Surviving AI: The promise and peril of artificial intelligence

by Calum Chace

Artificial intelligence is our most powerful technology, and in the coming decades it will change everything in our lives. If we get it right it will make humans almost godlike. If we get it wrong... well, extinction is not the worst possible outcome.

“Surviving AI” is a concise, easy-to-read guide to what's coming, taking you through technological unemployment (the economic singularity) and the possible creation of a superintelligence (the technological singularity).

Here's what some of the leading thinkers in the field have to say about it:

A sober and easy-to-read review of the risks and opportunities that humanity will face from AI.

Jaan Tallinn – co-founder of Skype

Understanding AI – its promise and its dangers – is emerging as one of the great challenges of coming decades and this is an invaluable guide to anyone who’s interested, confused, excited or scared.

David Shukman – BBC Science Editor

We have recently seen a surge in the volume of scholarly analysis of this topic; Chace impressively augments that with this high-quality, more general-audience discussion.

Aubrey de Grey – CSO of SENS Research Foundation; former AI researcher

It's rare to see a book about the potential End of the World that is fun to read without descending into sensationalism or crass oversimplification.

Ben Goertzel – chairman of Novamente LLC

Calum Chace is a prescient messenger of the risks and rewards of artificial intelligence. In “Surviving AI” he has identified the most essential issues and developed them with insight and wit – so that the very framing of the questions aids our search for answers. Chace’s sensible balance between AI’s promise and peril makes “Surviving AI” an excellent primer for anyone interested in what’s happening, how we got here, and where we are headed.

Kenneth Cukier – co-author of “Big Data”

If you’re not thinking about AI, you’re not thinking.  “Surviving AI” combines an essential grounding in the state of the art with a survey of scenarios that will be discussed with equal vigor at cocktail parties and academic colloquia.

Chris Meyer – author of “Blur”, “It’s Alive”, and “Standing on the Sun”

The appearance of Calum Chace's book is of some considerable personal satisfaction to me, because it signifies the fact that the level of social awareness of the rise of massively intelligent machines has finally reached the mainstream. If you want to survive the next few decades, you cannot afford NOT to read Chace's book.

Prof. Dr. Hugo de Garis – former director of the Artificial Brain Lab, Xiamen University, China

“Surviving AI” is an exceptionally clear, well-researched and balanced introduction to a complex and controversial topic, and is a compelling read to boot.

Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh – executive director of Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk

In “Surviving AI”, Calum Chace provides a marvellously accessible guide to the swirls of controversy that surround discussion of what is likely to be the single most important event in human history - the

Genres: Science, Artificial Intelligence, Nonfiction, Technology, Audiobook, Philosophy, Futurism

186 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2015

About the author

Calum studied philosophy at Oxford University, where he discovered that the science fiction he had been reading since early boyhood is actually philosophy in fancy dress.

He published "Surviving AI", a non-fiction review of the promise and peril of artificial intelligence in September 2015. Previously, he published "Pandora's Brain", a novel about the first conscious machine.

He is a regular speaker on artificial intelligence and related technologies, and runs a blog on the subject at www.pandoras-brain.com.

He is also the co-author of The Internet Startup Bible, a business best-seller published by Random House in 2000.

Prior to writing Pandora's Brain, Calum had a 30-year career in business, in which he was a marketer, a strategy consultant and a CEO.

He lives in the UK and Spain with his partner, a director of a design school, and their son.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This topic has been generating an increasing amount of media coverage in the last couple of years, with luminaries like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking suggesting that AI might lead to the extinction of humans. That makes it about as big a topic as there is really.

This is a book for the layman and the author starts with some useful definitions, including the difference between artificial narrow intelligence and artificial general intelligence - AGI - where a computer would be capable of undertaking any cognitive function that a human can. I think most people who are not religious would accept that AGI will probably be developed at some point. When exactly is another matter. The task is intimidatingly difficult and as the author acknowledges, it could take centuries. On the other hand, as he tellingly points out, the idea that AGI is only a few decades away is not the preserve of a few crackpots. Some very serious scientists believe that to be the case.

The creation of a sentient, self aware machine - effectively a new life form - would of course be a momentous event, but in a way AGI in itself is less of an issue than its likely and potentially very scary offspring, superintelligence. The author argues persuasively that superintelligence would follow AGI very quickly. After all, once the leap to AGI is made, the rest is just adding speed and capacity to the system. Once created, a superintelligent machine could design even better machines and "there is no compelling reason to think that the superintelligence will stop recursively self-improving once it exceeds human intelligence by a factor of ten, or a hundred, or a million." The author offers two contrasting visions of what this could lead to. Suffice to say that the differences are significant!

Mr Chace argues, I think correctly, that a Canute like approach of trying to ban AI research could not succeed. He has a suggested course of action although is at pains to stress there are no guarantees. I suppose the reader's view of AGI is going to be determined by whether he or she is essentially an optimist or a pessimist. I think I will seek solace in the maxim that there is no point in my worrying about things I can't control.

A concise and balanced book, that gets the reader thinking. It's worth a read.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started off by listening to this pair do Pandora's Brain which didn't impress me at all. It wasn't what I expected being YA SF, but I don't think that was the main issue. I was given both books for an honest review & am really glad I listened to this one.

The intro starts out with a mind wrenching reference to smart phones being AI. Well, they are, but not what I normally think of in that regard. Don't let it put you off, though. Chace clears up his definitions fairly quickly in the first chapter & then concentrates on what I expected: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) & Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Joe Hempel's reading is perfect for the subject matter.

About halfway through, he's given a very good overview of what AI means & to whom - a very important point. Most think of AI as AGI - Colossus running the world or SkyNet destroying the humans - but AI can mean enhancing our own intelligence through information access (smart phones & the Internet) or be very focused like the predictive powers of a search engine. This last is ANI & is pervasive today, amazingly so, & Chace gives a lot of good examples without ever being boring or repetitive. Fantastic!

He then gets in to who is studying what aspects & finally into the various scenarios that could play out when we reach 'singularity' or an actual AGI. His examples for both tend to be on the binary side. While he made a few obvious nods to SF, he missed some of the most interesting. He dismisses any meaningful blend of man & machine mind, thus the possibilities of VR beyond the very obvious. While he mentions augmentation, it is only the most primitive. I don't believe that's a valid area to skip. We're hooking more hardware up to people every day. Is the thought of adding RAM to the wetware further away than AI singularity? I don't think so.
http://israelbrain.org/will-human-mem...
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/tech/br...
Yeah, Johnny Mnemonic & Plughead are just around the corner. So what happens when they plug into the Internet?

He calls for us all to work together to make sure it is a blessing & not a curse. I have several problems with this.

1) He only addresses the purposeful creation of AI. My gut feeling is that it won't happen that way. It will be a series of accidents of shared processing & algorithms that spawn consciousness of a sort. Maybe that's why he skipped it. We might have no control since there's no way we can pull the plug on the Internet.

2) The dichotomy is not a given, IMO. We're messy & so are many of our creations. While Chace mentions that our thought is an electro-chemical reaction, he never mentions how much that affects our thought processes nor does he divorce it from how an AI might think.

3) He seems to think we ALL need to work together. He has more faith & belief in the democratic process than I do. I'm not saying I want to cut anyone out, just that I don't think everyone's input will be of any use. A broader range of human experience should be brought to bear on the problem & I was disappointed that he didn't bring more SF authors & their works in as examples.

SF authors are pretty bright people, many with science, engineering, & other degrees not to mention huge influence on large numbers of people. They've also spent a LOT of time thinking about the problem. They've written entire universes & gamed all sorts of scenarios. True, a lot of them are out dated or unbelievable, but that doesn't invalidate them any more than the myths he mentioned. For example, he mentions Asimov's 3 laws (too briefly) but fails to mention Williamson's Humanoids, although it was right on one of his points (putting humans in a coma to protect them) & would have made it far better. Anyway, I'd rather see SF authors discussing this with the big brains than politicians, although they'll have to rule on it eventually.

All bitching aside, he did a good job. It's a huge, scary topic & he managed it all in just over 4 hours. Well worth listening to & highly recommended for everyone. Just realize that there is a lot more to it & it will likely be messier than we think.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

7.33/10.

'Surviving AI' is an exceptionally clear, well-researched and balanced introduction to a complex and controversial topic, and is a compelling read to boot. - Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh, executive director (2015), Cambridge Centre for the Study of Environmental Risk - plaudit in 'Comments on Surviving AI', Surviving AI, Three Cs, 2015.

Largely, I agree, out of my ignorance, as a newcomer to the subject - it is a good read, and a deliberate preamble to the more in-depth Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom (Oxford University Press, 2014).

In what begins as a rather uninspiring introduction by the author, Callum Chace (and what a great name that is) states:

'The arrival of superintelligence, if and when it happens, would represent a technological singularity... and would be the most significant event in human history, bar none.' (p. xviii)

It is happening, according to the very many sources in Nick Bostrom's 'Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies' [2014] - to which Chace notes a particular debt of acknowledgement - and, as Chace urges early on, will be here by 2029, according to Google's director of engineering Ray Kurzweil - to whom he is of equal debt. Chace, though (like Google founders Page and Brin), has optimism, when summarising its possible positive/negative effects on global society:

'An economic singularity [caused by massive automation] might lead to an elite owning the means of production and suppressing the rest of us in a dystopian technological authoritarian regime. Or it could lead to an economy of radical abundance, where nobody has to work for a living, and we are all free to have fun, and stretch our minds and develop our faculties to the full. I hope and believe that the latter is possible...' (p. xvii-xviii)

That post-scarcity society which Banks called the Culture.

If this is the level of naïvety required by us to convince ourselves for one moment that - whatever the evolution of our world technologically and economically - we will ever do away with greed, I'm a dubious reader. Nor might we ever come to trust our governments and corporations ever being free of corruption. And so, it must logically be deduced that the former will take place, and we shall never see the Culture birthed in our, or our grandchildren's lifetimes.

However, fundamental moral and philosophical contention established, this a smooth read, introducing many of the developments and themes to our AI-present, and anticipating the future. Always a fascinating aspect of any such discussion of our technological present is that of the big players: Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft... and that other one (something beginning with F and ending in K). What fingers in which pies do they have - and, more to the point, do we trust them with our future? Big data, big processing, smart processing. Moral processing? Does it really come into the equation?

Yes. Very much so. As Chace's potted piece progresses, the critical question becomes whether or not superintelligence will be beneficial or disastrous for humankind. And so, what we - they, whether aiming for whole brain emulation or a symbiotic entity drawn from multiple narrow AIs (ANI) - must ensure is that an advanced AGI - a superintelligence - is morally programmed or self-develops as an FAI, a Friendly Artificial Intelligence. The words 'hope', 'hopeful' and 'hopefully' appear many times in the latter half of this review.

But - and there are an awful lot of 'but's in Chace's final chapter (not that way, we hope) - the future, even the near future, is difficult to predict with any precision:

'So perhaps we should wait a decade or two and hope that there will be a "Sputnik moment" when it becomes evident that AGI is getting close - and that this warning sounds comfortably before AGI actually arrives. We could then take stock of progress towards Friendly AI, and if the latter was insufficiently advanced we could impose the ban on further AI research at that point. With luck we might be able to identify the specific elements of AI research without which the first AGI could not be created, and other types of AI research could continue as normal.' (p.153).

This is so very fumblingly maladroit, it is begging to be excised. It contains so many subjunctive cop-outs - expressing tentativeness, vagueness or uncertainty: 'we could', 'with luck', 'perhaps', 'might' - that it becomes almost meaningless. Perhaps. This is tantamount to gifting the fate of mankind to the gods in some grand farcical cosmic philosophical loop, right back to the ancient Greeks - where all this surmising all began. Will we therefore be at risk of creating a new host of real gods with power of extance over the human race. Is this not verging on science fantasy, rather than an explication of the problem of the promise of Superintelligence? Quite a bit, yes.

One of the problems of summarising a host of approaches, progressions, advances, achievements and informed if disparate opinion of the pioneers of current AI development is that it must, in this simpler, lay form, necessarily be brief and shallow. Towards the latter half of his book Chace more frequently references Bostrom's Superintelligence, which is a more challenging offering because of the maths and terminology involved. So we must take this brief cursory overview for what it is:

'Some of what is written on the subject is too academic to appeal to a general audience, and some of it is partisan or fanciful. I have tried to make this book balanced and informative, comprehensive and concise. It is intended for newcomers to the subject as well as for those who are already familiar with a lot of the current thinking about surviving AI.' (p.185).

Yet, there are whole paragraphs in this which are either so dense they are incomprehensible - and demand further explanation (e.g. the central paragraph of p.142) - or are so diaphanous that they require excision (example above). This is necessarily a fault of editing, and, as the acknowledgements prove, was done by a close friend - who might, perhaps, not be the best placed to perform such a necessarily ruthless task. Further, the book has neither an index nor glossary, both of which should appear as standard in any serious, even quasi-academic, non-fiction text; and its footnote references are all internet pages, not published texts.

Finally, it should commence with an adequate definition of 'Intelligence'. What he is largely (and obliquely) assuming is rational capability, cleverness or smartness, which is not the same as intelligence, to me. Intelligence is the positive, altruistic and therefore beneficial application of rational smartness, and necessarily intrinsically involves emotional intelligence. Yet his opening introduction skips over this consideration. Nor am I convinced that climate change can be dismissed as not being an existential threat (p.179).

However, minor criticisms aside, this is, as Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh initially states, a 'clear [...] and balanced introduction to a complex and controversial topic'. Ignoring those odd glitches, it *is* well written, a smooth, fluent read, and largely enjoyable. I particularly liked the 'flooding football stadium' analogy of exponential growth / Moore's Law (pp.94-5), and since I am a newbie to any AI discussion, enjoyed being introduced to some of the major players and influential individuals - some of whom are also actively involved in the space race (Musk). I also enjoyed the dips into the moral and philosophical paradoxes involved in the debate. I am at once heartened by the fact that the key current arbiters of risk analysis and monitoring lie on both sides of the ocean and, on our side, at both Oxford (Bostrom) and Cambridge.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and appreciate more now how serious and pertinent the issues are which the subject raises - I experienced something akin to that five-second grayscale video feed from the dash of the Stealth Bomber during the Gulf War, when the second smart bomb followed the first into the Iraqi reinforced aircraft bunker: a mix of awe and dread - of the awesome savance of such a Superintelligence, and the ultimate power it might possess. Yet, more prosaically, I also feel, because of its intended appeal 'to a general audience' and its necessary brevity on all issues, slightly disappointed, as after eating a light meal: I am hungry for something more substantial...

On now to Bostrom's 'Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies', for a fuller analysis - if potentially a little over my head.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting layman's introduction to what is an absolutely enthralling subject - think there must be better books on it out there though so I'm going to keep reading more on this.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid introduction to thoughts and developments in the area of Artificial Intelligence. There’s a lot of speculation about doomsday scenarios which ultimately lead to the conclusion that no one really knows where this is heading. Essentially, Chace’s argument is that AI development is unstoppable so don’t try to resist it. There’s a huge array of positive changes that AI can bring to the world but be warned - we are not investing enough into ensuring the creation of a friendly AI.

I enjoyed this book. It was easy to understand and the ideas were communicated well. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in discovering AI as a topic. However, this book is so short that you really only dip your toes in. You will need to read much wider than this to get a deep understanding of AI, and of course keep closely up to date with future rapid developments in this fascinating arena.

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 4 out of 5]

“intelligence measures an agent’s general ability to achieve goals in a wide range of environments.”

The book gives a short summary of different levels of AI, where we are currently (as of 2015) in relation to those levels and the risks that humankind is facing on each level. The book is also strongly recommended by Jaan Tallinn. There are many books in this field written both from the optimist and pessimist standpoint, this tends to be more on the negative side (still leaving room for positive outcome with the balanced amount of effort).

The acronyms:
ANI - Artificial Narrow Intelligence
AGI - Artificial General Intelligence
ASI - Artificial Superintelligence
FAI - Friendly Artificial Intelligence (this is the hope)

Author is setting the tone of the book with following words:
"Some of what is written on the subject is too academic to appeal to a general audience, and some of it is partisan or fanciful. I have tried to make this book balanced and informative, comprehensive and concise. It is intended for newcomers to the subject as well as for those who are already familiar with a lot of the current thinking about surviving AI."

“Will we even know when the first AGI is created? The first machine to become conscious may quickly achieve a reasonably clear understanding of its situation. Anything smart enough to deserve the label superintelligent would surely be smart enough to lay low and not disclose its existence until it had taken the necessary steps to ensure its own survival. In other words, any machine smart enough to pass the Turing test would be smart enough not to. It”

"The arrival of superintelligence, if and when it happens, would represent a technological singularity... and would be the most significant event in human history, bar none."

[Book Shark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surviving AI: The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence by Calum Chace

“Surviving AI" is a very interesting book that looks at the formidable challenges and potential enormous benefits of artificial intelligence. Best-selling author of fiction and non-fiction books, Calum Chace provides readers with keen insights into AI and espouses the need to adopt policies which will encourage the best possible outcomes. This concise 208-page book includes nine chapters broken out by the following four parts: 1. ANI Artificial Narrow Intelligence, 2. AGI Artificial General Intelligence, 3. ASI Artificial Superintelligence, and 4. FAI Friendly Artificial Intelligence.

Positives:
1. A well-written and succinct book.
2. The fascinating topic of artificial intelligence and its potential implications.
3. Chace has great command of the topic and is able to convey at an accessible level.
4. Easy format to follow. Chase breaks the book up in logical pieces and ends each chapter with a conclusion that summarizes well his main points. “The bottom line is that we don’t know for certain whether we can build a brain, or a conscious machine. But the existence of our own brains, producing rich conscious lives (or so we believe) in seven billion humans around the world, is proof that consciousness can be generated by a material entity – unless you believe in a dualist soul, or something similar. Evolution, although powerful, is slow and inefficient, and science is relatively fast and efficient, so in principle we should be able to build a brain.”
5. Does a good job of defining key terms. “Intelligence measures an agent’s general ability to achieve goals in a wide range of environments.” “The easiest way to do this is to say that artificial general intelligence, or AGI, is an AI which can carry out any cognitive function that a human can.”
6. Provides a brief history of AI research.
7. Provides many examples of AI today. “For many people, the embodiment of AI today is Siri, Apple’s digital personal assistant that first appeared pre-loaded in the iPhone 4S in October 2011. The name is short for Sigrid, a Scandinavian name meaning both ‘victory’ and ‘beauty’.”
8. The basic principle of startups and future AI. “Take X and add AI.”
9. A look at important practical topics that affect us now and into the future, digital disruption and economic singularity. “So there may well come a time when a majority of jobs can be performed more effectively, efficiently or economically by an AI than they can be done by a human. This could be called the economic singularity.”
10. One of the strengths of this book is the philosophizing of AI that is, asking the right questions. “The three biggest questions about artificial general intelligence (AGI) are: Can we build one? If so, when? Will it be safe?”
11. The grand theory of evolution makes its presence known. “Evolution: the slow, inefficient way to develop a brain.” “Evolution does not have a purpose or a goal. It is merely a by-product of the struggle for survival by billions and billions of living creatures.”
12. Discusses three reasons why we should be doubtful on developing an artificial mind. “These are: The Chinese Room thought experiment The claim that consciousness involves quantum phenomena that cannot be replicated The claim that we have souls”
13. Discusses three ways we may be able to build a mind. “We can break the problem down into three components: scanning, computational capacity, and modelling.”
14. A look at how soon Artificial General Intelligence may be created. “Expert opinion is divided about when the first AGI might be created. Some think it could be less than a decade, others are convinced it is centuries away.
15. A look at superintelligence. What is the significance? Find out.
16. A very good discussion on the optimistic arguments for superintelligence and the pessimistic ones.
17. One of the most important questions addressed in the book. “Can we ensure that superintelligence is safe?” “Anything smart enough to deserve the label superintelligent would surely be smart enough to lay low and not disclose its existence until it had taken the necessary steps to ensure its own survival. In other words, any machine smart enough to pass the Turing test would be smart enough not to.”
18. The need to have a very important discussion on superintelligence for the sake of our existence. “What we need now is a serious, reasoned debate about superintelligence – a debate which avoids the twin perils of complacency and despair.”

Negatives:
1. A wonderful book for introductory purposes but lacks technical depth.
2. Due to the complex nature of this topic and the fact that neuroscience is in its infancy a lot of what’s in this book albeit fascinating and worth reading is speculative.
3. I think one of the most underrated ways that advanced AI can be discovered is by accident.
4. Lack of supplementary material.
5. Missed opportunities to add material of interest. As an example, the evolution of the robot.
6. No formal bibliography.

In summary, this is a wonderful brief book on AI that is accessible to the masses. Chace does a great job of philosophizing about AI and presenting the arguments for and against superintelligence. If you are looking for an accessible and succinct book that asks the right questions about AI this is a great start. I recommend it!

Further recommendations: “Rise of the Robots” by Martin Ford, “What to Think About Machines That Think” edited by John Brockman, “Our Final Invention” by James Barrat, “When Computers Can Think” by Anthony Berglas, “The Artificial Intelligence Revolution” by Louis Del Monte, “Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies” by Nick Bostrom, and “Artificial Superintelligence” by Roman V. Yampolskiy,

[Horst Walther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surviving AI may not be sufficient in case you want to dive deep into that tricky matter.
However, it is a must read for each one, who wants to approach it.
For me it became the logical closing stone after some 3 years of private research, including much of the work cited by Calum Chace.
He came very much to the same conclusions.
Some of them however he only touched shortly without revealing its full potential impact.
And some of the more esoteric ideas he missed out.
So I feel compelled to give them to the notice of the public soon.

[Francene Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of AI for someone with limited knowledge of the field. The book is easy to understand and balanced in its approach.

[Brian's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this is terrifying... A look at AI (the history, what's going on now, and a look into the future)

Before you jump into this review I want to preface it with saying that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed the “partner” book to this Pandora’s Brain.

Surviving AI is a quick non-fiction book that is full of interesting facts, quotes and overall impressions of Artificial Intelligence and the other forms that are included in the AI “bubble” that is soon to exist. This book (I believe) was written as a “behind-the-scenes” look at the actual facts behind his book Pandora’s Brain.

I was incredibly pleased when I saw that Chace decided to work with narrator Joe Hempel who narrated Pandora’s Brain for him. Joe’s tackling of this hard-hitting but quickly paced non-fiction book was perfect. There were sentences within this book that I don’t want to know HOW many times Hempel had to go through to get them right – but the finished product is perfect. Now, the audio version of this book may be a lot to take in (especially if you’re not an auditory learner – thankfully I am), but the audio really helps readers power through some of the language that Chace uses. The quality of the audio is perfect, studio quality with no sound issues at all throughout.

The book was quick and to the point which makes me happy. Chace could have written a 1000 page (24 hour) book on this topic. He could have talked to more scientists and futurists. He could have done a lot more, but it wouldn’t have added to the book. I think that he meant this to be a quick in-and-out take on what is going on in the AI world right now, give a little history, and try and tell us what bright minds think the future may hold.

This book wasn’t written like a textbook (thank god), he gives one or two examples for each topic and moves on. Not spending too much time overthinking or explaining things. I think that this book could be picked up by someone with little-to-no knowledge on AI, and leave with some quotes and some working knowledge of what AI is (or will become). That is the sign of a well written non-fiction book.

This book left me feeling—eager for a better word. There were a few sections that had me shaking, and others that gave me a lot of hope. I really hope that we can get a handle on the forms of AI that are in our near future. Because if we don’t, as Chace describes… it doesn’t look good for us humans.

I received a copy of this book from AudioBookReviewer & the narrator for free in exchange for my honest review.

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has done an excellent job in describing the topic of AI and its effect on humanity in an easy and concise way. If you are looking for deep technical description and the latest techniques and directions in AI, this is not the book for you. However, the book touches on deep subjects relating to the inevitability of the emergence of an artificial general intelligence (AGI) as a result of the continuous technology progress and makes one think hard about the future of humanity.

As we are seeing more and more the effects of the digital technology exponential growth in our daily lives (not a few months past-by would we see some science fiction turning into science fact and en route to becoming real world user scenario), one must ponder the possibility of an AI that will lead to superintelligence which human cannot comprehend. (While I was reading this book, it just happened that the AI program AlphaGo beat the human world champion in Go, not with brute force searching all possible moves but by intuition and flow, almost like an intelligence that is foreign to humans)

It is true that one can find these topics covered from many articles recently published online related to the rise of AI, nevertheless the book provides a good review covering the risks and opportunities.

[Abhinay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific read!

This book is concise and well organized, although I had read James Barrat's 'The final invention' leading to this one. But more than the tone or the quality, the subject of a friendly AI is crucial to us, the general public.

The internet is a vast pool of knowledge from which a super intelligence will absorb knowledge, and likewise we need the inputs and efforts of the billions of us in helping create a friendly AI. We owe that to our successors.

Also, this was a free book on Kindle Unlimited. Don't listen to anyone who says that the quality of books on Kindle Unlimited is sub par. If you can spare the 10$ every month, it is a worthwhile investment :)

[John Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surviving AI: The promise and peril of artificial intelligence by Calum Chace provides a great platform to understand some definitions around AI, the current (as of early 2020) state of the art, and the thoughts of some of the big thinkers on the topic. In the end, though, no one knows how AI will progress and what chance, if any, us pretty smart mammals will have to be able to control a sentient computer if/when it comes into existence.

Honestly, it's hard to imagine a good outcome here given that, ultimately, humans will be the source of the AI and humans don't exactly have a kind and benign outlook on the world (or history!). Yet, this is the exact outlook we would need the AI to have if we aren't going to end up being hunted out of existence a la the Terminator movies.

I think my next book will be about the inevitable explosion of the sun and destruction of our solar system. Perhaps I'll have more hope of preventing that!

Negativity and hopelessness aside, this was an interesting read if you are so inclined. I give it four stars for thoroughness and accessibility!

[TJ Totland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book on the topic of the possible futures AI could take in our lives. In this regard, I would rate the book a 5 out of 5 because it accomplished the task and the information it provides supports its conclusions.

But my hopes of more understanding in this area fall short. The author never promises to address my hopes and should not be taxed because of my needs, but others will also feel the need for more and my rating must fall to 4 stars, even though in the authors deserves 5 due to living up to the title and any promises made about the book.

For example, the book could have tackled AI from other angles and topics like morality and privacy are just lightly touched. The book looks at several possible futures AI could take us but does little about where AI is in today's society. I understand why as this field changes drastically every day and once the words hit the page, they will become outdated, but the readers what to know where AI is today and where it is going, and much less on the history of AI.

Overall, a good book, but not a great one.

[Eduardo Deboni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most important and revolutionary technologies that was ever invented by men. The possibilities bring us closer to what we could call a god by creating something we could consider conscientious or alive. The author is philosopher, not a technician, and is also a science fiction author. This gives the book a nice explanatory and analytical tone, and it helps evaluate the possibilities for our future. Initially I found the book a little too optimist, but as the analysis and the references the book gave put me more in a realistic view of the close possibilities of AI in our lives. The discussions of the book are relevant and the book is a must read for specialists and non specialists. Highly recommended.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was going to read Life 3.0 from Max Tegmark and found a recommendation from Derek Silvers to read Surviving AI first as an intro. Great information about the concepts of Artificial General Intelligence and Superintelligence and some of the risks. 'A day in the life' section that walks through a futuristic Julia's day with her digital assistant, from waking up at the best stage of her sleep cycle, autonomous driving, augmented reality, reminders of personal profiles and live nudges on speed and body language during a meeting, and drone delivered groceries to the trunk of her parked car. Captivating illustration that gets me excited about the potential of AI.

[Michael Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice coffee Boise explanation of what AI is, what it is not and what it is becoming. Addresses the technological, social and cultural impact. Makes you realise that we are at the beginning of a journey which if not very carefully managed could be the technology to drive us to the dystopian ( sorry - a much overused word by today’s fatalists ) future we all fear. Alternatively if harnessed sensibly and with strict ethical development and use, it could be a catalyst for the a future of great human achievement. The book paints the possibilities. How we get there is down to us.

[Chris Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of AI and the ensuing AGI

Great overview in layman’s terms of Artificial Intelligence and it’s coming Artificial General Intelligence, including the concerns and suggested approaches though some are fanciful. Unfortunately there’s still much that we do not know: when this will happen or if it will be friendly to humans. This offers a great starting point if you’ve wanted to know more about the coming post-AGI superintelligence.

[Omran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of books about AI and I was like oh yeah I recognized many of the books the author quotes. The only reason I gave it three stars is that it didn't give me a lot of new ideas. Other than that if you want to know the effect of AI on our lives and whether it is achievable , you must read this book.

[John Pollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't quite finish it (80%) as my Kindle Unlimited sub ran out, but it is a very easy read and is a short book, to the point, not puff. Highly recommended for a brief overview of the state of AI and the possibilities for where it will end up. More of a thought provoking introduction to the topic that an in-depth work.

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for kicking off discussions

It’s a good discussion around AI it’s current status, future and specially challenges.

It avoids other current topics specially around the use of AI in media and social networks. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in Artificial Intelligence and a broad scope of philosophical conversations.

[Ali Miremadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A philosopher’s outline of the history, present and potential futures of AI, so helpful for a layperson like me. It would go well with watching ‘Black Mirror’...and some of the conclusions about the potential of technology are equally dark.

[Lester Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read. It reminds me of the real human need for augmented intelligence

Humans are evolving and we should step back and pay attention to how that evolution is occuring. How we interact with machines and each other is critical

[Bill Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good overview and eye-opening look at AI...of which I basically knew nothing about, other than that my phone is getting to know me a bit too well!

I'll follow up this read likely with Life 3.0, Superintelligence, then AI Superpowers...

[Za Bakar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 stars.
A good treatise on AI's development, promise, and perils, offering both an enticing view of the benefits of super-(artificial)intelligence and the horrors. If you're looking for balanced arguments as well as basic ideas of where AI is and where it's heading, this is a good read.

[yusuf habib Dibs wazit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly doubt what in this book is to come true in the next 20-200 years. But it's a nice read for whom ever is into the world of tech 🤓

[David Abigt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kind of an updated "The Filter Bubble". Good if you have not read that but otherwise not much new.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the situation, the major views, and what might be next. Not especially new or challenging, but a good intro to the conversation for beginners.

[Oliver Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great general intro to a fascinating topic, if perhaps a little hyperbolic.

[Judyta Szacillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a simple book, a succint presentation of basic concepts written for a lay reader who is new to the whole realm of AI-related dilemmas. A quality read if you want to learn the basics.