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
- Superintelligence: Paths, dangers, strategies
- AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
- The Age of AI: And our human future
- The Coming Wave: Technology, power, and the twenty-first century's greatest dilemma
- AI 2041: Ten visions for our future
- Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and leadership when algorithms and networks run the world
- Prediction Machines: The simple economics of artificial intelligence
- Artificial Intelligence: A guide for thinking humans
- Human Compatible: Artificial intelligence and the problem of control
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.
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.
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