions on how AI will affect the global workforce in the coming decades.

    AI Superpowers’ Audience

    This book will appeal to readers interested in understanding the coming economic and geopolitical impact of AI technology by looking in detail at the cases of China and the United States.

    Topics

    Artificial General Intelligence
    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Job Losses
    AI Impact on Economy

    AI Replacing Workers
    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Helping Humans

    Links

    The Age of AI: And our human future

    Book Details

    Authors: Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, Daniel Huttenlocher

    Year published: 2022

    Pages: 352

    Aims of The Age of AI

    The Age of AI aims to make predictions about the political and social impact that AI technology will have in the coming decades.

    The Age of AI’s audience

    Readers who would like to better consider how the risks of AI might compare to other risks of the recent decades, such as nuclear weaponry. Some readers may wish for a more concrete and practical roadmap as to how AI risks might be addressed from a policy point of view.

    Topics

    Artificial General Intelligence
    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Existential Risk
    AI Bias
    AI Misinformation
    AI Job Losses

    AI Impact on Economy
    AI Replacing Workers
    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Alignment
    AI Helping Humans

    Links

    The Coming Wave: Technology, power, and the twenty-first century’s greatest dilemma

    Book Details

    Authors: Mustafa Suleyman, Michael Bhaskar

    Year published: 2023

    Pages: 352

    Aims of The Coming Wave

    The Coming Wave sets out to make the case that AI and other developing technologies are advancing in such a way that “containing” them will become a problem for human beings.

    The Coming Wave’s audience

    The Coming Wave will appeal to readers who would like to reflect on the potential dangers of AI technology. However, some readers may find the book speculative at times and wish for more evidence that the negative outcomes it considers are likely.

    Topics

    Artificial General Intelligence
    Superintelligent AI
    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Existential Risk
    AI Taking Over Humanity
    AI Bias
    AI Misinformation

    AI Job Losses
    AI Impact on Economy
    AI Replacing Workers
    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Alignment
    AI Helping Humans
    AI Deepfakes

    Links

    AI 2041: Ten visions for our future

    Book Details

    Author: Max Tegmark

    Year published: 2018

    Pages: 364

    Aims of AI 2041

    In AI 2041, the authors present fictional stories and accompanying commentary as they invite readers to imagine ways in which AI technology will transform our lives.

    AI 2041’s audience

    AI 2041 will appeal to readers who find this kind of storytelling to be an engaging way to think through the potential future impacts of AI technology. However, for readers for whom this is not true, the fictional portions of this book may seem irrelevant.

    Topics

    Artificial General Intelligence
    Superintelligent AI
    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Existential Risk
    AI Bias
    AI Job Losses
    AI Impact on Economy

    AI Replacing Workers
    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Helping Humans
    AI and Human Relationships
    AI Deepfakes
    AI and Human Creativity
    AI Humanoid

    Links

    Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and leadership when algorithms and networks run the world

    Book Details

    Author: Max Tegmark

    Year published: 2018

    Pages: 364

    Aims of Competing in the Age of AI

    Competing in the Age of AI aims to make the case that AI, data, and analytics alters the paths to growth open to businesses.

    Competing in the Age of AI’s audience

    This book will appeal to leaders and others with an interest in business who would like to understand, through examining cases studies of major companies, how AI technology can allow businesses to scale in ways that had not been possible prior to AI.

    Topics

    AI Impact on Economy
    AI Replacing Workers

    AI in Business
    AI for Business Leaders

    Links

    Prediction Machines: The simple economics of artificial intelligence

    Book Details

    Author: Max Tegmark

    Year published: 2018

    Pages: 364

    Aims of Prediction Machines

    Prediction Machines offers an analysis of AI technology from an economic point of view, arguing that AI can be understood as “cheap prediction,” and as such as a technology that inherently increases productivity.

    Prediction Machines’ audience

    Prediction Machines will be of interest to readers with an interest in economics who would like to think about how AI may alter the workforce and the ways in which business operate. Some readers may question whether the case being made is more optimistic and enthusiastic about the potential economic benefits of AI technology than is warranted.

    Topics

    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Bias
    AI Job Losses
    AI Impact on Economy
    AI Replacing Workers

    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Helping Humans
    AI in Business
    AI for Business Leaders

    Links

    Artificial Intelligence: A guide for thinking humans

    Book Details

    Author: Max Tegmark

    Year published: 2018

    Pages: 364

    Aims of Artificial Intelligence

    The aim of Artificial Intelligence is to educate readers as to the nature of current AI technology and ways in which it might develop in the future.

    Artificial Intelligence’s audience

    This book will appeal to readers with little background understanding of the technology behind AI who would like an accessible overview.

    Topics

    Artificial General Intelligence
    Superintelligent AI
    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Existential Risk
    AI Bias

    AI Job Losses
    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Alignment
    AI Helping Humans
    AI and Human Creativity

    Links

    Human Compatible: Artificial intelligence and the problem of control

    Book Details

    Author: Max Tegmark

    Year published: 2018

    Pages: 364

    Aims of Human Compatible

    The goal of Human Compatible is to convince readers that it is important to think carefully about the ways in which AI technology is currently being developed so that we lay a foundation that will be compatible with human interests as the technology advances.

    Human Compatible’s audience

    Readers interested in learning about responsible AI and alignment will find a good overview of these issues in Human Compatible. Some readers may find the book’s assessment of risk higher than is warranted based on current evidence, and may find the proposed strategies for mitigation to be without sufficient justification.

    Topics

    Artificial General Intelligence
    Superintelligent AI
    Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
    AI Existential Risk
    AI Taking Over Humanity
    AI Bias
    AI Misinformation
    AI Job Losses

    AI Impact on Economy
    AI Replacing Workers
    Responsible Artificial Intelligence
    AI Alignment
    AI Helping Humans
    AI Deepfakes
    AI Humanoid

    Links