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.

Read more about Superintelligence

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

Share.

Bradley Murray is a psychoanalyst and author of a book on Kant’s philosophy and articles on the impact of future technology on human life.